Stuck on stupid
There’s nothing new in that I read an incredible amount of online news every morning. I like to peruse Canadian, US and international newspapers and aggregators getting a handle on what’s happening around the corner and and across the world. Most mornings I read and carry on. Some mornings I read and continually marvel at the stupid in the world. Today is one of those mornings.
In Canada a few months ago, moms and grandmas united in their Trump derangement syndrome and managed to elect Elbows Carney to the PMship. That clearly some pompous leftwing banker would be the most effective foil to what was coming from the Trump administration. The fact that he had been a significant advisor to the past idiot of a PM who had worked real hard to destroy the viability of our country was irrelevant.
Over here though in real woke land objective observation definitely painted a differing portrait. I said I read a lot, I also remember a lot which means I have perspective on decisions I make that many folks do not. I recall the period when Carney was Bank of Canada Governor and his time as Chair of the Bank of England. Neither of which were stellar performances from a fiscally conservative point of view.
I also paid attention when he became the financial envoy of climate action for the UN haggering banks and funds relentlessly to stop the flows of money to oil and gas ventures. And I also have mostly read his book, which is deadly boring, but pay great homage to the great left wing thinkers of our time and those of the recent past. When you start a book praising Engels, Hegel and Marx well you kind of lose me.
None-the-less I still take what’s going on with a health dose of salt (thrown over my left shoulder) when I read about what is going on here and abroad. This morning the salt did not help as stupid just kept screaming from the news.
To begin with, I read a story how our elbows brigade in Washington hired a consultancy at several thousand dollars an hour to help them understand how to speak republican. And as Joe would say ‘True story.’ It gets better though as the firm hired was a Democrat consultancy not even Republican. But best of all their advice was to read several of the ‘conservative’ media such as The Wall Street Journal, Fox News and Breitbart! Sage advice no doubt.
The recommendation seems not to be very effective as the elbow gang has yet to secure a proper meeting with the Trump Administration to resolve any of the tariff issues. $2,000/hr well spent I would say.
Next, I read an article about how car dealerships were considering managing the upcoming 20% requirement for sales of vehicles that must be electric. Without the government incentives removed in the fall, the percentage of electric vehicle sales has dropped to 8%. So in four months how do you move the needle and increase that percentage? How about lobby the government to add more incentives. Possibly that may raise the percentage to 10 or 12 percent. Possibly a different lobby movement could be to scrap this altogether? For me this would make the most sense.
Sadly, these would not be the tact most likely to be taken by Canadian dealers. No sir ree bob, dealers plan to sell less gas vehicles! Monthly quotas on car sales to stay under the number of gas and diesel vehicles so that the electric vehicle sales are greater than the 20% mandated by law! Please help me understand how that is a winning strategy.
Lastly, there is a story out of Austria where judges have ruled that in civil law cases the use of Sharia is perfectly acceptable. Beat your wife, no problem. Honour killing your disobedient daughter, why not? Last time I checked, Austria was still a part of the European Union and subject to the EU code of human rights. So I am at a loss how sharia observance in civil cases can align with that. Sharia is antithetical to basic human rights, rights of women, rights of the LGBTQ movement or any other group who is not muslim.
Thankfully the stock market is also behaving stupidly and so I could make a couple dollars this morning thing my mind off the stupid.
Truthfully though, I read these things that just make no sense at all and just shake my head, wondering what’s next. The world has become very unpredictable except if you view it from the new woke. That perspective allows for a lessening of the surprise and an understanding that despite what many of our leaders say they are acting in their, not our interests.
As a result, my favourite quote continues to be, ‘You are asleep, dreaming you are awake.’