Chet Collins

Biden’s Student-Debt-Forgiveness Plan May Cost Up to $1 Trillion, Challenging Deficit Goals - WSJ

could cost as much as $1 trillion, according to budget analysts, challenging the administration’s efforts to scale down the federal deficit.

First, the price tag keeps climbing and climbing, putting the program at risk. Doubtful the Constitution let’s the President spend $1T without Congressional authorization.

Second, this Washington single-minded focus on “deficit reduction” is stupid. They’re talking about reducing the amount of borrowing, i.e. overspending, each year. No discussion on reducing the actual debt! Losing a game by fewer points is not an accomplishment. You still lost!

Bharat Ramamurti, deputy director of the White House National Economic Council, told reporters last month that the administration would use a portion of the projected decline in the federal deficit this fiscal year, which ends in September, to provide the debt relief and that the White House considers the forgiveness fully paid for.

Well, I thought I was going to put $1,000 on my credit card at Target, but I removed some things from my cart and only charged $300. Now I can go to Best Buy, and charge $700 worth of items since those are now fully paid for.

How slow is UPS Ground?

It will take 3 days for them to deliver me a package that is currently 1 hour away from my house.

Liz Truss’s Inheritance: A U.K. Economy on Its Knees - WSJ

Already struggling with a record backlog of 6.6 million patients waiting for treatment following the Covid-19 crisis, analysts say the National Health Service is showing severe signs of strain. People suffering strokes or burns in England waited on average an hour for an ambulance in July, well above the target of 18 minutes.

Um, yikes?

Nutrition Advocates Push for Front-of-Package Labels That Highlight Fat, Sugar Levels - WSJ

“People just don’t have the patience or the time to be detectives at store shelves, hunting for data that may be somewhere on the package,” said Sen. Richard Blumenthal (D., Conn.), one of the bill’s sponsors.

What an inane statement.

They’d be better off spending their time requiring online grocery services to display a full resolution version of the label in the images of the product. It’s it or miss right now.

That moment when you pray the Rosary on the Hallow app, and Mark Wahlberg is leading, and it’s everything you expect it to be.

Look Who’s Rushing Covid Vaccines Now - WSJ Opinion

Democrats and the public-health clerisy denounced President Trump for rushing Covid vaccines. They’ve been curiously quiet about the Food and Drug Administration’s gunshot approval last week of revamped booster shots with no trials showing they are safe or effective.

Another Week, Another Leak at the IRS - WSJ Opinion

Democrats recently handed the IRS $80 billion in new funding in full knowledge of these shortcomings. Not to fix them, mind you. The legislation spends $4.8 billion on modernization but nearly 10 times as much on its top priority: enforcement.

Midterm Elections to Decide Fate of Biden’s Tax Agenda - WSJ

“The president’s economic vision is about continuing to deliver for middle-class families, while congressional Republicans’ agenda is to sell those families out with more tax welfare for rich special interests,” said White House spokesman Andrew Bates.

A lot of middle class families driving $90k EVs?

Veterans Affairs to Provide Abortion Services for Health Dangers, Rape and Incest - WSJ

The Department of Veterans Affairs, for the first time in its history, will provide abortion services and counseling to veterans in cases of health dangers, rape and incest, even at federal facilities in states that have outlawed the procedure, the department said Friday.

Your tax dollars, hard at work.

Thanks to the Inflation Reduction Act of 2022, and its fabulous price controls on prescription drugs for Medicare, the pharmaceutical company that has provided my monthly migraine medication for $0 out-of-pocket since 2020 has dramatically curtailed the program and now my medication costs $413 per month.

The same thing happened with the Durbin Amendment in Dodd-Frank when the government wisely decided to cap fees on debit card transactions and every bank immediately discontinued debit card rewards.

Why is it whenever the government tries to “save” me money, it always costs me more?

Ten (2022)

Trump Parts Hudson River Leading Exodus Of New York Republicans To Florida - Babylon Bee

New York Governor Kathy Hochul recently informed New York Republicans that they’re not welcome in her state. But lo, a chosen one of burnt papaya hue, Donald Trump, approached her and demanded that she let his people go.

This is a cool job. 🛩

Guys Who Just Finished Burying Ananias Really Annoyed About Sapphira - Babylon Bee

Peter apologized but insisted the trio also handle Sapphira’s burial. “I think it’s more poetic this way,” he insisted.

The IRS Wants to Sell You on Its ‘Service’ - WSJ Opinion

This month Sens. Dianne Feinstein and Robert Menendez and Rep. Abigail Spanberger cosigned a sternly worded letter to the IRS urging more responsiveness to taxpayers. Never mind that all three voted for a bill that funded enforcement over service at a 14 to 1 ratio.

Sunday clouds.

Joel Osteen Releases New Edition Of Bible With All Words Redacted - Babylon Bee

Osteen had teased an update to The Redacted Study Bible where he’s gone ahead and de-classified the words “favor”, “victory”, “riches”, and “pride.”

Wife Hands Husband Target Receipt With Classified Purchases Redacted - Babylon Bee

“I’m being as transparent as I can at this time,” she assured her husband as he looked over the receipt, which was almost entirely just black bars save for the Target logo and the cute little Target dog. Barton went on to claim she is the “most transparent wife” in marriage history, despite the redactions, and that she would look into declassifying more items as she is able.

Biden’s Student-Loan Forgiveness Makes Reform Urgent - WSJ Opinion

To capitalize on previous expansions of federal student-loan programs, universities have added more than 9,000 new master’s degree programs over the past decade. More are sure to come, even though research shows that nearly half of master’s degrees don’t provide a positive return on investment.

Not all education must be economically driven, but when over half underperform, that’s a problem.

Secret Service Seizes $286 Million in Stolen Covid-19 Relief Funds - WSJ

The overall amount of fraudulently obtained Covid relief funds may reach $100 billion, the Secret Service said in an estimate released in December.

Roughly the same amount of deficit reduction we get from the Inflation Reduction Act. So much waste of taxpayers hard earned money.

Google Says Maps, Searches Will Identify Clinics That Provide Abortions - WSJ

“We’re now rolling out an update that makes it easier for people to find places that offer the services they’ve searched for, or broaden their results to see more options,” a Google representative said.

Murder, Inc.

Is Summer over yet? ☀️

Biden’s Student Loan Forgiveness Plan: Who Qualifies, and How Much Debt Will Be Canceled? - WSJ

What if I’ve already paid off my loans? As of the end of last year, fewer than 1.2% of borrowers continued making payments on their student loans, Mr. Kantrowitz said. But some of the borrowers who did took advantage of the two-plus years of optional, interest-free payments to wipe out their debt entirely. This measure won’t apply to balances that have already been paid off.

Thanks for fulfilling your obligation! You are now responsible for someone else’s eduction payments so that they can increase their lifestyle even further.