Stunning way to end the day.

AOC Cries At Taj Mahal After Racist Travel Ban - The Babylon Bee

Politicians on both sides of the aisle praised Ocasio-Cortez for her consistency on these issues, as she always calls attention to injustices on both sides and definitely doesn’t do these kinds of things to score political points only when convenient.

So moral.

Credit-Card Debt Keeps Falling. Banks Are On Edge. - WSJ

Now, even as Americans return to spending on their credit cards, they are continuing to pay down their card balances. That signals many borrowers are faring well even during the pandemic. But many card issuers rely on growing card usage and balances for their revenue, and they are wondering if the pandemic trends will turn into a long-term shift.

Poor banks! Their margins are getting squeezed!! Let’s all run up our credit cards at 16% interest while they pay us .05% on our deposits so we can help them get through these very tough times.

I can finally hide reconciled transactions on the iOS version of YNAB.

Whew!

Annual Enrollment was super lame. No changes from last year, except that major medical is now $17 more per month.

Big miss.

Biden Proposes $2 Trillion Bill To Study What’s Causing Inflation Rates To Rise - The Babylon Bee

In the meantime, officials from the US Treasury as well as the CDC have advised the public to start carrying double wallets to protect their money and help slow the spread of inflation.

Here’s hoping they get to the bottom of it soon.

Catholic Schools Are Losing Students at Record Rates, and Hundreds Are Closing - WSJ

Some secular families are turned off by the church’s opposition to abortion or same-sex marriage, said Carol Ann MacGregor, vice provost of Loyola University New Orleans. Meanwhile, more the most devout Catholics are home-schooling their children, in some cases because they don’t believe Catholic schools are focused enough on the faith.

Catholic schools, from the very beginning, have served the poorest of the poor. It’s at the heart of their mission. The trend of closings will surely hurt lower income and urban families disproportionately.

I disagree that the schools are losing students because of opposition to Church teaching on social issues. But I agree that homeschooling is a very real threat to the business model. Un-subsidized tuition can easily hit $10,000 for a single student kindergarten alone, before considering uniforms, activity fees, etc. Homeschooling books and course plans can be bought off the shelf for less than $1,000.

The Church teaches that parents are the primary educators of their children. There are more curricula and resources available to parents today than ever before. Parents taking their vocation seriously is a positive development.

Mother’s Day showers.

Bad Dog! Major Biden Gives Nuclear Codes To China In Exchange For A Milk-Bone - The Babylon Bee

Eventually, the FBI decided on a punishment, which was to stare down Major and tell him he’s a “bad dog.”

Not very good at negotiating. He should have at least held out for a flying dog house like Snoopy’s.

I burnt my hand cooking lunch.

Ouch.

Hospitals Draw Warning on Price Disclosure Rule Compliance - WSJ

The rule states that the agency ultimately can levy penalties of up to $300 a day if a hospital doesn’t comply. Some hospitals might decide the penalty is less than the cost to comply, said Heather Meade, a principal at Ernst & Young’s regulatory and legislative advisory division. Some also fear how competitors will use the price information, she said.

A $110,000 corporate tax imposed on hospitals, but not enacted by Congress. But then, what else has become of regulations in our Administrative State?

11 years ago today. What an adventure.

Friday night on the deck.

The great march of mental destruction will go on. Everything will be denied. Everything will become a creed. It is a reasonable position to deny the stones in the street; it will be a religious dogma to assert them. It is a rational thesis that we are all in a dream; it will be a mystical sanity to say that we are all awake. Fires will be kindled to testify that two and two make four. Swords will be drawn to prove that leaves are green in summer. We shall be left defending, not only the incredible virtues and sanities of human life, but something more incredible still, this huge impossible universe which stares us in the face.

G.K. Chesterton, Heretics (1905).

GameStop Frenzy, Archegos Meltdown May Prompt New SEC Rules, Chairman Says - WSJ

The House committee’s Democratic staff has circulated draft legislation that would ban payment for order flow as well as some incentives offered by stock exchanges to attract orders.

Payment for order flow has resulted in commission free trades. Not sure how that’s a bad thing.

Shocking Study Finds Paying People Not To Work Makes People Not Want To Work - The Babylon Bee

Amid shockingly low job numbers released today, the study suggested that some of that low unemployment was due to the government sending everyone more money than they would have made out working a job. Some smart expert analysts are seeing a connection between incentivizing people to stay home and them staying home.

But the Administration says it’s actually proof that we need to do more.

Softy, of podcast fame, running all over little hands.