Adios Brexit!

"British" and "exit" might be coming to an end , so The basics of  (1)>>Brexit, the troubled plan for Britain to quit the European Union. ..began , ended with  (1.2)>>Theresa May.  U.S. President Donald Trump says he is “feeling badly” for British Prime Minister Theresa May the chronically beleaguered Prime Minister, who announced Friday that she would resign.May held an emotional news conference in London hours earlier and said she would step aside June 7 after being unable to secure a Brexit deal.The president, leaving the White House for Japan, told reporters that “I like her very much.” Trump will meet with May in the U.K. early next month. He is heading to Europe for a state dinner in England as well as D-Day anniversary ceremonies.  More than half of voting-age British  — some 55 percent — think their government should never have held the referendum on EU membership, according to a new poll. It has become increasingly clear that the vote to leave the E.U. was impulsively fuelled by a combination of wary economic protectionism, narrow xenophobia, and out-and-out demagoguery; that its outcome was ill-prepared for, even by its advocates; and that, in any case, the pro-Brexit vote was never going to resolve the problems that its supporters sought to remedy.  In 2014 I began to  see that the United Kingdom was crumbling [see → shorturl.at/jEKT1 ]   As the saying goes of the UKgoes so does the world.  The Brexit idea may have been crafted by  (2)>>UK Nationalism , The vote to leave the EU in June 2016 was the result of a contingent alliance between sections of the electorate and an elite political project on the right of politics.  This elite project saw globalisation and the free market – along with renewed relationship with ‘traditional allies’ in the Anglosphere – as a viable and preferable alternative to membership of the EU.  What emerged as ‘Global Britain’ was perfectly aligned with the Anglo-British tradition of English nationalism, which portrayed England as a global rather than regional or parochial nation. This return of Britain subsumed the ‘England’ that had emerged in the decade before 2016.  England faded from political salience as ‘Global Britain’ took over once again.  In this situation, memory of Empire stood in as globalisation avant le lettre, allowing Brexiteers to portray Britain’s EU membership as a regional interregnum in its otherwise global history.  Scotland and Northern Ireland remained distinct as might have been anticipated, but England was further occluded by the new cleavages in politics revealed at 2017 election.  Brexit became a source of further political division in England after 2016.  Political divisions never stopped

Meet Boris Johnson , England's next
Prime Minister . And Trump Mirror .

nationalists proclaiming unity, but England’s unity was cloaked in British rhetoric as the UK left the EU. Now the U.K. is so conflicted and disorganized, and ­­­May was so under pressure by the hard-core  (3)>>Leavers, { The UK right-wing}  that it didn’t even fight these early battles. In a RAND study, we found that the EU knew from the outset it was playing a “zero sum game” in which it could only win if the U.K. could be seen to be losing. The U.K. wasn’t sure initially what game it was playing, or against whom. With May gone , the U.K. is going to be looking for  to succeed  as Prime Minister one of Britain’s most recognizable, and now most divisive politicians, (5)>>Mr. Johnson has a history of verbal gaffes, a poor record as a minister and many enemies in Parliament, not to mention among the voters who reject Brexit, which he helped persuade Britons to embrace in a 2016 referendum. He is viewed by his critics as Britain’s answer to Donald Trump. A larger-than-life character, Johnson combines a colorful personal life with an outspokenness and courting of controversy which is rare at the top of British politics. However, if Johnson can persuade  (4)>>Tory MPs to put him through — those who know him best seem most resistant to his appeal — Johnson will almost certainly become Britain’s next prime minister.

NOTES AND COMMENTS:

(1)>>Brexit.  The UK and EU signed off on a 900-plus page withdrawal agreement and a political declaration on future ties after Brexit. May said this deal “delivers on the vote” by ending the free movement of people between the UK and EU, slashing payments to Brussels, and mostly taking the UK out from under jurisdiction of the European Court of Justice. These commitments also mean the UK will be out of the EU’s single market and customs union. The government is banking on the supposed political benefits of the deal outweighing the economic costs.The agreement May negotiated has two parts. One is the binding withdrawal agreement. The other is a non-binding set of principles to guide future negotiations.Under the plan, the U.K. remains within a "customs union" with the EU for an unspecified period. This continues the trade that both parties wanted. The two sides will not impose tariffs on each other's imports. They are free to tax imports from other countries. Critics want the freedom to negotiate separate trade deals with other countries.The U.K. retains complete access to capital. The 3 million European nationals living in the U.K. can continue to live and work in the country without work visas. The 1.3 million U.K. citizens can continue to do the same in the EU.  (1.2)>>Theresa May. Before becoming Britain's second female prime minister, after Margaret Thatcher, May had spent six years and two months as home secretary beginning in 2010 — the longest tenure since James Chuter Ede, who had held the post from early August 1945 to late October 1951.As home secretary, May made a name for herself with her hard-line positions on immigration, which the government pledged to reduce. In 2015, she gave a controversial speech in which she said immigration made it "impossible to build a cohesive society."  May sought instead to rally support among the most right-wing members of her own party, choosing not to reach across the aisle until her exit agreement had thrice been rejected by those members she had hoped to persuade. It’s no surprise!     (2)>>UK Nationalism. The new English nationalism that surfaced so strongly during the Brexit campaign is, ironically, much closer to continental traditions of nationalism. It is much more ethnically and culturally exclusive than the English/British tradition, which developed when British politics stabilised after prolonged turmoil and civil war at the beginning of the eighteenth century.(3)>>Leavers. The days when Leavers talked about the sunlit uplands are over. Liam Fox has not even managed to replicate the scores of trade deals the UK will lose when we leave the EU. As for independence, Leavers cannot name any laws imposed on the UK by the EU that they do not like. Since the referendum, even public attitudes to immigration have become much more favourable.”It’s a far cry from the heady days of the Brexit campaign, when Leavers promised an additional £350 million a week to spend on the N.H.S. should Britain leave the bloc. But the Brexiteers, rather than repenting in the face of such a dire economic prognosis, have largely dismissed the government’s accounting. “We were told during the referendum campaign that we’d each lose £4,300 and that there would be a recession and higher unemployment,” said former international development secretary Priti Patel. “And yet we’ve seen record wage growth and record employment levels. If ministers spent time preparing for a no-deal scenario rather than dreaming up silly scare stories, we could all make a success of our post-Brexit future.” She was echoed by former Brexit secretary Dominic Raab, who told The Daily Telegraph that the report “looks like a rehash of Project Fear”—referring to the theory that stories about the N.H.S. stockpiling blood and police preparing for no-deal riots were a deliberate scare tactic designed to throw a wrench in Brexit negotiations.”  (4)>>Tory.  The Tories political faction that emerged in 1681 was a reaction to the Whig-controlled Parliaments that succeeded the Cavalier Parliament. ... In addition, PinkTory is used in Canadian politics as a pejorative term to describe a member of the Conservative/Progressive Conservative party who is perceived as liberal. (5)>>Mr. Johnson has a history of verbal gaffes. Boris Johnson, the leading contender to replace Theresa May as prime minister,Despite this, he is tipped to be the country's next PM, thanks to the catastrophic failures of Theresa May, which have forced her resignation and triggered a leadership race in the Conservative party.But nevertheless the arch-Eurosceptic ex-London mayor is still the bookies' favourite to win the leadership race.They currently have Boris at 9/4 to be the next permanent PM, according to Paddy Power.

Biden's Paradox

Joe Biden should have ran
for President in 2016 , he would
have beaten any Republican  nominee .
BUT IS IT TOO LATE
NOW???

 (1)>> Joe Biden formally Finally  entered the Democratic race again ! , saying he was answering pleas from leaders around the globe to “save the world” from Donald Trump.  Seven years ago  (1.2)>>I wrote a few pieces about Joe Biden , in 2012 he was in a debate against  Sen Paul Ryan which was unforgettable . For a man who ran for the highest office , for Biden its been "decades" for trying . He ran for three times , 1984, 1988 and 2008 . While thanks to Obama  , Joe jumped to the 47th Vice President of the United States .  Biden could be in the  Guinness  Book for World records for a career politician . The big problem in this country is that we have a lot of incumbents in office .  So What is Biden's Paradox?. Is it that we are living in some kind of alternative universe where we ask why things happened that way ? OR WHAT IF .... .  We would never have heard of Donald Trump as President of a strange turn of events shaped American history .  (2)>>In 2012 President Obama was at the lowest point as a President,  his approval ratings plunged to about where Trump is right now , this time he was facing a strong foe named Mitt Romney . I wished that the 2012 election would have put Obama out . (2.1)>>I was done with both American political  Parties , but my choice not to vote for Obama had to do with his problem trying to force his health care on Americans , with out addressing  the rising costs ,  which by the way was not Universal Health care . It was too costly , it was so deceitfully called the  (3)>>Affordable Care Act it raised taxes , many people lost coverage , or where forced into a much higher premium . A big mess . So I cast my bets on Romney that he would beat him, in one of the debates Sen . Romney warned Obama about Russia . Strangely Obama blew off Romney . That's  for me a perfect collusion suspicion . The guy that's friendly to US - Russia relations beats the war hawk who wanted to build up the military with a new arms race  , BUT  right now with all this talk of Collusion made me research some shocking facts that Obama had made overtures to Vladimir Putin and was planning a reset with Russia in a vary similar way that Donald Trump was trying to do . Oddly again paradox played in and Romney lost .(4)>> I joked that perhaps Obama had help for the Kremlin {Russia} . If you look at the history of the last couple of elections , starting back in 2008 which is curious , the subject of Russia was buzzing  . Sen . John McCain and Palin both lost against Obama . Obama was talking about a new order that he would change America , making America more Muslim friendly, he talked about reducing arms, taking a next step in working with Russia as a economic partner .  (5)>>McCain was strongly old guard and anti-Russian , he and Palin put out jargon against Russia . For McCain the war against Communism never ended. He joked about overthrowing five nations , bombing Iran for example . Someways we should thank God he lost .   Sen. Mitt Romney was  just the same , he was openly pushing Russo-phobic rhetoric  and vary against a reset or normalization of relations with Russia . With all that background said , we have put this puzzle together.  Joe Biden had his chance to run for office in 2015, personally I'd hope that he would have ran for President back then . Why Biden did not run & besides his personal problems he had to deal with . Hillary Clinton forced him out of the race . She pushed the notion that America was ready for the first woman President . Obama shared that notion .  ( 6)>>He {Obama} said "Its time for that change".  So  I wrote  a piece about a future with Hillary Clinton having duly elected US President , it was not a pretty alternative . For Hillary the White House was Bill's third term , it looked awkward . While Hillary had enough political experience to be  a President.  Hillary had another problem that would have leaked into her first year, that was Benghazi , her emails , she would have been continuously investigated , it would have parallel much as we are seeing this with Trump .  Think of the ghosts of White Water for examples . In Hillary's case , she would have pushed for many of Obama ideas that would have run with great opposition , as both the House and Senate { 70 % of Congress} came under the control of the Republican Party.   And if you believe in alternative futures ,  (7)>>Bill Clinton would have died within two years of Hillary winning . Regardless Hillary's  Presidency would have paved the way  for women to attain that position .Her losing to Donald Trump may have halted that for another decade.  SADLY election rigging within our political system has been ignored because of Mueller - Russia - Meddling investgation  etc . While pointing the finger at Russia why Trump won as the explination as to what went wrong in 2016, we are  blindly overlooking our crooked political system that may more logically explain why he won. 
Biden's BIG PROBLEM.
While Trump has his Mueller- Russia fiasco . (8.1)>>Biden has his own kinda Russia problem , it his dealing in Ukriane . The story, like most out of Ukraine, is convoluted. The country’s oligarch-run ecosystem, much like the Trump administration, is a place where truth is a highly malleable concept.  Combining Ukraine intrigue with the White House is a bit like the classic logic riddle where you must navigate a town in which half the people tell the truth and the other half lie – except in this case, nearly everyone has a history of lying .Two years after leaving office, Joe Biden couldn’t resist the temptation last year to brag to an audience of foreign policy specialists about the time as vice president that he strong-armed Ukraine into firing its top prosecutor. In his own words, with video cameras rolling, Biden described how he threatened Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko in March 2016 that the Obama administration would pull $1 billion in U.S. loan guarantees, sending the former Soviet republic toward insolvency, if it didn’t immediately fire Prosecutor General Viktor Shokin.Among those who had a stake in the outcome was Hunter Biden, Mr. Biden’s younger son, who at the time was on the board of an energy company owned by a Ukrainian oligarch who had been in the sights of the fired prosecutor general.
The Return of Joe Biden.

So Joe Biden could have been that other alternative to Hillary in 2016 “Bazooka Joe” might make a more credible candidate .  Had he run . But investigating things why Joe rolled back seems to be connected to Hillary . The idea that America was ready for the first women President were at a climax,with dissatisfied voters . Most of that Barack Obama repeatedly discouraged Joe Biden from running for the presidency to clear the path for Hillary Clinton AS the first woman President.  The former US vice president has claimed.  Mr Obama’s pollster effectively told him he had “no real path to the nomination” and that running for the White House would “rock the boat”. That was such bad advice Obama gave Biden . WE SHOULD THANK OBAMA why TRUMP WON ! how Crazy is that . With one simple "bad" advice Obama gave Biden he changed American History ! Look at this this way . If I know the DNC , it mostly a rigged nomination , all the other 23 candidates who want the  Democratic nomination are not going to make it . Like before with Hillary , now the system going to try to mach up  (8.2 )>>Biden against Trump . But if Biden had stayed in 2016 and not shot himself in the foot, there would clearly have been a shift to the dynamics -- especially in one important way: Clinton's margins of victory (if not her victory itself) were due to her massive advantage with black voters. That's a voting bloc with which Biden also did well. So: What if?  The return of Biden will make any difference ?There’s also a superficial plausibility to the idea that he’s what his party and his country want and need. A lot of observers look at those Rust Belt white, working-class areas that gave Donald Trump the presidency and figure Biden would have won had he not been distracted by his son’s illness and death and outmaneuvered by Hillary Clinton’s head start. He’s ahead in early 2020 polls of Democratic possibilities, But let's suppose that both the House and the Senate are in the control of the Republicans. I think what Biden would probably do is emphasize his experience as a senator, as someone who is capable of reaching across the aisle.  (9)>>If he makes it to that point, then his experience will be a benefit.


NOTES AND COMMENTS:

(1)>> Joe Biden formally Finally  entered the Democratic race again ! Yet Biden will get a chance to take on Trump only if he survives a Democratic field that now spans at least 20 contenders. And his party’s more liberal wing was far from welcoming in the hours immediately after he declared his candidacy. Justice Democrats, a group created from the remnants of Bernie Sanders’ failed 2016 campaign, came out against Biden on Thursday and spent much of the day assailing him on social media.As an older white man with often centrist views, Biden must now prove he’s not out of step with Democrats trying to push the party to the  alt -left.  (1.2)>>I wrote a few pieces about Joe Biden  See [ shorturl.at/jouL1 ]  in 2014  I thought about this regarding Joe Biden (2) >People who’ve been talking to Biden say the factor

The Democratic Party has
a better choice with
Joe Biden in
2016 over
Hillary Clinton .

weighing on his mind may be less Clinton than Obama. Even as a sitting vice president, Biden might not be too proud to run a long-shot campaign, they insist. He was living it up during those months in 2007 when he was lucky to get a dozen people in a room and finished with a grand total of 1 percent in the Iowa caucuses.But he might not be willing to risk losing the integral role he revels in at the White House. A presidential run would mean missing meetings because he’s out in Iowa or New Hampshire. He’d be asked to draw distinctions between himself and Obama, and the Biden orbit worries about the inevitable loyalty questions that would raise, the West Wing discussions he might start getting excluded from.Nobody who’s run for president twice stops wanting the job. But Biden’s been in politics more than long enough to see what’s happening around Clinton and what a Joe Quixote run would mean. Does he essentially give up the best job he’ll likely ever have two years early for a run at one he probably won’t get?Anyway, some around Biden say, maybe he’d be a better fit to be Clinton’s secretary of state. (2)>>In 2012 President Obama was at the lowest point as a President, Pres . Obama's ratings in 2012  parallels Trump's vary close .  Barack Obama's initial three-day average approval rating in that year  year is 46%, higher than the ratings he received in most of the latter part of 2011. He was generally in the low 40% range from August through December, including monthly approval averages of 41% in August, September, and October, and 43% in November and December.    (2.1)>>I was done with both American political  Parties. Two-thirds of Americans think there ought to be a third party in the United States. This number is now at a record high.  MY DISSATISFACTION with our political system is based on the extreme way both parties are out of touch with the average Americans . Both parties , their leaders have taken soft money , bribes from lobbyist's from big corporations , taxed Americans into poverty , led the nation to fight wars against the will of the American people , creating a new system of modern slavery that crosses all races . Crazy . This not exactly what the founding Fathers dream'd  of the new nation they founded . The 2018 VOTER survey, , asked the following question: “In your view, do the Republican and Democratic parties do an adequate job of representing the American people, or do they do such a poor job that a third major party is needed?” Sixty-eight percent said “a third major party is needed.” This view was held by solid majorities of both Democrats and Republicans, and especially independents.(3)>>Affordable Care Act it raised taxes.  Bait and Switch, Altogether, there were  21 new taxes linked to the ACA, some of them tax hikes and some of them tax breaks for U.S. health care  providers  not "consumers". You could not keep your doctor . What a farce , it was sold to the Americans as "socialized medicine" .   The Affordable Care Act (ACA), also called “Obamacare,” may be the biggest insurance scam in history. The industries that profit from our current health care system wrote the legislation, heavily influenced the regulations and have received waivers exempting them from provisions in the law. This has all been done to protect and enhance their profits. In the meantime, the health care crisis continues. Fewer people, even those with health insurance, can afford the health care they need because of out-of-pocket costs. The ACA continues that trend by pushing skimpy health plans with low coverage and restricted networks. If all US residents were in one plan, Medicare for all, rather than the ACA’s tiered system that institutionalizes the class divides in the United States, not only would the health system be fairer and improve health outcomes, but it would be less bureaucratic, less costly and easier to implement.  (4)>> I joked that perhaps Obama had help for the Kremlin {Russia} .In July 2009, Obama went to Moscow, where he breakfasted on caviar with Putin and openly emerged to praise him for "the extraordinary work you've done on behalf of the Russian people." At the time, Putin was not officially Russia's president, but its prime minister -- though quite clearly he was still the real power in Russia. The change of office was a dodge to get around term limits on the Russian presidency. Obama not only accepted this arrangement, but effectively endorsed it at the time, offering Medvedev the farcical comment, while effusing about Putin, "I had a good conversation with the prime minister and I think his approach to the issues is very similar to yours." Throughout his two terms in office, Obama played down the threat Russia posed to America’s allies, interests and values, and ridiculed those who warned otherwise. “The traditional divisions between nations of the south and the north make no sense in an interconnected world nor do alignments of nations rooted in the cleavages of a long-gone Cold War,” Obama lectured the United Nations General Assembly in 2009, a more florid and verbose way of making the exact same criticism of supposed NATO obsolescence that liberals would later excoriate Trump for bluntly declaring. Obama was also caught off microphone discussing a reset with Russia just before the 2012 election that went unnoticed by the media , he told Medvedev   "Tell Vlad that I'll have much more flexibility after the election is over."- Barack Hussien Obama "I will transmit that to Vladimir."  Dmitry Medvedev  Collusion??  (5)>>McCain was strongly old guard and anti-Russian. The veteran US senator and former presidential candidate used almostevery line of his article for the Pravda.ru website to blast Putin for human rights abuse, cronyism and election-rigging, as well as foreign policy.While Putin used his editorial to present the US administration as war-mongers and himself as a peacemaker in Syria, McCain sought to paint the Russian leader as "supporting a Syrian regime that is murdering tens of thousands of its own people to remain in power and by blocking the United Nations from even condemning its atrocities."( 6)>>He {Obama} said "Its time for that change".  Mr. Obama was betting that Hillary would win in 2016 . Contrary to the mainstream media reports that Obama was reluctant at a endorsement of Hillary , he was secretly on her side  . AS we know that Obama had spied on the Trump campaign using the FBI to wiretap Trump Tower in an effort to get dirt on Trump with Russia connections . Secondly Obama  blasted the level of political rhetoric in the United States in both parties, during the campaign ,  the exact strategy WAS A BLUNDER. One of the most puzzling elements of the 2016 election, at least for a lot of Americans, was the millions of voters who switched from voting for Barack Obama in 2012 to Donald Trump in 2016. Somewhere between 6.7 million and 9.2 million Americans switched this way; given that the 2016 election was decided by 40,000 votes, it’s fair to say that Obama-Trump switchers were one of the key reasons that Hillary Clinton lost.  (7)>>Bill Clinton would have died within two years of Hillary winning . Things are really different on Earth 2! But don’t think of this as science fiction. There are a lot of things that you, citizen of Earth 1, can probably infer about what life is like over here. Clinton’s first term has a lot in common with Barack Obama’s second term, for example. And the "laws" of political science — subject as they are to being broken now and again — are still largely intact. The president’s party usually suffers at the midterms here on Earth 2, for example, just as it does on Earth 1. So Hillary Win's in 2016 , Bill gets ill . Bill Clinton was reported in numerous tabloids as being ill and frail , dying . If that true , if you add paradox at play , Hillary's Presidency would have sealed Bill's fate . Our Madame President would not be so popular , Yes, the Rasmussen Reports poll Trump cited was an outlier, but her approval rating average is just 41.7 percent, the lowest at the six-month mark of any president elected since the 1930s (when approval ratings were first routinely collected). Yes, it’s silly to refer to Clinton as a “lame duck,”yes because of Bill . Even worse is the choice of Kane as her VP could of exasperated a huge scandal . (8.1)>>Biden has his own kinda Russia problem.   The New York Times’ report apparently corroborates what Government Accountability Institute president Peter Schweizer wrote in his book, “Secret Empires: How the American Political Class Hides Corruption and Enriches Family and Friends” about the Biden family’s corrupt ties to Ukraine. Schweizer laid out the damaging facts: “Hunter Biden–Joe Biden’s son–got on the payroll of a very corrupt Ukrainian energy company called Burisma in the Spring of 2014 where he was paid about $50,000 a month to do quote-unquote regulatory compliance for this company. He now admits to the New York Times that that’s not exactly what he did. He doesn’t describe any work that he did, and the problem, of course, is Hunter Biden had no background in Ukraine, no background in energy,” Schweizer explained.  Biden bragged about the threat last year, telling an audience at the Council on Foreign Relations: "I said, ‘You’re not getting the billion.’ I’m going to be leaving here in, I think it was about six hours. I looked at them and said: ‘I’m leaving in six hours. If the prosecutor is not fired, you’re not getting the money,’" bragged Biden, recalling the conversation with Poroshenko. "Well, son of a bitch, he got fired. And they put in place someone who was solid at the time."Joe Biden says that he had no idea Hunter was on the board of Burisma (for two years after he joined), and that the two never spoke about the Burisma investigation. The former VP claims that Shokin's removal was required due to his mishandling of several cases in Ukraine.   (8.2)>>Biden against Trump . AS I SEE THIS. The other 23 wannabees in the Democratic party who jumped in the race and not going to make it . One of them will be Biden's choice as Vice President , most likely a woman [ Kamala Harris😧] Its going to be a circus for the Democrats to pull this one . As so , Trump will face Biden in upcoming debates on TV , it's going to be watched all over the world like some gladiatorial game.  (9)>>If he makes it to that point. As we look ahead to 2020, let’s not underrate the power of incumbency — several past presidents, including Obama, Ronald Reagan and Bill Clinton, survived a bruising midterm and approval ratings in the low 40s (or worse) only to be handily re-elected. Doanld Trump stands vary close to being reelected to a second terms , even if we don't like it . Surviving , what we call gas lighting an unstoppable future .

California Gas Gouged

Time to throw the biggest
gas HOAX out in
the Open California !

Well we are approaching [ have approached] the 5 dollar mark  in gas prices in some parts of (0)>>California. Certainly California has created a gasoline island by its anti-pollution rules. I don’t question that. When it comes to fuel , Californians are overtaxed and suckered into raising gas taxes. We all have been told that it's   (1.1)>>because of supply and demand issues , Oil company executives admit the supply shortages to which they frequently expose California are highly profitable.Normally, the price differential between California and the U.S. would return to around 30-40 cents per gallon. But not likely anymore .  (1.2)>>This BIGGEST LIE we are told is that there is a "special blend" of gas that is a Summer blend and a Winter blend . I believe its BULLSHIT! Sorry for the bad language , the cuss word , but I have not heard any Consumer Watchdog group jumping to  (1.3)>>REALLY INVESTIGATE if there has been any changes of gasoline formula  during the seasons to verify that there is a defence between the gas formula's to justify the high gas prices . California raised GAS TAXES thanks to Gov. Brown without the vote of Californians   (2)>>TO REPEAT WHAT I SAID he added a tax to an already existing tax on fuel .  Outside factors also play their part in our gas scams , perhaps OPEC  like (2.2)>>the oil sanctions against Iran which oil prices jumped 28 % in a matter of hours , but nothing explains why crazy prices for gasoline out here in California, they’re nearing $5. To be sure, those prices are outliers, economists say, and California is the country’s most expensive gasoline market, due to taxes, other costs, and environmental regulations.Also there is a shortage of new refineries, no refineries have been built in CA for five decades, which is curious as I was saying for such a large state that needs to meet the supply and demand with the different blends . This altogether furthers the notion that some kind of hoax is going on a state (3)>>level bureaucracy . Experts predict prices won’t be coming down anytime soon. California’s gas tax goes up again effective July 1.

NOTES AND COMMENTS:

(0)>>California. A bit of history of California gas tax, was: 27.8 cents/gallon 11/1/2017: 39.8 cents/gallon 7/1/2019: 47.3 cents/gallon, 1/1/2020: annual increases based on the inflation rate California diesel tax, was: 10.19% sales tax, plus 16 cents/gallon 11/1/2017: 14.19% sales tax, plus 36 cents/gallon, 1/1/2020: annual increases based on the inflation rate. (1.1)>>because of supply and demand issues.  It is embarassing to watch an oil company executive on television try to explain the reasons for a spike in gas prices. It reminds me of the guys outside of the subway entrances in New York City playing "three card Monte" asking the spectators "where is the queen?". Just a total grift on the driving public is all. They have no shame and the real joke is that they think this is all a plausible explanation and we believe them. So sad. Isn't it amazing how often these outages seem to happen and how gas prices spike immediately, before the effect of shortages can actually occur? Oil company and tobacco company execs are professional liars. Don’t be embarrassed for them. They know they are lying and are happy to make people think they have no alternatives to gasoline.  AND AS mysterious refinery outages right on time as they seem to be every year. Just as scheduled.  (1.2)>>This BIGGEST LIE . What the crock is this? Every year we always here the same thing. Prepare for high prices at the pump for the summer season. This usually extends well into August citing late summer vacation travel as the culprit. But lookie here a sudden reversal calling the season immediately after July 4. (1.3)>>REALLY INVESTIGATE.   I have a bold theory here , I don't believe that WE are being sold two different types of fuel.First place there are not enough fuel refineries in the state to switch between blends of gas each season for each statewide gasoline station [ Exxon , Arco, Union76 and Shell to name a few] so this seasonal blend of fuel is vary slow to transport. Another observation is that a local gas station let say its May , its time to switch to the summer blend of gas still has its station tanks filled with a winter blend of gas ,  EVEN through its summer that station gouges its price per gallon , while still selling to the California Consumer a winter blend of gas while its  SUPPOSED to be selling a summer blend . (2)>>TO REPEAT WHAT I SAID. What happened? I thought if we approve taxes that they will only take what they need? Well, at least the roads and schools will get better like the last tax hike. I mean, look at them now! Only potholes that are 1 foot deep, and the kids can almost read now.The high price of fuel is due to California’s taxes on gas and diesel. The price of crude has gone up in the past few months driving the price of gas slightly. It drives me crazy when everyone blames the refineries for the price of gas. Look up how much the feds and the state, and county, are taxing gasoline. Its all available online. Fuel prices are pretty consistent across the country. It all comes down taxes in California its state sponsored gouging of gas to funnel money into other dark projects , not fixing roads !(2.2)>>the oil sanctions against Iran.  Iran is a massive player in the oil market. It’s the world’s fourth largest producer of oil, pumping five million barrels a day or about 5.4% of global supply, according to data compiled by oil giant BP BP, -0.36% Cutting off some or all of that would have an out-sized effect on prices because the markets are so finely balanced between supply and demand, say economists. (3)>>level bureaucracy . Here's something Newsom could do for CA citizens instead of jetting down to El Salvador for a meet and greet with the future democratic voters, how about finding out why these refineries schedule their maintenance at the same time? They can't make a phone call to each other and come up with a plan to stagger the shutdowns so CA citizens can have a stable supply of gasoline? Wow, how many more times will big oil get away with scam before someone who is in power (Gavin) does something about it?

Rising above the Barr...........

Whatever YOU think about William  P Barr's testimony . The alleged Russia collusion scandal has become the alleged (1)>>Bill Barr scandal.  The political sides of the  Right say that Barr did stand his ground in support of Trump . On the Left , Barr's testimony was less credible . There are now calls for him to resign or be impeached because he supposedly mislead Congress about Robert Mueller’s discontent. Some new information was shared, such as the fact that special counsel Robert Mueller slowed the release of his report by ignoring requests from Barr and Deputy Attorney General (1.2)>>Rod Rosenstein to identify grand jury information in advance. There was also Barr stating he and Rosenstein asked Mueller to reach a conclusion on all crimes. Barr effectively shifted the burden over to Mueller on such questions. Claims by House Speaker Nancy Pelosi that Barr lied under oath are simply unfounded and unfair. Rep. Ted Lieu (D-Calif.), a member of the House Judiciary Committee, and Rep. Kathleen Rice (D-N.Y.) — both former prosecutors — say they believe Barr “at best misled Congress” and “at worst perjured himself” when he told lawmakers this week he was unsure why some members Mueller’s team were reportedly dissatisfied with his public portrayal of Mueller’s report. It's a crock , even if it's no collusion 😖you'd have to twist things around a bit . Barr's testimony is a leaky bucket ,while  (2)>>I don't believe the Mueller report that Russia somehow  meddled in our somewhat compromised Democracy . I have always said that Trump won because our system was rigged from the start by the deep state. Yes, the Republican party push Trump through just to defeat Hillary Trump was a perfect patsy because , not because he colluded with ,but convoluted himself  for 40 years with Russians as a playboy business man . Donald Trump just looks so bad , so incriminated , that right now the Russians don't like him anymore.Besides relations with the two counties being jettisoned in the hoosegow. AS FOR BARR his testimony its still so confusing , SO Barr testified for five hours on Wednesday before the Senate Judiciary Committee, defending his handling of the special counsel’s report. (On Thursday, Democrats threatened Mr. Barr with contempt after he failed to appear before the House Judiciary Committee. Read the latest here.) It’s true that Barr could have revealed the Mueller letter in this exchange, but he also might have considered their back-and-forth private (although the letter was clearly written to leak ).As Barr was questioned about his handling of special counsel Robert Mueller’s report, it became clear that there were two separate narratives: Republicans tried to push the investigation toward a conclusion, while Democrats thought the Trump administration’s actions in the report needed more scrutiny.   (3)>>Representative Jerry Nadler, who heads the House judiciary committee, indicated that a deal was close in remarks to reporters in Washington on Wednesday. Nadler said it was important to have Mueller testify “which they’ve agreed to do subject to setting a date, and we’ll see if they do that, sometime in May,”   The Democratic side will never have any satisfaction with the report . So these "investigations" and " subpoenas " will continue into next year right up to the election , perhaps to sabotage Trump.

NOTES AND COMMENTS:

(1)>>Bill Barr scandal.House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said Barr had “lied to Congress” and committed a “crime,” during her weekly press conference on Thursday.  The tension between House Democrats and the White House is escalating rapidly. House Judiciary Committee Chair Jerry Nadler has already threatened to hold Barr in contempt of Congress for not showing up to a hearing with his committee on Thursday and for not meeting his subpoena deadline for an unredacted version of the Mueller report. (1)>>Rod Rosenstein. During his time at the department, Rosenstein oversaw the Mueller probe— one of the most contentious, sensitive investigations in its history. Over the course of the investigation, he became something of a folk hero to Trump’s political opponents, who saw him as an icon of nonpartisan law enforcement, standing up for Mueller’s team against Trump’s attempts to hinder and shutter it. When he appeared at the Aspen Security Forum last summer—an event that brings together national security elites, along with current and former government officials—he received a standing ovation.Trump relished ripping into Rosenstein, suggesting he was to blame him in part for the tension between the United States and Russia.   (2)>>I don't believe the Mueller report that Russia somehow  meddled in our somewhat compromised Democracy .  One of the REASONS why I don't believe the Mueller Report was a lack of "evidence" just regarding the Russian meddling where the Russians planted prop to incite social discord among Americans . That evidence was never presented , I suspect as ridiculous it may sound , did Russian propaganda help the Republican party?  , but my OWN CONCLUSIONS are different from my views of Obstructionism which there is evidence of it in regards to Cohen and the Stormy payoff  , that can not be disputed . President Trump should have been more transparent regarding his relations with Russia . The idea that he "colluded" to get elected , or that Russia changed and hacked the votes are too far fetched . For example as stated :

First, the report details efforts by the Internet Research Agency (IRA), a Russian company with close ties to the Russian government, to sow social discord among American voters through disinformation and social media operations. Second, the report details efforts by Russian military officials associated with the GRU to hack into computers and steal documents and emails from individuals affiliated with the Democratic Party and the presidential campaign of Hillary Clinton for the purpose of eventually publicizing those emails. Following a thorough investigation, the Special Counsel brought charges against several Russian nationals and entities in connection with each scheme.

The report says regarding " to sow social discord among American voters through disinformation and social media operations" . Was vary puzzling , if anyone seen the specific ads or propaganda that was claimed  on Social Media that were anti-Hillary ? Its that evidence that made me question the accusation . Regarding the hacking of Hillary's emails , that evidence seemed to be from the inside , perhaps from the FBI , which was at that time was conducting an investigation into Hillary's server .  Everything  in that regard to the Special Counsel is vary spurious , and fueled by Russio-phobia. (3)>>Representative Jerry Nadler.  We have to wtach Nadler vary close by next year , the Democrats are going to try to impeach Trump , near the election starting  December 2019- 2020 . Nadler is a ringleader of the impeachers . While this is going on there is a strong chance that Donald Trump will come out punching .