lewrockwell--2020-06-11--Rent Strikes, the Erosion of Property Rights, and What Comes Next

International Man : In recent months , “ rent strikes ” have emerged in many cities .
There has also been an increasing number of politicians suggesting they ’ ll pass laws to force landlords to “ cancel rent.
” What is your take on this ?
Doug Casey : Property rights are basic to human rights .
In fact , it doesn ’ t make any sense to talk about human rights unless you talk about property rights .
Your primary form of property is your own body .
But things outside of your body are equally as important @ @ @ @ @ @ @ possessions , things that belong to you alone , and that you are responsible for .
“ Rent strikers ” —who are philosophically aligned with socialists , communists , Antifa , Black Lives Matter , and similar groups— don ’ t see it that way , however .
They believe their problems are your problems .
They ’ re completely irresponsible .
They seem to think that saying something , no matter how irrational , can make it so .
And saying that you shouldn ’ t have to pay rent makes it @ @ @ @ @ @ @ economic reality .
The Problem with Socia ... Thomas DiLorenzo Best Price : $ 9.49 Buy New $ 11.93 Of course , the whole world has pretty much gone on tilt over the last six months .
Not paying agreed-upon rents and mortgages is economically destructive .
But that ’ s exactly the result these people want .
It ’ s a step to completely overturning what ’ s left of capitalism .
That ’ s bad enough .
But saying you don ’ t have to meet your obligations is simply dishonorable @ @ @ @ @ @ @ taken seriously but treated with contempt .
International Man : In New York , the government instituted an eviction freeze .
Without fear of eviction , many tenants felt they didn ’ t need to pay rent .
Without rent money , landlords won ’ t be able to pay their mortgages , their ever-increasing property taxes , and will be unable to meet their other obligations .
How do you see the daisy chain effects playing out ?
Doug Casey : It ’ s predictable , actually .
People seem to have @ @ @ @ @ @ @ York City was turning into during the ’ 70s .
Many—perhaps most—apartments were rent-controlled .
As a result , landlords were both unwilling and unable to maintain their properties .
Nobody was building new ones .
The city was crime-ridden and on the edge of bankruptcy .
Those days may return .
But it all starts with education .
The last several generations of Americans have grown up in a school system which basically teaches Marxist values .
The average American no longer sees any problem with that .
People have been completely @ @ @ @ @ @ @ economics , politics , and how the world works .
It ’ s going to end badly .
And I ’ m not just talking about the average man in the street .
The executives running major corporations support all of this nonsense and run commercials promoting it .
The colleges , and even high schools and grade schools , promote it to students .
The news and entertainment industries are totally PC .
The battle has really been lost .
Things are likely to keep degenerating because trends in motion tend to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ crisis , at which point anything can happen .
So what are the practical effects of this ?
The Anti-Rent Era in N ... McCurdy , Charles W. Best Price : $ 21.49 Buy New $ 41.13 Well , one of them is that landlords will stop building because they can see that the rental return on their capital is uncertain .
Building is risky enough , but if the sanctity of contracts is broken , it becomes extremely risky .
Even if an entrepreneur wants to build , banks will be very @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the same reason : they may not get their money back .
The government has painted itself into a corner with all of the debt that it ’ s encouraged in society over many years .
We might have 20 million families who can ’ t pay their mortgage or their rent .
This is a real possibility if unemployment doesn ’ t turn around radically and quickly .
If they ’ re evicted , where are they going to go ?
Are they going to live under bridges or on sidewalks ?
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ , rent-free ?
Of course the answer is that the government will “ step in.
” Both renters and landlords will beg them to .
And it ’ s not just a question of paying the rent ; there are utilities to be paid as well .
There are thousands of electric , gas , and water utility companies who will lobby for it .
So who ’ s going to eat the cost of all this—the vast numbers of people that were living just on the edge and have now gone over @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the next stage of the Greater Depression—one that nobody wants to confront because it ’ s too scary .
The way to solve the problem , of course , is by deregulating everything .
Let the market restructure ; let bankruptcies happen ; let evictions occur .
That should have happened in past crises—but every time , they ’ re papered over instead .
Now the problem is so huge as to be insoluble , short of a real conflagration .
Governments are actually cementing the distortions in place , however .
It @ @ @ @ @ @ @ problems to start with .
I ’ m not sure how it ’ s going to end .
We had overtures of a socialist revolution in the ’ 30s .
It was even more serious in the late ’ 60s and early ’ 70s .
This time , things might truly go over the edge for the reasons I touched on and many more .
International Man : What does the growing popularity of rent strikes mean for American society and culture ?
Doug Casey : As I said before , the entire @ @ @ @ @ @ @ several generations with Marxist and socialist values .
Environmental Markets : ... Anderson , Terry L. Best Price : $ 22.88 Buy New $ 31.40 One consequence of that is a breakdown of trust .
Unless you know another person well , you really don ’ t know if you can trust them .
What happens if government steps in and says , “ The fact that they made a contract with you means nothing .
They don ’ t have to pay their rent or their mortgage .
Not only won ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ll work with them , since they have more votes ” ?
When you don ’ t have trust in society , titles become insecure .
You can ’ t believe anything , even if it ’ s written down on a piece of paper .
You find you may not really own what you thought was yours .
In the years to come , a whole new class of Americans could , in effect , become squatters .
In other words , the many thousands of people who are living on the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ public property .
Millions who can ’ t pay the rent or the mortgage might also become squatters , not just on public property but on private property .
This is one of the reasons why Africa and Latin America never go anywhere .
It ’ s why Haiti is going in reverse .
When property rights aren ’ t observed , it becomes impossible to plan .
You can ’ t have a sophisticated industrial , technological society if you can ’ t make plans .
If you can ’ t rely @ @ @ @ @ @ @ other people ’ s words , or rely on traditional social bonds , then society itself can break down .
This is how a country degenerates into a place like Haiti .
I ’ ve been there numerous times over—believe it or not—the last 50 years .
It was always poor , but now it ’ s a genuine hellhole for exactly the causes we now see in the US .
International Man : Tenants and landlords have both called for government bailouts .
How do you think that will play out ?
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Everybody wants to be bailed out , absolutely everybody .
Speculator ( High Groun ... Hunt , John Best Price : $ 6.35 Buy New $ 18.00 In a way , I can understand it .
Everybody would like to not work , sit around in Starbucks all day , and play games on their iPhones .
For years , I ’ ve said that societal values are eroding , and Western civilization is degrading and collapsing .
But the process has gone into hyperdrive .
I ’ ll give you an @ @ @ @ @ @ @ before the national elections , when Reagan was elected , I did an hour interview on the Phil Donahue Show .
The most interesting part of that very entertaining show occurred when I was explaining exactly the kind of problems that we ’ re now talking about to the audience .
A guy in the audience stood up and asked , “ Well , wait a minute , why do we have to pay for this stuff ?
Why can ’ t the government pay for it all ?
” The question was @ @ @ @ @ @ @ thing was that the audience all clapped and cheered for him .
A completely insane comment that showed no understanding of anything and the crowd went wild .
Here ’ s another odd thing .
That tape of the Donahue Show is excellent , but for some reason , the guy ’ s comment and the crowd ’ s reaction was edited out—I ’ m not sure why , or by who .
But the point I ’ m trying to make is that , even then , the public had no understanding @ @ @ @ @ @ @ understanding has degraded much more—to the point people are actually talking seriously about things like Modern Monetary Theory and Guaranteed Basic Income .
Actually , we ’ re seeing the overture to both now , with the multi-trillion Everything Bailout and the $ 600 per week Unemployment Boost program .
The American public actually believes that the government is a magic cornucopia .
Although most politicians also believe that , they ’ re cynical and duplicitous enough to realize that the main purpose of government is to enrich themselves .
So , of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ theories into law .
It ’ s a real free lunch for them , and it seems like a free lunch to the boobs voting for them .
This is actually how a civilization collapses .
The situation is much more serious than the riots and inconveniences we ’ re now experiencing .
Let me go off on a slight tangent here—but one that ’ s basic and critical .
It ’ s important to emphasize that government is pure force by its nature .
A civilized society , however , wants to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ If that ’ s true—and it is—then government should do only three things : Until We Reckon : Viole ... Sered , Danielle Best Price : $ 28.86 Buy New $ 16.07 First , protect you from force and violence within the country—which implies a police force .
Second , it should allow you to adjudicate disputes with each other without resorting to force—which implies a court system .
Third , it should protect you from force outside of the country—which implies an army .
The government should do absolutely nothing else .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ it actually does everything but those things .
That ’ s an important part of the problems we ’ re seeing .
Government isn ’ t viewed as a tool to maintain a civil society , but a weapon to destroy it .
International Man : Given the trends playing out with the rent strike , what are the investment implications ?
Doug Casey : The first thing is , don ’ t pay any attention to the stock market .
It ’ s been totally corrupted by all the money that ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ The price of stocks and bonds today , the level of interest rates—these things no longer have anything to do with reality .
Honest markets have ceased to exist .
It ’ s going to be a really painful comeuppance for those who think we ’ re still in a bull market .
But , to return to our original topic , why stop with rent ?
Why stop with mortgages and utilities ?
40 million US residents are getting free food .
Why not everyone ?
Rioters say everyone has a “ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ housing , medical care , and a college diploma .
They never ask “ At whose expense ?
” .
In fact , the only sane “ human right ” is to be left alone .
Drug Lord ( High Ground ... Doug Casey , John Hunt Best Price : $ 16.00 Buy New $ 18.08 Automobiles today cost as much as houses not long ago .
There ’ s a giant amount of automobile debt , apart from the fact most people today lease their cars .
Cars have gone from a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ s balance sheet to a major liability .
If Joe Average can ’ t make his car payment , he likely can ’ t get to work—assuming he still has a job .
In any event , car payments are now so large ; they ’ re tantamount to mortgages .
They run for seven years in many cases , with next to nothing for a down payment .
Few people realize that when banks first started granting mortgages on houses , they were only for five-year terms , with at least 20 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ history .
Maybe the government should pay for car loans as well .
And , certainly , student loans .
If you can ’ t pay your credit card debt , maybe it ought to be forgiven in some type of a jubilee .
Anything is now possible in Bizarro World , where personal responsibility is an alien concept .
From an economic perspective , it brings us back to the question of what the next stage of the Greater Depression will look like .
Will there be a credit collapse—where trillions of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and prices drop ?
Or are we going to have hyperinflation if the government succeeds in bailing everybody out ?
Or will these things happen simultaneously in different parts of the economy ?
Or in sequence ?
Whatever it is , we ’ re looking at chaos .
I have little confidence in a meaningful near term recovery of the economy and zero confidence in the current recovery of the stock market .
The Best of Doug Casey

International Man: In recent months, “rent strikes” have emerged in many cities. There has also been an increasing number of politicians suggesting they’ll pass laws to force landlords to “cancel rent.”
What is your take on this?
Doug Casey: Property rights are basic to human rights. In fact, it doesn’t make any sense to talk about human rights unless you talk about property rights.
Your primary form of property is your own body. But things outside of your body are equally as important. You can’t survive without possessions, things that belong to you alone, and that you are responsible for. “Rent strikers”—who are philosophically aligned with socialists, communists, Antifa, Black Lives Matter, and similar groups— don’t see it that way, however. They believe their problems are your problems. They’re completely irresponsible.
They seem to think that saying something, no matter how irrational, can make it so. And saying that you shouldn’t have to pay rent makes it possible to roll back the laws of economic reality. The Problem with Socia... Thomas DiLorenzo Best Price: $9.49 Buy New $11.93 (as of 06:45 UTC - Details)
Of course, the whole world has pretty much gone on tilt over the last six months. Not paying agreed-upon rents and mortgages is economically destructive. But that’s exactly the result these people want. It’s a step to completely overturning what’s left of capitalism. That’s bad enough. But saying you don’t have to meet your obligations is simply dishonorable. These people shouldn’t be taken seriously but treated with contempt.
International Man: In New York, the government instituted an eviction freeze. Without fear of eviction, many tenants felt they didn’t need to pay rent.
Without rent money, landlords won’t be able to pay their mortgages, their ever-increasing property taxes, and will be unable to meet their other obligations.
How do you see the daisy chain effects playing out?
Doug Casey: It’s predictable, actually. People seem to have forgotten what a dump most of New York City was turning into during the ’70s. Many—perhaps most—apartments were rent-controlled. As a result, landlords were both unwilling and unable to maintain their properties. Nobody was building new ones. The city was crime-ridden and on the edge of bankruptcy. Those days may return.
But it all starts with education.
The last several generations of Americans have grown up in a school system which basically teaches Marxist values. The average American no longer sees any problem with that. People have been completely indoctrinated with perverse views of ethics, economics, politics, and how the world works.
It’s going to end badly. And I’m not just talking about the average man in the street. The executives running major corporations support all of this nonsense and run commercials promoting it. The colleges, and even high schools and grade schools, promote it to students. The news and entertainment industries are totally PC.
The battle has really been lost. Things are likely to keep degenerating because trends in motion tend to stay in motion until they reach a crisis, at which point anything can happen.
So what are the practical effects of this? The Anti-Rent Era in N... McCurdy, Charles W. Best Price: $21.49 Buy New $41.13 (as of 05:14 UTC - Details)
Well, one of them is that landlords will stop building because they can see that the rental return on their capital is uncertain. Building is risky enough, but if the sanctity of contracts is broken, it becomes extremely risky.
Even if an entrepreneur wants to build, banks will be very loath to lend on projects for exactly the same reason: they may not get their money back.
The government has painted itself into a corner with all of the debt that it’s encouraged in society over many years.
We might have 20 million families who can’t pay their mortgage or their rent. This is a real possibility if unemployment doesn’t turn around radically and quickly. If they’re evicted, where are they going to go?
Are they going to live under bridges or on sidewalks? Or will they stay where they are, rent-free? Of course the answer is that the government will “step in.” Both renters and landlords will beg them to. And it’s not just a question of paying the rent; there are utilities to be paid as well. There are thousands of electric, gas, and water utility companies who will lobby for it.
So who’s going to eat the cost of all this—the vast numbers of people that were living just on the edge and have now gone over the edge? I suspect this is the next stage of the Greater Depression—one that nobody wants to confront because it’s too scary.
The way to solve the problem, of course, is by deregulating everything. Let the market restructure; let bankruptcies happen; let evictions occur. That should have happened in past crises—but every time, they’re papered over instead. Now the problem is so huge as to be insoluble, short of a real conflagration. Governments are actually cementing the distortions in place, however. It’s perverse since they caused these problems to start with.
I’m not sure how it’s going to end. We had overtures of a socialist revolution in the ’30s. It was even more serious in the late ’60s and early ’70s. This time, things might truly go over the edge for the reasons I touched on and many more.
International Man: What does the growing popularity of rent strikes mean for American society and culture?
Doug Casey: As I said before, the entire society has been corrupted over the last several generations with Marxist and socialist values. Environmental Markets:... Anderson, Terry L. Best Price: $22.88 Buy New $31.40 (as of 05:14 UTC - Details)
One consequence of that is a breakdown of trust.
Unless you know another person well, you really don’t know if you can trust them. What happens if government steps in and says, “The fact that they made a contract with you means nothing. They don’t have to pay their rent or their mortgage. Not only won’t we help you, we’ll work with them, since they have more votes”?
When you don’t have trust in society, titles become insecure. You can’t believe anything, even if it’s written down on a piece of paper. You find you may not really own what you thought was yours.
In the years to come, a whole new class of Americans could, in effect, become squatters.
In other words, the many thousands of people who are living on the streets in major cities are squatting on public property. Millions who can’t pay the rent or the mortgage might also become squatters, not just on public property but on private property.
This is one of the reasons why Africa and Latin America never go anywhere. It’s why Haiti is going in reverse. When property rights aren’t observed, it becomes impossible to plan.
You can’t have a sophisticated industrial, technological society if you can’t make plans. If you can’t rely on institutions, on laws, on other people’s words, or rely on traditional social bonds, then society itself can break down.
This is how a country degenerates into a place like Haiti. I’ve been there numerous times over—believe it or not—the last 50 years. It was always poor, but now it’s a genuine hellhole for exactly the causes we now see in the US.
International Man: Tenants and landlords have both called for government bailouts. How do you think that will play out?
Doug Casey: It really is funny. Everybody wants to be bailed out, absolutely everybody.
Speculator (High Groun... Hunt, John Best Price: $6.35 Buy New $18.00 (as of 10:10 UTC - Details) In a way, I can understand it. Everybody would like to not work, sit around in Starbucks all day, and play games on their iPhones. For years, I’ve said that societal values are eroding, and Western civilization is degrading and collapsing. But the process has gone into hyperdrive.
I’ll give you an example.
In 1980, the day before the national elections, when Reagan was elected, I did an hour interview on the Phil Donahue Show.
The most interesting part of that very entertaining show occurred when I was explaining exactly the kind of problems that we’re now talking about to the audience. A guy in the audience stood up and asked, “Well, wait a minute, why do we have to pay for this stuff? Why can’t the government pay for it all?”
The question was stupid enough, but the really shocking thing was that the audience all clapped and cheered for him. A completely insane comment that showed no understanding of anything and the crowd went wild.
Here’s another odd thing. That tape of the Donahue Show is excellent, but for some reason, the guy’s comment and the crowd’s reaction was edited out—I’m not sure why, or by who. But the point I’m trying to make is that, even then, the public had no understanding of economics.
Since then, their understanding has degraded much more—to the point people are actually talking seriously about things like Modern Monetary Theory and Guaranteed Basic Income. Actually, we’re seeing the overture to both now, with the multi-trillion Everything Bailout and the $600 per week Unemployment Boost program.
The American public actually believes that the government is a magic cornucopia.
Although most politicians also believe that, they’re cynical and duplicitous enough to realize that the main purpose of government is to enrich themselves. So, of course, they want to turn socialist theories into law. It’s a real free lunch for them, and it seems like a free lunch to the boobs voting for them. This is actually how a civilization collapses. The situation is much more serious than the riots and inconveniences we’re now experiencing.
Let me go off on a slight tangent here—but one that’s basic and critical. It’s important to emphasize that government is pure force by its nature. A civilized society, however, wants to limit force as much as possible.
If that’s true—and it is—then government should do only three things: Until We Reckon: Viole... Sered, Danielle Best Price: $28.86 Buy New $16.07 (as of 05:14 UTC - Details)
First, protect you from force and violence within the country—which implies a police force.
Second, it should allow you to adjudicate disputes with each other without resorting to force—which implies a court system.
Third, it should protect you from force outside of the country—which implies an army.
The government should do absolutely nothing else.
But in today’s world, it actually does everything but those things. That’s an important part of the problems we’re seeing. Government isn’t viewed as a tool to maintain a civil society, but a weapon to destroy it.
International Man: Given the trends playing out with the rent strike, what are the investment implications?
Doug Casey: The first thing is, don’t pay any attention to the stock market. It’s been totally corrupted by all the money that’s spewing out of Washington DC.
The price of stocks and bonds today, the level of interest rates—these things no longer have anything to do with reality. Honest markets have ceased to exist. It’s going to be a really painful comeuppance for those who think we’re still in a bull market.
But, to return to our original topic, why stop with rent? Why stop with mortgages and utilities? 40 million US residents are getting free food. Why not everyone? Rioters say everyone has a “human right” to free food, housing, medical care, and a college diploma. They never ask “At whose expense?”. In fact, the only sane “human right” is to be left alone.
Drug Lord (High Ground... Doug Casey, John Hunt Best Price: $16.00 Buy New $18.08 (as of 05:55 UTC - Details) Automobiles today cost as much as houses not long ago. There’s a giant amount of automobile debt, apart from the fact most people today lease their cars. Cars have gone from a small asset on the average guy’s balance sheet to a major liability. If Joe Average can’t make his car payment, he likely can’t get to work—assuming he still has a job. In any event, car payments are now so large; they’re tantamount to mortgages. They run for seven years in many cases, with next to nothing for a down payment. Few people realize that when banks first started granting mortgages on houses, they were only for five-year terms, with at least 20% down…but that’s now ancient history.
Maybe the government should pay for car loans as well. And, certainly, student loans.
If you can’t pay your credit card debt, maybe it ought to be forgiven in some type of a jubilee. Anything is now possible in Bizarro World, where personal responsibility is an alien concept.
From an economic perspective, it brings us back to the question of what the next stage of the Greater Depression will look like. Will there be a credit collapse—where trillions of dollars of debts are defaulted on, and prices drop? Or are we going to have hyperinflation if the government succeeds in bailing everybody out?
Or will these things happen simultaneously in different parts of the economy? Or in sequence?
Whatever it is, we’re looking at chaos.
I have little confidence in a meaningful near term recovery of the economy and zero confidence in the current recovery of the stock market.
Reprinted with permission from International Man.
The Best of Doug Casey


lewrockwell--2020-06-11--Fake Study, Fake Drug, Fake Land of Loons

As many of you know , a major study on the drug , Hydroxychloroquine ( HCQ ) , has been retracted by the Lancet , a mere 13 days after it was published .
That might be a world record .
The study , using a gigantic data set of 96,000 patients in 671 hospitals , concluded the drug was useless for treating COVID-19 patients , and posed health dangers .
The study ( briefly ) had the effect of convincing medical professionals , governments , media , and the public that HCQ was a total failure .
A COVID @ @ @ @ @ @ @ else .
The authors of the study and the Lancet reviewers now confess the data can ’ t be found .
The strong suggestion is , the data never existed .
The relentless and brilliant journalist , Celia Farber , covers the whole sordid story at uncoverdc.com .
She points out that “ Remdesivir , [ the toxic COVID drug ] ‘ touted ’ by Anthony Fauci…costs $ 1,000 per pill , whereas HCQ ’ s generic price is $ 0.64.
” That ’ s called a clue .
Unreported Truths abou ... @ @ @ @ @ @ @ And , of course , the plan is to keep the whole COVID farce going long enough to make the Bill Gates vaccine the primary instrument of treatment , through “ prevention.
” The next part of this article was prompted by a story a friend told me : a graduate student , when informed about the Lancet retraction , blew up and said , “ Don ’ t you care about SCIENCE ?
” Scratching an inch below the surface of his non-sequitur outburst , his meaning was clear—he hates Trump , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ so HCQ must be terrible , so the discredited Lancet study must actually be accurate .
And that ’ s science .
Isn ’ t this charming ?
And how many thousands of dollars did this student ’ s education cost ?
So let ’ s focus on one sector of the massive population of loons who are dutifully wearing masks and trudging down life ’ s path hypnotized by the COVID myth : Several years ago , I posted a staggering statistic from the National Alliance on Mental Illness ( NAMI ) @ @ @ @ @ @ @ college students have been diagnosed or treated by a professional for a mental health condition within the past year.
” Aside from the zombifying effects of the psychiatric drugs ( made even more dangerous by any effort to quickly withdraw from them ) , the students gain a new perspective from the mental-disorder diagnosis : they ’ re victims .
And now a COVID pandemic ?
They can wear their masks and deepen that self-image .
Wonderful .
Big Brother has given them a psychiatric diagnosis , meds , and an excuse for @ @ @ @ @ @ @ has also given millions of them student loans .
An illusion of a free ride .
Throw off those COVID masks ?
Not a chance .
That would suggest the possibility of independence .
Goes against victimhood .
Victims try and whine and moan but never really succeed .
That lifestyle sounds interesting .
Put it on .
Have fun with it .
Adjust attitudes .
Become a “ heroic victim.
” Who knew there was such an option ?
Who is Big Brother ?
The college students hazily think about who is @ @ @ @ @ @ @ psychiatric meds , who is issuing orders about the pandemic , and who is handing out their loans .
Seems to be the government on all counts .
OK , love Big Brother , love the government .
Done .
The Invisible Enemy Garrett , Mr. Gregory L ... Buy New $ 26.94 If these students are learning anything at all in college , what is it ?
Well , at the top of the list would be : “ science is truth.
” Simple , easy , graspable .
In this “ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ figure ?
Who is the one who SEEMS to be on the side of science , with no political ax to grind ?
Fauci .
Where are the students ’ brothers and sisters in the cult of victims ?
Where are they to be found , whining and bitching and moaning ?
On Twitter .
Good .
Love Twitter .
Quick , easy , no thinking necessary .
Type three sentences , that ’ s work for the day .
Whew .
Relax .
Watch YouTube videos .
Let the images and the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ is taking over everything .
An automatic system from Big Brother .
No effort necessary .
“ Going outside for a few minutes now .
Put on my mask .
No problem .
When I ’ m out on the street , all I do is look at my cell phone anyway .
Just need to stay six feet apart .
I can do that .
Victim hero behind the mask.
” The student vaguely remembers a moment last year when he was at the museum and stopped at a painting by Goya @ @ @ @ @ @ @ It sent torrents of energy up his spine .
But…the memory passes .
The meds kick in .
That was life as it used to be .
No more .
Now it ’ s signs and signals of social justice and the cell phone and twitter and the drugs and the mask and the victimhood and the loans and Fauci and the pandemic , etc.
, etc .
Fentanyl , Inc. : How Ro ... Westhoff , Ben Buy New $ 13.50 Note : the NAMI figure of 25 % , which I @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in this article , seems to have been scrubbed from search engines .
NAMI is now pegging the figure at closer to 20 % .
Instead of accepting diagnoses of made-up mental disorders , parents seeking to understand their children ’ s anxieties at college ought to consider the following : “ …National Center for Education Statistics [ is ] reporting that many 12th grade students in the United States are reading and writing at a fifth grade level .
Many college students take transitional coursework to improve their literacy skills in their @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Center for Education Statistics reported that about one third of first-year college students take transitional courses… At some post-secondary institutions [ colleges ] , the percentage of first-year students who enroll in transitional classes is as high as 60 % … ” : The Best of Jon Rappoport

As many of you know, a major study on the drug, Hydroxychloroquine (HCQ), has been retracted by the Lancet, a mere 13 days after it was published. That might be a world record.
The study, using a gigantic data set of 96,000 patients in 671 hospitals, concluded the drug was useless for treating COVID-19 patients, and posed health dangers.
The study (briefly) had the effect of convincing medical professionals, governments, media, and the public that HCQ was a total failure. A COVID drug would have to come from somewhere else.
Only one problem:
The authors of the study and the Lancet reviewers now confess the data can’t be found. The strong suggestion is, the data never existed.
The relentless and brilliant journalist, Celia Farber, covers the whole sordid story at uncoverdc.com. She points out that “Remdesivir, [the toxic COVID drug] ‘touted’ by Anthony Fauci…costs $1,000 per pill, whereas HCQ’s generic price is $0.64.” That’s called a clue. Unreported Truths abou... Berenson, Alex Buy New $5.99 (as of 03:17 UTC - Details)
And, of course, the plan is to keep the whole COVID farce going long enough to make the Bill Gates vaccine the primary instrument of treatment, through “prevention.”
The next part of this article was prompted by a story a friend told me: a graduate student, when informed about the Lancet retraction, blew up and said, “Don’t you care about SCIENCE?” Scratching an inch below the surface of his non-sequitur outburst, his meaning was clear—he hates Trump, Trump said he was taking HCQ, so HCQ must be terrible, so the discredited Lancet study must actually be accurate. And that’s science. Isn’t this charming? And how many thousands of dollars did this student’s education cost?
So let’s focus on one sector of the massive population of loons who are dutifully wearing masks and trudging down life’s path hypnotized by the COVID myth:
College students.
Several years ago, I posted a staggering statistic from the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI): “More than 25 percent of college students have been diagnosed or treated by a professional for a mental health condition within the past year.”
Aside from the zombifying effects of the psychiatric drugs (made even more dangerous by any effort to quickly withdraw from them), the students gain a new perspective from the mental-disorder diagnosis: they’re victims. And now a COVID pandemic? They can wear their masks and deepen that self-image. Wonderful.
Big Brother has given them a psychiatric diagnosis, meds, and an excuse for not succeeding in life. Big Brother has also given millions of them student loans. An illusion of a free ride.
Victim mindset, free ride. Perfect.
Throw off those COVID masks? Not a chance. That would suggest the possibility of independence. Goes against victimhood.
Victims try and whine and moan but never really succeed. That lifestyle sounds interesting. Put it on. Have fun with it. Adjust attitudes. Become a “heroic victim.” Who knew there was such an option?
Who is Big Brother? The college students hazily think about who is supplying them with the “free” psychiatric meds, who is issuing orders about the pandemic, and who is handing out their loans. Seems to be the government on all counts. OK, love Big Brother, love the government. Done. The Invisible Enemy Garrett, Mr. Gregory L... Buy New $26.94 (as of 05:21 UTC - Details)
If these students are learning anything at all in college, what is it? Well, at the top of the list would be: “science is truth.” Simple, easy, graspable.
In this “pandemic,” who is the main figure? Who is the one who SEEMS to be on the side of science, with no political ax to grind? Fauci.
Well, good. Fauci represents the government, Big Brother. Love Fauci. Follow Fauci.
Where are the students’ brothers and sisters in the cult of victims? Where are they to be found, whining and bitching and moaning? On Twitter. Good. Love Twitter. Quick, easy, no thinking necessary. Type three sentences, that’s work for the day. Whew. Relax.
Watch YouTube videos. Let the images and the voiceover flow by.
Creative vision, energy, ambition, logic? Empty words from a gone world.
Besides, AI is taking over everything. An automatic system from Big Brother. No effort necessary.
“Going outside for a few minutes now. Put on my mask. No problem. When I’m out on the street, all I do is look at my cell phone anyway. Just need to stay six feet apart. I can do that. Victim hero behind the mask.”
The student vaguely remembers a moment last year when he was at the museum and stopped at a painting by Goya. It ripped his heart out. It sent torrents of energy up his spine. But…the memory passes. The meds kick in. That was life as it used to be.
No more. Now it’s signs and signals of social justice and the cell phone and twitter and the drugs and the mask and the victimhood and the loans and Fauci and the pandemic, etc., etc. Fentanyl, Inc.: How Ro... Westhoff, Ben Buy New $13.50 (as of 05:32 UTC - Details)
SOURCES:
* https://uncoverdc.com/2020/06/06/politicized-science-lancet-nejm-retract/
* https://twitter.com/CeliaFarber
* https://consumer.healthday.com/mental-health-information-25/anxiety-news-33/more-college-students-seeking-mental-health-care-738933.html
Note: the NAMI figure of 25%, which I found several years ago and cited above in this article, seems to have been scrubbed from search engines. NAMI is now pegging the figure at closer to 20%.
Instead of accepting diagnoses of made-up mental disorders, parents seeking to understand their children’s anxieties at college ought to consider the following: “…National Center for Education Statistics [is] reporting that many 12th grade students in the United States are reading and writing at a fifth grade level. Many college students take transitional coursework to improve their literacy skills in their first year of college. The National Center for Education Statistics reported that about one third of first-year college students take transitional courses… At some post-secondary institutions [colleges], the percentage of first-year students who enroll in transitional classes is as high as 60%…”:
* https://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/EJ972863.pdf
Reprinted with permission from Jon Rappoport’s blog.
The Best of Jon Rappoport


lewrockwell--2020-06-11--Do White People Have a Future?

Do White People Have a Future?

It is difficult to disagree with him .
There is so much evidence on his side : Listen to the Hillary Bitch and watch the 1 minute video : Read The Camp of the Saints .
White liberals , white leftists , and the Democrat Party are prime enemies of white Americans .
They intend white genocide , thinking like the social justice characters in The Camp of the Saints that they will be spared .
Much of white corporate America is also an enemy of white people .
Alone among the American media , Tucker Carleson on Fox News @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
See for example : His reward for being truthful ?
Corporate America is pulling advertisement from his show .
The New Color Line : Ho ... Stratton Jr. , Lawrenc ... Best Price : $ 3.44 Buy New $ 90.00 A people can be genocided with violence or without .
They can be culturally erased and erased in a number of other ways .
If you care to know the ways , read The Camp of the Saints .
You are currently living the novel .
White people have only a short @ @ @ @ @ @ @ confidence and with a will to resist and to organize .
Many will not be capable of self-defense , intellectually or physically , as they have been so brainwashed that they think all forms of self-defense are racism .
White people are perhaps too d..bs..t to survive .
Everywhere in the Western world white people have allowed themselves to be demonized by racial adversaries and overrun by immigrant invaders , and they have permitted their history to be stolen from them and their children .
They allowed themselves to be stripped of equality @ @ @ @ @ @ @ preferences .
Perhaps people this stupid don ’ t deserve to exist .
See this .
It is not clear that white people are capable of producing the leadership necessary to protect themselves .
Perhaps the American Asian population , seeing that they will be next , will step in and provide the leadership .
The Saker understands that “ the systemic collapse of the US Society has begun.
” He could as well have said “ the systemic collapse of society throughout the Western world has begun.
” Indeed , the collapse @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Unless leadership quickly emerges , the success , influence , and power of white societies will disappear in the emerging barbarism .
The Best of Paul Craig Roberts

The Saker thinks not.
It is difficult to disagree with him. There is so much evidence on his side:
Listen to the Hillary Bitch and watch the 1 minute video:

Read Enoch Powell’s speech.
Read The Camp of the Saints.
White liberals, white leftists, and the Democrat Party are prime enemies of white Americans. They intend white genocide, thinking like the social justice characters in The Camp of the Saints that they will be spared.
Much of white corporate America is also an enemy of white people. Alone among the American media, Tucker Carleson on Fox News reports on what is happening to us. See for example:
And:
His reward for being truthful? Corporate America is pulling advertisement from his show. The New Color Line: Ho... Stratton Jr., Lawrenc... Best Price: $3.44 Buy New $90.00 (as of 12:10 UTC - Details)
A people can be genocided with violence or without. They can be culturally erased and erased in a number of other ways. If you care to know the ways, read The Camp of the Saints. You are currently living the novel.
White people have only a short time to arm themselves with weapons or confidence and with a will to resist and to organize. Many will not be capable of self-defense, intellectually or physically, as they have been so brainwashed that they think all forms of self-defense are racism.
White people are perhaps too d..bs..t to survive. Everywhere in the Western world white people have allowed themselves to be demonized by racial adversaries and overrun by immigrant invaders, and they have permitted their history to be stolen from them and their children. They allowed themselves to be stripped of equality before the law and hamstrung with racial preferences. Perhaps people this stupid don’t deserve to exist. See this.
It is not clear that white people are capable of producing the leadership necessary to protect themselves. Perhaps the American Asian population, seeing that they will be next, will step in and provide the leadership.
The Saker understands that “the systemic collapse of the US Society has begun.” He could as well have said “the systemic collapse of society throughout the Western world has begun.” Indeed, the collapse has been underway for some time. Unless leadership quickly emerges, the success, influence, and power of white societies will disappear in the emerging barbarism.
George Floyd’s Criminal Record
The Best of Paul Craig Roberts


lewrockwell--2020-06-11--The Incorporation Doctrine Broke the Constitutional System

I think centralizing power is always a net loss for liberty .
So did the founding generation .
This is why the framers of the Constitution emphatically rejected a proposal to give the federal government veto power over state laws .
It ’ s also why the first Congress rejected applying some provisions of the Bill of Rights to the states .
When I say this , it tends to confuse people , because , in today ’ s political system , the federal government vetoes state laws all the time through federal courts .
And virtually every time somebody @ @ @ @ @ @ @ their rights , they run straight to federal courts to stop the offending state action .
Despite my protests , the application of the federal Bill of Rights to the states has become a key feature of the American political system .
Premium Garden Rocker ... Buy New $ 89.77 As I said , I believe this will ultimately prove to be a net loss for liberty .
When you turn to federal courts to protect your liberty from state actions , you ’ re playing a game of Russian roulette with five @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a few minor victories here and there , federal courts almost always come out with opinions that expand government power , not protect individual liberty .
And these expansions of government power become the law of the land across the entire United States .
In a decentralized system , bad state court decisions only impact the people in that one state .
And yet here we are .
Among friends of liberty you will find a great deal of support for using federal courts to stop states from violating individual rights .
Despite @ @ @ @ @ @ @ impulse .
When we see state governments trampling rights , we want somebody to step in .
The feds are more than happy to step in .
Why not take advantage of their service ?
But if you ’ re going to support the enforcement of the federal Bill of Rights on state and local governments , you need to understand where this purported power comes from and its implications for the American constitutional system .
The BIll of Rights Was Never Intended to Apply to State or Local Governments The application of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ local governments was not a feature of the original constitution .
It came about through a series of federal court cases based on the Fourteenth Amendment .
A lot of people believe that the Bill of Rights always applied to state governments .
This is simply not true .
The Bill of Rights was never intended to bind the actions of state governments .
The preamble to the Bill of Rights makes its purpose absolutely clear : to further restrict federal government power .
Premium Quality Garden ... Buy New $ 78.88 The @ @ @ @ @ @ @ back to the Constitution .
The Bill of Rights was intended to “ prevent misconstruction or abuse ” of the Constitution ’ s powers as exercised through “ the government ” —the federal government .
Notice that the word “ government ” is not plural .
The preamble of the Bill of Rights makes no mention of limiting the power of state governments .
The state ratifying conventions had no intention of restricting their state ’ s own powers .
They already had state constitutions to do that job .
This is an @ @ @ @ @ @ @ or the state ratifiers intended for the protections included in the Bill of Rights to bind state governments .
None .
Doing so would have essentially created a federal veto over state laws .
As I ’ ve already said , this idea was rejected during the framing of the Constitution .
It would have allowed for a massive expansion of central government authority—the exact opposite of the stated purpose of including a bill of rights .
The federal courts enforce the Bill of Rights on the states today through a legal framework @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a nutshell , the Supreme Court invented the incorporation doctrine through the Fourteenth Amendment .
It relies on a dubious legal principle called “ substantive due process , ” invented out of thin air by the court more than fifty years after the ratification of the amendment .
There is some basis to argue that the Fourteenth Amendment was intended to incorporate the Bill of Rights onto the states .
The operative clause of the amendment reads , “ No state shall make or enforce any law which shall abridge the privileges or @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ” The question is : Are the provisions of the Bill of Rights included in the Fourteenth Amendment ’ s “ privileges and immunities ” ?
WORKPRO Garden Tool Ba ... Buy New $ 19.99 In my educated opinion , the answer is no .
The Fourteenth Amendment was intended to constitutionalize the Civil Rights Act of 1866 .
This was asserted over and over again both in the congressional debates and as supporters presented the amendment to the states .
The civil rights act specifically enumerates the privileges and immunities that were @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and immunities listed in the Supreme Court case Corfield v. Coryell were also mentioned in debates . )
They include the right to enter into contracts , own property , inherit property , travel freely , and access the courts .
The act made no mention of the Bill of Rights .
In fact , in the 1873 Slaughterhouse Cases , the US Supreme Court rejected the idea that the privileges and immunities clause in the Fourteenth Amendment applied the Bill of Rights to the states .
Was it the purpose of the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that no State should make or enforce any law which shall abridge the privileges and immunities of citizens of the United States , to transfer the security and protection of all the civil rights which we have mentioned , from the States to the Federal government ?
And where it is declared that Congress Shall have the power to enforce that article , was it intended to bring within the power of Congress the entire domain of civil rights heretofore belonging exclusively to the States ?
We are convinced that no such results @ @ @ @ @ @ @ these amendments , nor by the legislatures of the States which ratified them .
This is why the court later made up the concept of “ substantive due process ” to justify incorporation .
The previous court had closed the door on basing incorporation on the more logical Privileges or Immunities Clause .
I admit that there exists some evidence that undermines my view on incorporation through the Privileges or Immunities Clause .
But the concept of substantive due process is every bit a product of “ living breathing ” constitutional interpretation as @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the New Deal .
Regardless , incorporation is now the law of the land and is ensconced in the legal system .
You can try to use the federal courts to protect your rights from state governments if you choose .
But you should at least understand how the idea evolved and what it has done to the constitutional system .
FANHAO Garden Tool Set ... Buy New $ 34.90 The founding generation warned us over and over again about consolidating the states into a single national government .
It was the greatest @ @ @ @ @ @ @ during ratification and was a prime reason for the inclusion of the Bill of Rights .
During the Massachusetts ratifying convention , delegate Fisher Ames asserted that “ a consolidation of the States would subvert the new Constitution.
” And during the Virginia ratifying convention Patrick Henry warned , “ Consolidation must end in the destruction of our liberties.
” He elaborated : Supporters of the Constitution didn ’ t defend consolidation .
They acknowledged its danger and swore it would never happen .
In Federalist , no .
32 , Alexander Hamilton @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Hamilton promised wouldn ’ t happen .
It effectively obliterated state sovereignty and consolidated the state into a single national government .
Whether legitimate or not , the incorporation doctrine made real the founders ’ worst fears .
Using federal courts to police the states and enforce the Bill of Rights fractured the original constitutional structure , broke the Tenth Amendment , and effectively consolidated the states to be ruled by an oligarchy of federal judges .
You can ’ t simultaneously support incorporation and the original Constitution .
They are hopelessly at @ @

I think centralizing power is always a net loss for liberty. So did the founding generation. This is why the framers of the Constitution emphatically rejected a proposal to give the federal government veto power over state laws. It’s also why the first Congress rejected applying some provisions of the Bill of Rights to the states.
When I say this, it tends to confuse people, because, in today’s political system, the federal government vetoes state laws all the time through federal courts. And virtually every time somebody perceives that a state government has violated their rights, they run straight to federal courts to stop the offending state action.
Despite my protests, the application of the federal Bill of Rights to the states has become a key feature of the American political system.
Premium Garden Rocker ... Buy New $89.77 (as of 05:20 UTC - Details) As I said, I believe this will ultimately prove to be a net loss for liberty. When you turn to federal courts to protect your liberty from state actions, you’re playing a game of Russian roulette with five bullets loaded into your six-shooter. Despite a few minor victories here and there, federal courts almost always come out with opinions that expand government power, not protect individual liberty. And these expansions of government power become the law of the land across the entire United States. In a decentralized system, bad state court decisions only impact the people in that one state.
The risk isn’t worth the reward.
And yet here we are.
Among friends of liberty you will find a great deal of support for using federal courts to stop states from violating individual rights. Despite my misgivings, I can understand the impulse. When we see state governments trampling rights, we want somebody to step in. The feds are more than happy to step in. Why not take advantage of their service? But if you’re going to support the enforcement of the federal Bill of Rights on state and local governments, you need to understand where this purported power comes from and its implications for the American constitutional system.
The BIll of Rights Was Never Intended to Apply to State or Local Governments
The application of the Bill of Rights to state and local governments was not a feature of the original constitution. It came about through a series of federal court cases based on the Fourteenth Amendment.
A lot of people believe that the Bill of Rights always applied to state governments. This is simply not true. The Bill of Rights was never intended to bind the actions of state governments.
The preamble to the Bill of Rights makes its purpose absolutely clear: to further restrict federal government power.
THE Conventions of a number of the States, having at the time of their adopting the Constitution, expressed a desire, in order to prevent misconstruction or abuse of its powers, that further declaratory and restrictive clauses should be added: And as extending the ground of public confidence in the Government, will best ensure the beneficent ends of its institution. (emphasis added)
Premium Quality Garden... Buy New $78.88 (as of 05:20 UTC - Details) The words “its powers” clearly refer back to the Constitution. The Bill of Rights was intended to “prevent misconstruction or abuse” of the Constitution’s powers as exercised through “the government”—the federal government. Notice that the word “government” is not plural.
The preamble of the Bill of Rights makes no mention of limiting the power of state governments. The state ratifying conventions had no intention of restricting their state’s own powers. They already had state constitutions to do that job.
This is an undebatable fact—no founding-era evidence exists that Congress or the state ratifiers intended for the protections included in the Bill of Rights to bind state governments. None.
Doing so would have essentially created a federal veto over state laws. As I’ve already said, this idea was rejected during the framing of the Constitution. It would have allowed for a massive expansion of central government authority—the exact opposite of the stated purpose of including a bill of rights.
The Incorporation Doctrine
The federal courts enforce the Bill of Rights on the states today through a legal framework known as the incorporation doctrine.
In a nutshell, the Supreme Court invented the incorporation doctrine through the Fourteenth Amendment. It relies on a dubious legal principle called “substantive due process,” invented out of thin air by the court more than fifty years after the ratification of the amendment.
There is some basis to argue that the Fourteenth Amendment was intended to incorporate the Bill of Rights onto the states. The operative clause of the amendment reads, “No state shall make or enforce any law which shall abridge the privileges or immunities of citizens of the United States.” The question is: Are the provisions of the Bill of Rights included in the Fourteenth Amendment’s “privileges and immunities”?
WORKPRO Garden Tool Ba... Buy New $19.99 (as of 05:20 UTC - Details) In my educated opinion, the answer is no. The Fourteenth Amendment was intended to constitutionalize the Civil Rights Act of 1866. This was asserted over and over again both in the congressional debates and as supporters presented the amendment to the states. The civil rights act specifically enumerates the privileges and immunities that were to be protected. (The privileges and immunities listed in the Supreme Court case Corfield v. Coryell were also mentioned in debates.) They include the right to enter into contracts, own property, inherit property, travel freely, and access the courts. The act made no mention of the Bill of Rights.
In fact, in the 1873 Slaughterhouse Cases, the US Supreme Court rejected the idea that the privileges and immunities clause in the Fourteenth Amendment applied the Bill of Rights to the states.
Was it the purpose of the fourteenth amendment, by the simple declaration that no State should make or enforce any law which shall abridge the privileges and immunities of citizens of the United States, to transfer the security and protection of all the civil rights which we have mentioned, from the States to the Federal government? And where it is declared that Congress Shall have the power to enforce that article, was it intended to bring within the power of Congress the entire domain of civil rights heretofore belonging exclusively to the States? We are convinced that no such results were intended by the Congress which proposed these amendments, nor by the legislatures of the States which ratified them.
This is why the court later made up the concept of “substantive due process” to justify incorporation. The previous court had closed the door on basing incorporation on the more logical Privileges or Immunities Clause.
I admit that there exists some evidence that undermines my view on incorporation through the Privileges or Immunities Clause. But the concept of substantive due process is every bit a product of “living breathing” constitutional interpretation as any progressive court opinion conjured up during the New Deal.
Regardless, incorporation is now the law of the land and is ensconced in the legal system. You can try to use the federal courts to protect your rights from state governments if you choose. But you should at least understand how the idea evolved and what it has done to the constitutional system. FANHAO Garden Tool Set... Buy New $34.90 (as of 05:20 UTC - Details)
Incorporation Breaks the Original Constitutional System
The founding generation warned us over and over again about consolidating the states into a single national government. It was the greatest fear voiced by opponents of the Constitution during ratification and was a prime reason for the inclusion of the Bill of Rights.
During the Massachusetts ratifying convention, delegate Fisher Ames asserted that “a consolidation of the States would subvert the new Constitution.” And during the Virginia ratifying convention Patrick Henry warned, “Consolidation must end in the destruction of our liberties.” He elaborated:
When he asks my opinion of consolidation, of one power to reign over America with a strong hand, I will tell him I am persuaded of the rectitude of my honorable friend’s opinion, (Mr. Mason) that one government cannot reign over so extensive a country as this is, without absolute despotism. Compared to such a consolidation, small confederacies are little evils; though they ought to be recurred to but in case of necessity.
Supporters of the Constitution didn’t defend consolidation. They acknowledged its danger and swore it would never happen. In Federalist, no. 32, Alexander Hamilton wrote:
An entire consolidation of the States into one complete national sovereignty would imply an entire subordination of the parts; and whatever powers might remain in them, would be altogether dependent on the general will. But the plan of the convention aims only at a partial union or consolidation, the State governments would clearly retain all rights of sovereignty which they before had, and which were not, by that act, exclusively delegated to the United States.
The incorporation doctrine did what Hamilton promised wouldn’t happen. It effectively obliterated state sovereignty and consolidated the state into a single national government.
Whether legitimate or not, the incorporation doctrine made real the founders’ worst fears. Using federal courts to police the states and enforce the Bill of Rights fractured the original constitutional structure, broke the Tenth Amendment, and effectively consolidated the states to be ruled by an oligarchy of federal judges.
You can’t simultaneously support incorporation and the original Constitution. They are hopelessly at odds.
Originally published by the Tenth Amendment Center.


lewrockwell--2020-06-11--In-Dash Microwaves Instead of in-Dash Air Bags

Most new cars will shut off the engine for you – even when you prefer it stays on .
How come not one of them will heat up a cup of coffee for you ?
Some cars have what are styled “ heated ” cup holders .
But all they do is impart vague warmth .
Why not an in-car microwave oven ?
A way to really heat a cup of coffee – or nuke a burrito ?
We have , as the opening to The Six Million Dollar Man used to say , the technology .
Or rather , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ have three-prong household-style power points and some also have 48 volt electrical systems .
Surely , these could be stepped up to handle the wattage load of a small microwave built into the dash ?
It ’ d be interesting to see how many would willingly check that option box , if were offered – especially if they had the option to skip the ASS ( automated stop/start ) box .
BOIROS Expandable Gard ...
Check Amazon for Pricing .
It ’ s curious , isn ’ t it , how the things @ @ @ @ @ @ @ willingly pay extra for aren ’ t available – while so many things you know they ’ d skip if they could ( like ASS ) they can ’ t .
This has to do with the weird upending of the previous relationship between buyer and seller .
The latter once catered to the former .
It is now the unnatural opposite .
The buyer is told what he ’ ll buy and the seller accepts it because he hasn ’ t got any meaningful alternative .
Because there ’ s no longer @ @ @ @ @ @ @ stores , of course .
And different brands .
But they all largely sell the same things .
Because their real customer nowadays is the government , which they all work very hard to please .
It is quite something when you study it a little .
A handful of government workers – perhaps a few dozen people , maybe as many as 100 or so – decide which “ features ” cars bought by millions of people will come with .
And which other things they won ’ t come with .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ buy a new car with T-tops .
Or a new truck with seats in the bed ( and no roof over your head ) .
It is why the manual transmission is disappearing – and why the ashtray has already disappeared .
Sonkir Soil pH Meter , ... Buy New $ 15.99 Also the gas fill behind the license plate in the rear of the car , which meant you could gas up at either side of any pump .
Now you have to line up the side of the car where the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that side is occupied , you wait – even if the other side is wide open .
You aren ’ t allowed to have the dealer disable the air bags you didn ’ t want – and which just might kill you .
Seatbelts are , of course , required .
Even if you didn ’ t want them and never use them ( “ the law ” be damned ) .
You ’ re still going to pay for them .
How did this happen ?
Was a vote taken ?
A @ @ @ @ @ @ @ dozens and maybe 100 or so government workers – to sit around and decide how your next new car would be designed ?
In any case , they have the power – and now you know why new cars are so alike .
That tends to happen when a few dozen or maybe 100 or so people have the power to decree vehicle design parameters .
The Best of Eric Peters

Most new cars will shut off the engine for you – even when you prefer it stays on. How come not one of them will heat up a cup of coffee for you?
Some cars have what are styled “heated” cup holders. But all they do is impart vague warmth.
Why not an in-car microwave oven? A way to really heat a cup of coffee – or nuke a burrito? We have, as the opening to The Six Million Dollar Man used to say, the technology. Or rather, the power. Many new cars already have three-prong household-style power points and some also have 48 volt electrical systems. Surely, these could be stepped up to handle the wattage load of a small microwave built into the dash?
It’d be interesting to see how many would willingly check that option box, if were offered – especially if they had the option to skip the ASS (automated stop/start) box. BOIROS Expandable Gard... Check Amazon for Pricing.
It’s curious, isn’t it, how the things you just know lots of people would willingly pay extra for aren’t available – while so many things you know they’d skip if they could (like ASS) they can’t.
This has to do with the weird upending of the previous relationship between buyer and seller. The latter once catered to the former. It is now the unnatural opposite. The buyer is told what he’ll buy and the seller accepts it because he hasn’t got any meaningful alternative. Because there’s no longer any meaningful competition.
Just a Potemkin Village facade.
There are different stores, of course. And different brands. But they all largely sell the same things. Because their real customer nowadays is the government, which they all work very hard to please.
It is quite something when you study it a little. A handful of government workers – perhaps a few dozen people, maybe as many as 100 or so – decide which “features” cars bought by millions of people will come with. And which other things they won’t come with.
It is why you can’t buy a new car with T-tops. Or a new truck with seats in the bed (and no roof over your head). It is why the manual transmission is disappearing – and why the ashtray has already disappeared. Sonkir Soil pH Meter, ... Buy New $15.99 (as of 05:21 UTC - Details)
Also the gas fill behind the license plate in the rear of the car, which meant you could gas up at either side of any pump. Now you have to line up the side of the car where the door is with the pump. If that side is occupied, you wait – even if the other side is wide open.
You aren’t allowed to have the dealer disable the air bags you didn’t want – and which just might kill you. Seatbelts are, of course, required. Even if you didn’t want them and never use them (“the law” be damned).
You’re still going to pay for them.
How did this happen? Was a vote taken? A law passed empowering the government – those dozens and maybe 100 or so government workers – to sit around and decide how your next new car would be designed?
In any case, they have the power – and now you know why new cars are so alike. That tends to happen when a few dozen or maybe 100 or so people have the power to decree vehicle design parameters.
Read the Whole Article
The Best of Eric Peters