Chet Collins

‘Russian World’ Is the Civil Religion Behind Putin’s War - WSJ

Patriarch Kirill of Moscow, leader of the Russian Orthodox Church, recently described the war in Ukraine as nothing less than an apocalyptic struggle between good and evil. Its outcome, he said, will determine “where humanity will end up, on which side of God the Savior.”

Probably not on the side of the aggressor intentionally targeting schools, hospitals, and apartment blocks.

Then again, maybe his quote was more true than he realized.

Pope Francis Laments War in Ukraine Without Taking Sides - WSJ

On Thursday, in a speech citing Mahatma Gandhi, the famed exponent of nonviolent resistance, the pope denounced as madness the decision by some countries to raise their military spending above 2% of gross domestic product, an apparent reference to North Atlantic Treaty Organization members including Germany who have announced higher military spending in response to the war in Ukraine. “The true response is not more weapons, more sanctions,” the pope said.

As if a sovereign nation doesn’t have a right to self-defense?

Manchin Signals He Wants to Restart Talks on Climate, Tax Package - WSJ

The West Virginia Democrat’s remarks, made in conversations with energy executives and lobbyists, echo his previous public calls for legislation centered on raising taxes, reducing the deficit, lowering drug costs and offering clean- energy incentives.

Inflation is at 8%, the Fed is aggressively raising rates. So yeah, let’s go ahead and guarantee a recession by raising taxes!

What Teenagers Really Learn from Stock-Market Games - WSJ

Zach used about $200,000 in margin borrowing to drive his pretend portfolio up to $583,070. “It’s nice that they let you do that,” he says. “It makes it easier to make money.”

Way to go, teach!

In America’s No. 1 Inflation Hotspot, Democrats Face Restive Voters - WSJ

Economists attribute the surge in inflation to several factors: disruptions to supply chains and shifts in consumption patterns caused by the pandemic, soaring oil prices driven in part by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, a decline in the labor force due to early retirements, concerns about Covid and other factors, and strong demand fueled by repeated rounds of fiscal stimulus and the ultralow interest rates maintained by the Federal Reserve.

I’m always irritated when the technocrats bury the most likely explanations at the bottom of a heaping pile of excuses.

Car Buyers Shun Leases as Deals and Vehicles Dwindle - WSJ

The higher lease rates are also adding to concerns about affordability, as leasing has long been a popular option for consumers looking to get into a new vehicle but at a lower monthly payment than if they were to buy the car outright.

Dumb.

Former Boeing Pilot Found Not Guilty in 737 MAX Trial - WSJ

Boeing admitted in its settlement with the Justice Department that former employees deceived the FAA. The deal blamed two employees, although only Mr. Forkner was charged, and said senior management wasn’t involved in the misconduct.

Nice to see the judicial process functioning as designed. This case was outrageous from the first filing.

Student-Loan Freeze Saves Borrowers Nearly $200 Billion as Biden Considers Extension - WSJ

Washington Sen. Patty Murray (D.), who leads the Senate’s education panel, has specifically pushed for a renewed pause into next year to give the administration time to come up with a plan to overhaul the student-loan payment system, including some debt forgiveness, especially for low-income borrowers, as well as changes to income-based repayment plans and altering how student debt affects consumer credit scores.

I think she meant to give the administration time to get past the midterms.

Jesse Wilburn, a 27-year-old electrical engineer in Philadelphia, said that while his $30,000 in student debt is relatively manageable, he is considering forgoing payments in solidarity with those who can’t pay back their loans if the freeze on payments ends in May.

True bravery.

TurboTax Threatens To Tell IRS Customer Cheated On Taxes Unless They Upgrade To Deluxe Version - The Onion

“We’ve got all your information now, and we can easily change a few numbers here or there, maybe add a couple red flags—but of course all that can go away for an additional $99.99,” read the message

Russian Forces Kill Civilians, Loot for Supplies in Occupied Ukraine, Residents Say - WSJ

“The Soviet occupation lasted 70 years, and some people still have a good memory of that time: It was safe, there was something to eat and something to drink,” he said. “But we are a different generation, and all that is not enough for us. What we need is freedom, freedom to live in our own country where nobody else tells us what to do.”

U.S. Sends Patriot Missiles to Saudi Arabia, Fulfilling Urgent Request - WSJ

The Biden administration has transferred a significant number of Patriot antimissile interceptors to Saudi Arabia within the past month, fulfilling Riyadh’s urgent request for a resupply amid sharp tensions in the relationship, senior U.S. officials said.

I think they noticed how long they had to wait.

Tulip picking.

Russia’s Push for Self-Sufficient Economy Fails Before Western Sanctions - WSJ

Russians are poorer than before the Crimea annexation: by the end of 2020, real incomes had fallen by 9.3% from their 2013 level.

Ouch.

If your business requires a permanent police presence, and you’re not a bank, I’m not coming inside.

I may have taken a wrong turn.

In Massive Escalation, Zelensky Requests America Send Florida Georgia Line To Play Concert For Russian Soldiers - The Babylon Bee

“I know full well the consequences we all may face for such action. We unleash the full evil of bro-country against humanity at our own peril. But the peril of our foes must match our own! It is therefore with a heavy heart that I ask America to finally take decisive action, and send that accursed duo to the Russian camps.”

Finally giving Setapp a try. It’s a lot better than expected.

Beautiful day on the ramp.

Stock Pickers Watched the S&P 500 Pass Them By Again in 2021 - WSJ

the benchmark S&P 500 notched a total return, including price gains and dividends, of 28.7% last year. That was a stronger showing than that of 85% of U.S. large-cap stock-picking mutual funds

Annual reminder of the perils of active management.

2021 was the 12th consecutive year in which the majority of actively managed funds of large-cap stocks watched the S&P 500 pass them by.

Adam And Eve Tell God That Putin Made Them Eat Forbidden Fruit - The Babylon Bee

“Lord, to be fair, I am NOT responsible,” said Adam emphatically. My wife is the one who gave me the fruit, and she was clearly deceived by Russian disinformation spread by Vladimir Putin. Not much I can do about that. Putin is responsible."

Scientists Discover Tea Tastes Best When Dumped Out And Replaced With Coffee - The Babylon Bee

“Mmmm! Tastes great!” said Dr. Bean Yuban. “We finally cracked the code.”

Biden Assures America That The Buck Stops With Putin - The Babylon Bee

Economic expert and TikTok makeup tutorial influencer Ellie Zeiler concurs with the President’s assessment. “All this bad stuff has nothing to do with bad energy policy, bad foreign policy, bad economic policy, or bad monetary policy,” she said, reading the script given to her by Biden’s propaganda czar. “It’s all, like, Putin’s fault and stuff.”

Russia Imposes Sanctions on Biden, Other Top U.S. Officials - WSJ

and White House press secretary Jen Psaki.

Does she have to give back her pink fuzzy hat?

The Price of Biden’s Excuses for Inflation Keeps Rising - WSJ Opinion

In that same speech, to the House Democratic Caucus Issues Conference, he bemoaned that all his hard work doesn’t get the respect it deserves. “The American people just trying to stay above water don’t understand this. You tell them what the American Recovery Act was, and they look at you like, ‘What are you talking about?’”