The dangerous dumpster fire that is Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez

Of all the things that you can say about Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (AOC), one of them isn’t that she’s stupid. Or is she?

Wait; I can hear you now: “Oh no BZ, how can you say that, you’ve previously stated her IQ is on par with a potted ficus!”

Well, yes it is. She is ill-educated, ignorant, unenlightened and, truly, a sad product of New York public schools that fail to teach anything of significance about history. That’s what I term “Historical Alzheimers.”

“Those who do not remember the past are condemned to repeat it.”
George Santayana

Yet: she isn’t. Completely stupid, that is. Oh, wait.

She is, however, calculated and orchestrated. She is actually a puppet, but she doesn’t believe it. Back to that in a bit. The puppet aspect.

Roll with me here for a moment. She truly is a Democratic Socialist (one of the first two ever in Congress; the other is freshman Rashida Tlaib, Michigan) — she just has no idea what that really means or entails. To her, it’s just a cool word that rolls off the tongue with edgy intrigue.

Her deal is “climate change” or “Global Warming” or whatever phrase is most convenient at the time it’s spoken, in order to conform to the, well, seasons. (Strange notation: more scientists are indicating that weather is cyclical — imagine that — and that we’re heading towards cooling rather than more warming.) She is part of the Religious Left — where faith is required to believe the world is falling apart at our feet and in the skies. So let’s begin with her “we’re all going to die in 12 years” thingie.

Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez wants a 70% marginal tax rate on the rich.

Let’s talk about her “Green New Deal.” In truth, it was a green new abortion on toast when one began to actually read it.

Among the most prominent, the deal calls for “meeting 100 percent of the power demand in the United States through clean, renewable, and zero-emission energy sources.” The ultimate goal is to stop using fossil fuels entirely, Ocasio-Cortez’s office told NPR, as well as to transition away from nuclear energy.

And more. I mean, it was all so super-astounding and, like, totally rad that, like, her own team took down her original post. The very next day. Why is that? For one, part of the original language was this:

According to an initial outline of the measure, the freshman Democrat and Sen. Edward Markey (D-Mass.) said they “set a goal to get to net-zero, rather than zero emissions, in 10 years because we aren’t sure that we’ll be able to fully get rid of farting cows and airplanes that fast.”

Verbiage was subsequently shifted most rapidamento:

The language was later changed to “emissions from cows.”

You wouldn’t want to offend COWPAC 2019.

And all this in just three months.

But wait. What’s in the Green New Deal? What are the particulars?

The bill calls for a “10-year national mobilizations” toward accomplishing a series of goals that the resolution lays out.

Among the most prominent, the deal calls for “meeting 100 percent of the power demand in the United States through clean, renewable, and zero-emission energy sources.” The ultimate goal is to stop using fossil fuels entirely, Ocasio-Cortez’s office told NPR, as well as to transition away from nuclear energy.

She left just a few details out.

  • Ban affordable energy. GND calls for the elimination of all fossil fuel energy production, the lifeblood of American industry and life, which includes not only all oil but also natural gas — one of the cheapest sources of American energy, and one of the reasons the United States has been able to lead the world in carbon-emissions reduction.
  • Eliminate nuclear energy. The GND also calls for eliminating all nuclear power, one of the only productive and somewhat affordable “clean” energy sources available to us, in 11 years. This move would purge around 20 percent of American energy generation so you can rely on intermittent wind for your energy needs.
  • Eliminate 99 percent of cars. To be fair, under the GND, everyone will need to retrofit their cars with Flintstones-style foot holes or pedals for cycling. The authors state that the GND would like to replace every “combustion-engine vehicle” — trucks, airplanes, boats, and 99 percent of cars — within ten years. Charging stations for electric vehicles will be built “everywhere,” though how power plants will provide the energy needed to charge them is a mystery.
  • Gut and rebuild every building in America. Markey and Cortez want to “retrofit every building in America” with “state of the art energy efficiency.” I repeat, “every building in America.” That includes every home, factory, and apartment building, which will all need, for starters, to have their entire working heating and cooling systems ripped out and replaced with…well, with whatever technology Democrats are going invent in their committee hearings, I guess.
  • Eliminate air travel. GND calls for building out “high speed rail at a scale where air travel stops becoming necessary.” Good luck Hawaii. Or any other island. California’s high-speed boondoggle is already in $100 billion dollars of debt, and looks to be one of the state’s biggest fiscal disasters ever. Amtrak runs billions of dollars in the red (though, as we’ll see, trains that run on fossil fuels will also be phased out). Imagine growing that business model out to every state in America? Stop. Name me ONE passenger rail system on the planet that makes money. Not one? You would be correct. Even in Europe. All financed at a loss by governments.
  • A government-guaranteed job. The bill promises the United States government will provide every single American with a job that includes a “family-sustaining wage, family and medical leave, vacations, and a pension.” You can imagine that those left in the private sector would be funding these through some unspecified “massive” taxation. On the bright side, when you’re foraging for food, your savings will be worthless.
  • Free education for life. GND promises free college or trade schools for every American.
  • A salubrious diet. The GND promises the government will provide “healthy food” to every American (because there are no beans or lettuce in your local supermarket, I guess).
  • A house. The GND promises that the government will provide, “safe, affordable, adequate housing” for every American citizen. I call dibs on an affordable Adams Morgan townhouse. Thank you, Ocasio-Cortez.
  • Free money. The GND aims to provide, and I am not making this up, “economic security” for all who are “unable or unwilling” to work. Just to reiterate: if you’re unwilling to work, the rest of us will have your back.
  • Bonus insanity: Ban meat. Ocasio-Cortez admits that we can’t get zero emissions in 10 years “because we aren’t sure that we’ll be able to fully get rid of farting cows and airplanes that fast.” The only way to get rid of farting cows is to get rid of beef.

Ben Shapiro weighed in on the Green New Deal.

Remember: the spectacular Green New Deal is available in three easy payments of only $200,000, for each citizen of the United States. Come on. Chump change.

The sweeping “Green New Deal” proposed by Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., could cost as much as $93 trillion, or approximately $600,000 per household, according to a new study co-authored by the former director of the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office.

The sobering and staggering cost estimate came as Democratic presidential hopeful Kamala Harris pointedly declined in an interview broadcast Sunday to put a price tag on the Green New Deal and “Medicare-for-all,” saying “it’s not about a cost,” but rather return on investment. The Green New Deal’s botched rollout included the release of an official document by Ocasio-Cortez’s office that promised economic security even for those “unwilling to work,” and called for the elimination of “farting cows” and air travel.

Tucker Carlson weighed in.

Here is the New Deal Resolution as submitted: the link is here.

Think about it. Who wouldn’t want a “Green New Deal”? Sounds great. Certainly everyone on today’s college campuses. Except: the devil is in the details, is it not?

Commensurate with her Demorat Socialist pap.  .  . well, wait a minute. What is Socialism? Why wouldn’t we want it?

As I was saying, commensurate with her Demorat Socialist pap, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez concurrently began to implode from a massive sense of, well, I can think of no other word than “entitlement.” And perhaps the phrase “working the system.” Two things she swore to never do — because I suppose she lacked the capability — but to which she can now, due to an open and easy access. You know. To Free Cheese.

“Power tends to corrupt and absolute power corrupts absolutely.”
-John Dalberg-Acton

First: her digs, because she complained of having no place to live. Wait. Do I detect an impending Hypocrisy Alert?

From CNBC.com:

Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez is the youngest woman ever elected to Congress—she still can’t afford an apartment in D.C.

by Abigail Hess

One year ago, you could find Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez working behind the bar at Flats Fix, a small taqueria near Union Square. Come January, you will find her in Washington D.C., representing New York’s 14th District as the youngest woman ever elected to Congress.

But just because she is making history, doesn’t mean she is making money. Ocasio-Cortez recently revealed that she is currently unable to rent a D.C. apartment.

So sorry. You evidently didn’t understand the “you won’t be making bank until you’re actually sworn in” aspect.

By the way, did you know this, from the Washington Examiner.com?

Swamp’s gold: 6 of 10 richest counties in America are DC suburbs, 10 of the top 20

by Paul Bedard

The Washington, D.C. area, home to the federal government and noted for “double-dipping” salaries, is the wealthiest region in the country, according to new Census Bureau reporting.

In 2017, the top five richest counties were Washington suburbs and the top 10 list included a sixth Washington suburb, at the No. 10 bookend.

The No. 1 richest county in America is Loudoun County, Va., home to Dulles International Airport and hundreds of federal contractors and agencies. It is also the site of several mega data centers helped into the county by former Gov. Terry McAuliffe and current Gov. Ralph Northam.

Gosh. Wonder how that happened? But again, hold that thought and keep the Hypocrisy Alert at the ready; that bell is about to ding. Like right now.

Then she did it. Went out and acquired a luxury apartment. From the WashingtonExaminer.com:

Poor people not allowed in AOC’s luxury apartment complex

by Alana Goodman

Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., recently moved into a luxury apartment complex in Washington, D.C. that does not offer the affordable housing units that were a key plank in the New York congresswoman’s campaign platform.

Ocasio-Cortez, 29, who said in November that she was concerned about being able to afford rent in D.C., now earns a $174,000 annual salary and is living in a newly built high-rise in the city’s Navy Yard area, the Washington Free Beacon reported last week.

The freshman congresswoman, a self-described socialist, campaigned on a platform to expand affordable housing, and her controversial Green New Deal proposal promises “Safe, affordable, adequate housing” for all.

Ocasio-Cortez, commonly referred to as “AOC,” repeatedly criticized luxury real estate developers during her campaign, claiming that their buildings hiked up rent prices and pushed low-income residents out of their neighborhoods.

She said:

“We need to kick luxury real estate lobbyists to the curb and defend working people’s way of life,” Ocasio-Cortez said last March. “Skyrocketing cost of living is a national crisis that CAN be addressed. It’s not just an NYC issue – it’s happening in every US metro area.”

Yes, it’s Super AOC, a “woman of the people” living at 1221 Van Street SE, almost directly south of the US Capitol.

Apartments in the building currently start at $1,840 per month for a 440 square foot studio, and range up to $5,200 for a three-bedroom. The average rent in Washington D.C. is $1,340 for a one-bedroom apartment and $1,550 for a two-bedroom, according to the most recent data from Apartment List.

A few points come to mind.

  1. When was the last time you made $174,000 a year?
  2. Am I staring to identify a trend here?

And isn’t another quote emerging from the brilliant book by Eric Arthur Blair, otherwise known as George Orwell?

Uh-oh. Temerity happened. Some people began to point out aforementioned hypocrisy. Damn their eyes! Must be #BecauseFoxNews!

And all this in just three months.

From the NYPost.com:

Ocasio-Cortez rips media for reporting on her new luxury high-rise

by Mark Moore and Nikki Schwab

Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez scolded media outlets for reporting that she lives in a luxury high-rise building in Washington, DC, around the time she and other high-profile Democrats appeared on a hit list compiled by a Maryland man arrested for allegedly planning a mass terror attack.

For her, that wasn’t the point. It was an excuse. She felt “doxxed” though she wasn’t. On the other hand, “doxxing” is a very important and salient tactic utilized by her ilk on the Left. It’s just nifty to reveal the address of Tucker Carlson. It’s BAD to reveal HER address. Or even hint that she lives in one of the more tony locations in DC, the Navy Yard.

It’s also worse to point out her hypocrisy. That’s the issue here.

The articles pointed out Ocasio-Cortez’s platform as a champion of the poor and took her to task for living in an upscale building that they claimed didn’t offer affordable housing.

But wait. Speaking of addresses, there seems to be another issue. Did she even live in her district? From the NYPost.com:

Mystery solved: Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez covers tracks in address debacle

by Max Jaeger and Bruce Golding

US Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez scrambled Sunday to explain why neighbors at her listed Bronx address never saw her there — and ended up claiming she recently relocated to a larger place nearby.

The day after The Post reported that residents said they had never seen her around — and she ducked questions about it after an appearance — her spokesman said the Democratic freshman congresswoman now lives with her boyfriend in a two-bedroom apartment “a block and a half away.’’

The recent move still didn’t explain why residents at her previous digs — a one-bedroom Bronx condo owned by her mom — insisted they had never seen her there.

Members of Congress are required to have a residence in the state they represent.

Hello? Trend? Pattern? Even Bueller?

Ocasio-Cortez, a former bartender-turned-progressive pacesetter, ducked questions about her residence after an appearance Saturday in Queens. She told The Post to wait for her to pose for a photograph — then slipped out a back door and into a waiting SUV.

You mean an SUV the likes of which she proscribes for YOU but deems necessary for HER? No “fossil fuel gas guzzlers” for YOU but they’re just fine for HER?

The Green New Deal advocated for the entire elimination of internal combustion engines. And with the myriad of options available to her — including Toyota, Nissan, GM, Ford and Chrysler hybrids — she still chose a massive SUV with two people aboard? Her and the driver? At minimum? With at least SIX other seats available? Prove otherwise.

Yet she chose an SUV? Sure smacks of elitism and hypocrisy to me.

And all this in just three months.

On the heels of her stellar GND, she essentially came out and said that women who consider bringing children into “this world” are morons. Apocalypse Now. I can hear Dr Smith now: “oh the pain, the pain.”

“There’s something out there waiting for us. We’re all gonna die.”

Here is what she said as she sliced vegetables in her luxury kitchen.

She was also instrumental in making sure that New York City missed out on roughly 24,000 new jobs by ensuring that Amazon’s new headquarters was not located there.

Ocasio-Cortez, Elizabeth Warren celebrate Amazon canceling New York headquarters amid backlash

by Liam Quinn

Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez is taking a victory lap after delivering the goods in her fight against Amazon.

The star freshman Democrat – along with other lawmakers – had strongly criticized the planned opening of Amazon’s second headquarters in New York.

So, after Jeff Bezos’ tech giant announced Thursday it was pulling the plug on its proposed Long Island City location, the Bronx native had something to celebrate.

Of course. The loss of what is estimated to be between 24,000 to 25,000 new jobs.

“Anything is possible: today was the day a group of dedicated, everyday New Yorkers & their neighbors defeated Amazon’s corporate greed, its worker exploitation, and the power of the richest man in the world,” she tweeted.

It came after Amazon said in a statement that pushback from New York lawmakers was a key factor in the decision to cancel its plans.

“After much thought and deliberation, we’ve decided not to move forward with our plans to build a headquarters for Amazon in Long Island City, Queens,” the statement read.

“For Amazon, the commitment to build a new headquarters requires positive, collaborative relationships with state and local elected officials who will be supportive over the long-term.

Evil Amazon with its evil jobs and evil tax revenue!

Earlier this month, Ocasio-Cortez trashed the plan – which had promised to create 25,000 jobs and over $27.5 billion in tax revenue in 25 years – and called on “everyday people” to “effectively organize against creeping overreach of one of the world’s biggest corporations.”

And all this in just three months.

Why stop there? AOC decided it was time to drop her snout into the trough of Free Cheese. Free Cheese for her and hers, though, not for you.

Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez faces questions after her boyfriend gets congressional email account

by Lukas Mikelionis

Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez is facing ethics questions after revelations the freshman lawmaker’s office gave her boyfriend a congressional email account.

The democratic socialist waded into the issue in response to a tweet alleging boyfriend Riley Roberts had been put on staff. The tweet included a screenshot of an official House email address. Ocasio-Cortez insisted that he was only given the email account so he could access her calendar.

What’s wrong with that?

Asked about the arrangement, David O’Boyle, the spokesperson for the Office of the Chief Administrative Officer, told Fox News: “From time to time, at the request of members, spouses and partners are provided House email accounts for the purposes of viewing the member’s calendar.”

But Jason Chaffetz, former chairman of the House Oversight Committee, said Ocasio-Cortez’ claims don’t stack up.

“It’s totally naïve and inappropriate – you wouldn’t allow it in most companies, let alone the House of Representatives. There should be real consequences,” Chaffetz told Fox News.

Considering his history and tenure, it would seem that Chaffetz might know a thing or three.

Chaffetz said that Roberts having email access could also create other security issues and the matter should be referred to the Capitol Police for further investigation.

“Being given a password to get into the House computer system has other potentially problematic issues,” he said.

Remember this line, though:

Saikat Chakrabarti, the congresswoman’s chief of staff, insisted that the boyfriend isn’t on the payroll and that he’s not doing any work related to the government.

The storm was beginning to brew. We started to see whitecaps. Meanwhile, back at the ranch:

Ocasio-Cortez Says White People Are Racist Because They All Inherit Houses From Their Parents

Ocasio-Cortez went on to argue that a lack of understanding of the policies behind white wealth helps promote racism against African-Americans and other minorities.

“When people are not educated about the tools and the systems that created racial wealth gap disparities or other wealth gap disparities … you create this gaping maw in which someone can tell a racist story that kind of tells people why a certain community is poor.”

“They’re poor because they’re lazy. They’re poor because they’re uneducated. They’re poor because this,” Ocasio-Cortez continued, mimicking a racist. “Where no ones say they’re poor because they’re redlining and everyone else inherited a house except for people of color.”

I got a free house. Didn’t you inherit one also? Shhh, don’t tell anyone, but everyone is automatically granted one free house from an inheritance.

You see, she doesn’t want you to know that her own mother left the state of New York for Florida because of the ridiculously-exorbitant taxes in New York. She also doesn’t want you do know that her actually living in New York — is in question.

Ocasio-Cortez previously claimed that she has lived since 2011 in a mortgage-free, fourth-floor condo in Parkchester, which according to records was bought by her dad, Sergio Ocasio, who died in 2008.

After The Post reported a next-door neighbor and another fourth-floor resident saying they have never seen the self-proclaimed socialist living there, Trent denied the residents’ claims, saying her family’s apartment “was home, period, for her,’’ according to the Daily Mail.

Read that again. If this isn’t an “inherited house,” then I don’t know what is:

Ocasio-Cortez previously claimed that she has lived since 2011 in a mortgage-free, fourth-floor condo in Parkchester, which according to records was bought by her dad, Sergio Ocasio, who died in 2008.

Yeah, it’s another Hypocrisy Alert. And all this in just three months.

The actual work is terrible! She had no idea this was going to be so much work! Egads! This was supposed to be easy! I was supposed to sweep in, say a few things, they’d happen, I’d be worshiped and adored for my striking jaw line, great skin and overall cuteness — then I could par-tay at the new digs!

She also thinks that displaying compassion just doesn’t cut it.

Ocasio-Cortez blasted for criticizing ‘thoughts & prayers’

by Lia Eustachewich

Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez is getting lambasted online for immediately condemning “thoughts and prayers” in the wake of the New Zealand mosque massacre that left at least 49 worshipers dead.

Just after midnight Friday, the Democratic darling tweeted a clip of Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern saying that her “thoughts” were with the victims and families of the shooting in Christchurch.

“At 1st I thought of saying, ‘Imagine being told your house of faith isn’t safe anymore.’ But I couldn’t say ‘imagine.’ Because of Charleston. Pittsburgh. Sutherland Springs,” Ocasio-Cortez wrote. “What good are your thoughts & prayers when they don’t even keep the pews safe?”

Good to know you’re a typical Leftist, dear.

Of course, AOC took umbrage in the overall reaction to her questioning of Wells Fargo CEO Timothy Sloan, which was an abortive word salad of non-sequiturish gurp in her attempt to make Wells Fargo responsible for, well, anything and everything she doesn’t like. She thinks it’s their job to care one tinker’s tit for “climate justice,” whatever the hell that may be.

Ocasio-Cortez Melts Down Amid Mockery Of Her Wells Fargo Questions

During a House Financial Services Committee meeting hosted by Chairwoman Maxine Waters on Tuesday, democratic socialist Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (NY) attempted to take down Wells Fargo CEO Timothy Sloan on the issue of climate change — and ended up inspiring widespread backlash for her non sequitur questions. Amid the wave of criticism for her performance at the hearing, the freshman representative and former bartender issued a series of tweets pushing back against those poking holes in her global warming logic.

At the hearing, titled “Holding Megabanks Accountable: An Examination of Wells Fargo’s Pattern of Consumer Abuses,” Ocasio-Cortez launched into a series of causally problematic accusations, attempting to blame the bank for the “caging of children” at the border, hypothetical “spills,” and “when we have to reinvest in infrastructure building sea walls from the erosion of … infrastructure or cleanups, wildfires.”

Then shite started to get real. And we found out that, yeah, AOC got her beak wet early.

And all this in just three months.

But here’s what you’re not seeing and hearing. Remember that guy Saikat Chakrabarti?

From the NYPost.com:

Ocasio-Cortez aide accused of funneling $1M into private accounts

by Mark Moore

A conservative government watchdog group filed a complaint with the Federal Election Commission accusing Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez’s top aide of funneling $1 million in donations into his private accounts in a possible violation of the law, according to a report.

The transfers were made by Saikat Chakrabarti, Ocasio-Cortez’s chief of staff, and may have run afoul of the Federal Election Campaign Act that places a limit of $5,000 on contributions from political action committees to candidates, the Washington Examiner reported Tuesday.

The complaint, filed Monday by the National Legal and Policy Center, said the transfers violated the law because PACs must disclose what those funds were used for — such as advertisements, payments to vendors and donations to candidates.

Apparently that’s not a good thing.

Former FEC Commissioners Say Ocasio-Cortez Could Face Serious Prison Time For FEC Violation

by Carmine Sabia

New York Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and her chief of staff Saikat Chakrabarti could be facing prison time for a major campaign finance violation.

The two were running a PAC that supported her campaign in the 2018 election which is a major no no and now they could be forced to pay the consequences, The Daily Caller reported.

Democratic Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and her chief of staff Saikat Chakrabarti obtained majority control of Justice Democrats PAC in December 2017, according to archived copies of the group’s website, and the two appear to retain their control of the group, according to corporate filings obtained by The Daily Caller News Foundation. If the Federal Election Commission (FEC) finds that the New York Democrat’s campaign operated in affiliation with the PAC, which had raised more than $1.8 million before her June 2018 primary, it would open them up to “massive reporting violations, probably at least some illegal contribution violations exceeding the lawful limits,” former FEC commissioner Brad Smith said.

Ocasio-Cortez never disclosed to the FEC that she and Chakrabarti, who served as her campaign chair, controlled the PAC while it was simultaneously supporting her primary campaign, and former FEC commissioners say the arrangement could lead to multiple campaign finance violations. The group backed 12 Democrats during the 2018 midterms, but Ocasio-Cortez was the only one of those to win her general election.

Former FEC Commissioner Hans von Spakovsky told The Daily Caller News Foundation “If the facts as alleged are true, and a candidate had control over a PAC that was working to get that candidate elected, then that candidate is potentially in very big trouble and may have engaged in multiple violations of federal campaign finance law, including receiving excessive contributions.”

And another former commissioner of the FEC, Brad Smith, said if “a complaint were filed, I would think it would trigger a serious investigation.”

So yes, there was an FEC complaint, and this resulted on Tuesday, March 19th.

Ocasio-Cortez and top aide officially removed from board of Justice Democrats PAC after FEC complaint

Democratic Rep. Alexandria-Ocasio Cortez and her top aide are no longer board members of the outside PAC credited with orchestrating her political rise, according to a corporate document filed Friday to a Washington, D.C. agency.

The New York Democrat and her chief of staff, Saikat Chakrabarti, who served as her campaign chair, joined the board of Justice Democrats in December 2017, according to the political action committee’s website. It also said the two held “legal control over the entity” at the same time it was playing a key role in supporting Ocasio-Cortez’s campaign prior to her shock victory over incumbent Democratic Rep. Joe Crowley in June 2018.

But wait; there’s more.

It’s unclear why it took Justice Democrats more than eight months to formally remove Ocasio-Cortez from its board. The PAC did not respond to a request for comment.

Ocasio-Cortez never disclosed to the Federal Election Commission (FEC) that she and Chakrabarti controlled Justice Democrats while it simultaneously supported her primary campaign.

It went from emails to outright fraud. And all this in just three months.

With some blowback as well, in just three months of her sweetness and innocent joy. Innocent joy in getting her beak wet early.

Ocasio-Cortez’s ‘unfavorable’ rating skyrockets, with most people viewing her negatively: poll

by Lukas Mikelionis

U.S. Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez’s unfavorable rating has spiked after just months in Congress, with most of the public viewing her negatively rather than favorably, a new poll shows.

The New York Democrat shot to fame amid the party’s lurch to the left and embracement of socialist policies such as the Green New Deal, yet the more people learned about the 29-year-old freshman congresswoman, the more they were turned off by her.

Imagine that. This freshman Congresscritter that was embracing the most transparent House seat in the history of history (sound familiar?) is now attempting to be the one with the largest potential crash in history. And all this in just three months.

Gallup poll released Friday shows that Ocasio-Cortez’s unfavorable rating has risen by 15 points since last September, when she had yet to win the general election, increasing from 26 percent to 41 percent of the American adults polled.

But wait. It gets even stranger. Is Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez nothing more than someone who answered a casting call for someone to play the part of a New York Congresscritter. This is documented by her as well as others on audio and video.

Wait again. The people who brought her in — the Justice Democrats — just kicked her out. From today:

Ocasio-Cortez de-listed from board of Justice Democrats after controversy

by Adam Shaw

Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., reportedly has been de-listed from the board of left-wing activist group Justice Democrats, following legal and ethical questions about her affiliation with the group.

The Daily Caller reported that Ocasio-Cortez, along with chief of staff and former campaign chair Saikat Chakrabarti, have been removed from the board of the political action committee after previously holding “legal control over the entity” in late 2017 and early 2018.

You see how it fits together now?

And doesn’t it make you ask: is she anything more than a puppet? Are the Tweets really hers? Is the script really hers? Is she fed her opinions and speeches?

And all this in just three months.

BZ

 

The powder keg beneath US

By most standards, there are seven continents on our planet.

They include Africa, Antarctica, Asia, Australia, Europe, North America and South America.

I live in North America. The continent direct beneath North America, South America, threatens us in ways I submit altogether too many people don’t recognize, from our politicians to our electorate. You and me, we are aware — and all our bells and klaxons are going off.

We already know that both major US parties — Demorats and Republicans — have been corrupted into promoting the continuing rush of more illegals from Mexico. I value clarity and honesty. So let’s be honest and clear. The Demorats want as many illegals as possible to enter the Untied States because its present citizenry can no longer be counted upon to vote Leftist en masse in perpetuity. The election of Donald Trump was their proverbial Political Turd In The Punchbowl.

And altogether too many EstabliHack Republicans, let’s be blunt, want to utilize immigrants as Cheap Labor. Keep their capitalist friends happy. I have nothing against Capitalism. I just want the playing field tilted towards actual American citizens.

It’s shockingly easy to draw this conclusion — no matter what Republicans say — for one very simple reason. The GOP hasn’t rallied around E-Verify and sent bill after bill demanding that all US businesses comply with its usage. E-Verify isn’t mandatory. It’s just a kinda-sorta-maybe “hint.” I rest my case.

Listen to Ron Paul. He illustrates perfectly why I separate with Libertarians here. He makes a straw man argument instead of the one he should make: real Americans keeping real American jobs.

Mark Krikorian at MarketWatch.com writes:

In a sense, universal use of E-Verify would be a major step toward making legal status a labor standard. Few employers are tempted to hire children, after all, and that’s only partly out of fear of punishment; it has become a social norm, a habit, not to hire kids. But while it’s easy to tell if a job applicant is an 11-year-old, employers need E-Verify to tell if he’s a legal worker.

Why isn’t E-Verify already in use nationwide? Politics. Democrats in Congress have held E-Verify hostage to amnesty; they consider it a bargaining chip. But the source of the public resistance to amnesty is the belief — the certainty — that it would simply be a replay of 1986, with the promises of future enforcement dropped as soon as the amnesty was complete.

Mandating E-Verify would not only be an important enforcement tool, it would also be an important political step toward resolving our current immigration mess.

In other words, why not try to stop those tempted to enter the US illegally before they actually approach the physical proximity to our southern border? Doesn’t that make the most sense of all — at least in terms of the “jobs” aspect?

Further, H1-B visas are popular in the GOP world because they enable corporations to kick Americans aside for their less expensive and eminently-willing replacements. Check the slant of this article. After all, why shouldn’t Prakeem Prakesh take your job when he’s willing to work at a lesser wage rate than you — the penultimate selfish Americano bastardo/bastardette? You’re a cog. You must be replaced. By a cheaper cog. Doing the same job. You submitted a

Disney has already kicked out Americans for cheaper H-1B imports. Worse yet: those Americans were forced to train their foreign replacements.

Pink Slips at Disney. But First, Training Foreign Replacements.

by Julia Preston

ORLANDO, Fla. — The employees who kept the data systems humming in the vast Walt Disney fantasy fief did not suspect trouble when they were suddenly summoned to meetings with their boss.

While families rode the Seven Dwarfs Mine Train and searched for Nemo on clamobiles in the theme parks, these workers monitored computers in industrial buildings nearby, making sure millions of Walt Disney Worldticket sales, store purchases and hotel reservations went through without a hitch. Some were performing so well that they thought they had been called in for bonuses.

Instead, about 250 Disney employees were told in late October that they would be laid off. Many of their jobs were transferred to immigrants on temporary visas for highly skilled technical workers, who were brought in by an outsourcing firm based in India. Over the next three months, some Disney employees were required to train their replacements to do the jobs they had lost.

“I just couldn’t believe they could fly people in to sit at our desks and take over our jobs exactly,” said one former worker, an American in his 40s who remains unemployed since his last day at Disney on Jan. 30. “It was so humiliating to train somebody else to take over your job. I still can’t grasp it.”

Disney executives said that the layoffs were part of a reorganization, and that the company opened more positions than it eliminated.

Thank you and fuck you. Get out. Oh yeah. Train your replacement first. But wait; there’s more. Oh so much more.

We haven’t even touch the issue of Merit-Based Immigration, the same type of immigration system Canada has (shhh, quiet, don’t tell anyone) had for years. Chinese immigrants to Canada had to have an occupational skill and a minimum of $10,000 bankable for entry. Okay. For once, Canada had a great idea. Yay Canucks.

Then there is the cry of the “political refugee” or the “asylum” seekers.

Mexico, Central America, South America, is a political, societal, cultural and budgetary powder keg waiting to explode into our North American faces. It isn’t just about Mexico; oh no. So much more.

These days, of course, you’d be stupid to take the former “Mexican Riviera” cruise on any number of cruise lines these days. You’d just as likely be killed or kidnapped at Cabo San Lucas. No more “king’s X” for Cabo. If you want hanging dead bodies, well, look no farther than Cabo.

Six bodies hung from bridges near Mexico’s Los Cabos tourist resort

by Reuters Staff

MEXICO CITY (Reuters) – The bodies of six men were found hanging from three different bridges near the Mexican tourist resort of Los Cabos on the Baja California peninsula on Wednesday, local authorities said.

The authorities did not give details on what happened to the men, but drug gangs often hang the bodies of their murdered victims in public to intimidate rivals. Drug gang violence is set to make 2017 Mexico’s deadliest year in modern history.

There were once-friendly tourist areas in Mexico. Not so much now. Maybe it really is time to call for more tequila. On your own back porch. Right here in the US.

Because the dirty little lie, the dirty little concealed truth is, this, from TheGuardian.com:

‘Breathtaking homicidal violence’: Latin America in grip of murder crisis

by Tom Phillips

Region has experienced 2.5 million murders since 2000 and report paints bleak picture of extreme violence and deteriorating security

Latin America has suffered more than 2.5m murders since the start of this century and is facing an acute public security crisis that demands urgent and innovative solutions, a new report warns.

“The sheer dimensions of homicidal violence are breathtaking,” says the report by the Igarapé Institute, a Brazil-based thinktank focused on security and development issues.

The publication, released on Thursday, paints a bleak portrait of what it calls the world’s most homicidal continent.

Wait for it.

Latin America suffers 33% of the world’s homicides despite having only 8% of its population. One-quarter of all global homicides are concentrated in four countries – Brazil, Colombia, Mexico and Venezuela – all of which are gearing up for presidential elections in which security is a dominant theme.

“Latin America is a large area and there are lots of variations. But as a region – including Mexico down to Central America and South America – the rate of homicide is set to continue increasing up until 2030.The only other places we are seeing similar kinds of increases are in parts of southern and central Africa and some war zones.”

Perchance time to dial back your enthusiasm for a future Mexican, Central or South American vacation fling.

“The overall trend right now in Latin America is one of increasing homicides and deteriorating security,” said Robert Muggah, one of the report’s authors.

“Latin America is a large area and there are lots of variations. But as a region – including Mexico down to Central America and South America – the rate of homicide is set to continue increasing up until 2030.The only other places we are seeing similar kinds of increases are in parts of southern and central Africa and some war zones.”

Then there’s simply the issue of Venezuela. Nicolas Maduro was “elected” again and has been the 63rd president of the country since 2013 under the United Socialist Party of Venezuela. In the meantime, following the reign of Hugo Chavez and his death, Maduro has managed to turn Venezuela into a ruined nation where people have eaten zoo animals, are turning their children over to orphanages because they can’t afford to take care of them, they sell their hair, there are mob riots over food shortages, almost 90% of Venezuelans live in poverty and, on average, have lost 24 pounds.

Currency controls restrict food imports, hyperinflation eats into salaries, and people line up for hours to buy basics like flour. If it can be found at all. Concurrently, prices in Venezuela rose 4,068% in the 12 months to the end of January, according to estimates by the country’s opposition-led National Assembly, broadly in line with independent economists’ figures.

Nations bordering Venezuela are directly affected, of course. From Venezuelanalysis.com:

Colombia, Brazil Deploy More Security Forces to Venezuela Border

by Ryan M. Outtrim

Colombia says it will send more than 2000 more troops to its border with Venezuela, with Brazil replicating the measure.

On Thursday, Colombian President Juan Manuel Santos said he had ordered the deployment of 3000 additional security personnel to the Venezuelan border. This figure included 2120 more soldiers. He claimed the reason behind such moves was to control problems created by Venezuelan migrants.

Among the new restrictions was the suspension of a daily visitor card for Venezuelans.

Similar border measures have also been introduced by Brazil, which has announced plans to double its border patrols on the Venezuelan frontier.

The new measures come at a time of increased tension between Venezuela’s left-wing government, and the right-wing governments in Colombia and Brazil.

The Venezuelan military is being affected as well. Because, as history indicates, when a dictator loses his military he also loses his safety. From the WSJ.com:

‘Pressure Cooker’: Discontent Rises in Venezuela Military as Economy Dives

by John Otis and Juan Forero

The coup plot by disgruntled Venezuelan military officers in March was audacious: Seize control of the capital’s military bases, arrest President Nicolás Maduro and install a provisional government to replace his authoritarian regime.

To avoid detection for a year, conspiring officers eschewed phone calls, texts and emails, and instead sent messages via couriers, said an Army captain who helped plan the thwarted coup. They plotted during seemingly impromptu soccer matches.

Before they could act, though, Mr. Maduro’s intelligence services discovered the plot—described by military analysts as the most serious to date against his government. Authorities quickly arrested nine of the rebel officers, including the head of the largest armored battalion in the capital, and Mr. Maduro’s former interior minister.

Discontent in the barracks is at an all-time high, current and former military officers say. Shortages of food, evaporating salaries and desertions have turned the armed forces into a cauldron of conspiracies against Mr. Maduro, these people say.

One air force lieutenant, who deserted in March after a decade in uniform, said in a telephone interview from Argentina that the collapse of the currency had reduced his monthly paycheck to the equivalent of $10. Unable to afford a car or an apartment, he rode a bicycle to the base and moved in with his wife’s parents.

“What kind of military forces its officers live with their in-laws?” he said.

What’s really going on in Venezuela?

Then there’s Nicaragua. Nicaragua is in revolt these days  President Daniel Ortega’s social security reforms aren’t playing well with the electorate which has created a general anti-government uprising. Recent protests left 27 people dead, shot by government forces. In the meantime Ortega installed his wife as Vice President in 2017. What nepotism? Electoral fraud and censorship abound. At least for the time being, Daniel Ortega is now what he found against in the 80s.

Finally, there’s Mexico itself. Again. Directly adjacent the US. What happens when — not if — Mexico goes hard aport?

The front-runner in Mexico’s July presidential election is Andre Manuel Lopez Obrador (known as AMLO), and he happens to be great friends with Jeremy Corbyn, the massive UK Leftist leader of the Labor Party.

Both AMLO and Corbyn support Maduro, love Communist Cuba and all things a fusion of Communist/Socialist. If AMLO is elected as is forecasted, another potential Venezuela abuts the United States.

There is this, from the DailyCaller.com:

‘IT’S A HUMAN RIGHT’ — MEXICAN PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE CALLS FOR MASS EXODUS TO AMERICA

by Dominic Mancini

Mexican presidential candidate Andrés Manuel López Obrador (AMLO) called for mass immigration to the United States during a speech Tuesday declaring it a “human right” for all North Americans.

“And soon, very soon — after the victory of our movement — we will defend all the migrants in the American continent and all the migrants in the world,” Obrador said, adding that immigrants “must leave their towns and find a life in the United States.”

He then declared it as “a human right we will defend,” eluniversal.com reports.

This is Mexico itself attempting to Cloward-Piven the entire United States, with Leftists, Demorats and the American Media Maggots in full lock-step. They — the LDAMM — have no idea what that would truly mean for the US.

This is what we want in the United States, US politicians? Are you sure of that, US politicians? From CNBC.com:

More than 100 politicians have been murdered in Mexico ahead of Sunday’s election

by Natasha Turak

  • More than 100 politicians in Mexico have been killed since September in the lead-up to the country’s election this Sunday, and more than 13,000 Mexicans have been killed since January.
  • In an 11 year war on drugs, Mexico has failed to control organized crime and criminal infiltration of local governments and law enforcement.
  • Some 20 or so percent of voters remain undecided, and security is expected to be a major factor in how they choose to vote.
Guadalajara, Mexico, June 10, 2018. According to official figures, more than 200,000 people have been murdered and over 30,000 have disappeared since the government launched a controversial military offensive against organized crime in late 2006.

Violence hit a record peak in Mexico last year with over 30,000 murders — and it is not slowing down. More than 100 politicians alone have been killed in the lead-up to the country’s election this Sunday.

Public officials and avtivists in Mexico face deadly threats even in broad daylight. Fernando Puron, a congressional candidate in the border city of Piedras Negras, was taking a selfie with a supporter when a gunman shot him in the head from behind. He was the 112th political hopeful to be killed since September.

The deaths reveal the depth of a crisis Mexico has failed to control: organized crime and criminal infiltration of local governments and law enforcement. And ahead of this weekend’s presidential and congressional elections, no candidate has been able to offer a credible plan to fight it.

Again I ask US politicians: are you sure you want these statistics in the United States? Are you sure you want more Steve Scalise situations, on both sides? Because by keeping the border doors open this is precisely what you are going to get.

More on Venezuela. What wonderful times Maduro has brought to Venezuela.

From Yahoo.com:

Venezuela’s hyperinflation at new dizzying high

Venezuela’s sky-high inflation soared to 24,571 percent in the past 12 months, lawmakers said Monday.

President Nicolas Maduro’s socialist government controls most of the country’s economy and is in the midst of an ever-deepening crisis with food and medicine in short supply.

Analysts blame what they call mismanagement of a state-led economy. That includes its control over hard currency, as well as low oil prices. Venezuela depends on crude oil for its earnings.

The government blames US sanctions and businessmen speculating on the problems.

Of course the US is at fault. Ask anyone on any topic. The US is always to blame.

The bottom line is this: literally every country to the south of the United States is either destabilized, in the throes of an evil government, subject to elitists ruling peasants, or in the process of being destabilized whilst killing any number of dissidents.

And it is during these times, concurrently, that Leftists and altogether too many Republicans are either indifferent or pushing hard against border controls for the United States.

The LDAMM are asking; no, demanding — that the same thing occurring in Mexico and farther south be replicated right here in the US: more corruption, more chaos, more bankrupt theories, more Socialism that never works. I’m sorry, we have enough of that right now in the US courtesy of the LDAMM.

Do you see any potential future threats building, I ask?

What happens when an entire continent wants to acquire refugee and/or asylum status in the US?

BZ

 

To George Ciccariello-Maher, I say: you FIRST, sir

Does GCM want, at least, to have any kind of “discussion” about his puerile prattle? Of course not. His Twitter account is walled off like an elitist’s home.

GCM also indicates we have misrepresented him as “alt-left.”

Here we have his advertised “specialty” at Drexel (which, Mommy and Daddy, will empty your account to the tune of $34,000 per year):

It would appear not just by his Twitter account’s header but also by his self-bio above that GCM is enthralled with “la pelea” in Venezuela and that icon of South American success, Hugo Chavez — whose regime was not necessarily true Communist but some form of raggedy hybrid compendium of Socialism, capitalism, nationalism, redistribution and dictatorship. Chavez in fact encouraged the middle class to emigrate. Good decision.

The presidential replacement for Chavez, Nicolas Maduro, is not better but, unfortunately for he and Venezuela, presides over the now-current collapse of Venezuela on most every level imaginable. This is the nation possessing alternately the highest or one of the highest homicide rates in South America. Venezuela is also blessed with what is the highest “misery index” score on the entire globe in 2013, 2014 and 2015. Both Chavez and Maduro have made clear anti-gay statements. Drug money has fueled Maduro’s campaign. Venezuela’s current state of affairs is precisely because of its government.

This is the country and system that GCM so idolizes?

Let’s go further. Inflation is 370% or higher in Venezuela. Economic growth is at -10.1% for 2016. There is an estimated 80% scarcity in general products, massive corruption, leakage of public revenues. Oil production has dropped though Venezuela is oil-rich. It has mismanaged its currency and condoned three exchange rates which results in a massive black market of, well, everything. The government blames this on peoples’ hoarding. The massive spending programs of the 2000s did nothing to prepare anyone for the oil crunch. Electricity runs intermittently. Small riots are occurring when the basic necessities such as food and medicine cannot be found. There are two-day government workweeks. Rolling blackouts occur. Woman are having themselves sterilized as an answer to the country’s economic crisis: no children.

Perhaps that is what GCM ultimately seeks. The elimination of the human being from the planet.

Now there’s a Utopia.

Me? I think this is wonderful. GCM has provided me with the absolutely prototypical illustration of what I term a GOWP: Guilty Overeducated White Person. They are so ridiculous as to be parodies of themselves.

GCM stands up for what he now terms his “satirical” comments on Twitter. From the DailyCaller.com:

Drexel White Genocide Prof Won’t Apologize, Says ‘Violent Racists’ Smearing Him

by Blake Neff

A Drexel University professor who called for “white genocide” Christmas Eve isn’t apologizing, and instead says critics of his “satirical” remarks are “violent racists” who are apt to commit genocide themselves. Drexel is promising an investigation.

Ciccariello-Maher, meanwhile, isn’t apologizing, and is currently trying to protect himself by claiming the incident was an elaborate joke.

“On Christmas Eve, I sent a satirical tweet about an imaginary concept, ‘white genocide,’” he told Philly.com in an email. “For those who haven’t bothered to do their research, ‘white genocide’ is an idea invented by white supremacists and used to denounce everything from interracial relationships to multicultural policies … It is a figment of the racist imagination, it should be mocked, and I’m glad to have mocked it.”

The professor also denounced Drexel, saying the school was giving in to fascism by denouncing his advocacy of genocide.

Just a joke. Move on. It was funny as hell, right? Just as funny as black genocide, right?

An important question: Have we now gotten to the point as a culture where universities actually pay associate professors to advocate for genocide? Have we sunk that low?

Furthermore, why would anyone pay a piece of self-loathing hyphenate human flotsam/detritus like Drexel University’s “professor” Ciccariello-Maher a wage at all? You can read more insightful and scintillating material in any given 4th grade class.

Luckily Drexel University, itself a private institution, is not amused.

Back to GCM’s advocacy.

I say: you first, sir.

BZ

P.S.

Just had a thought: perhaps GCM is instead a young black man, in the sense that Rachel Dolezal is a young black woman, eh wot?

 

Sierra Club Says Saudis Their ‘Best Ally’ in Fighting Keystone

House of Saud

[The new Best Friends of the Sierra Club. Eco-Fascists, anyone?]

Sounds kind of strange to you?

It sounded kind of strange to me.

Although, it would be a “given” that the Sierra Club would oppose Keystone XL pipeline, which would help to make the US even more independent from Blood Oil and Conflict Oil directly from the Middle East and other trouble nations.

From the WashingtonFreeBeacon.com:

Sierra Club: Saudi Arabia ‘Our Best Ally’ in Keystone Fight

by Lachlan Markay

Leading environmentalist group heaps praise on Arab monarchy’s attempt to undermine U.S. oil production.

Saudi Arabia’s efforts to “drown” American energy producers make the oil-rich theocracy a crucial ally of the environmentalist movement, according to a leading green group.

The House of Saud, the kingdom’s royal family, is “our best ally in the fight against Keystone XL,” according to Paul Rauber, the senior editor of Sierra, the bi-monthly magazine published by the Sierra Club, a leading environmentalist group.

President Barack Obama has threatened to veto legislation expediting approval of the pipeline. However, Rauber said that the government of Saudi Arabia has done more to scuttle Keystone.

“Environmentalists are depending on President Barack Obama’s veto pen to block the project—at least until the State Department issues its final ruling in the matter,” Rauber wrote. “But we have another, even more potent ally in the fight: the House of Saud.”

As a leading member of the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC), Saudi Arabia has strongly opposed cuts in production that would buoy the plummeting price of crude oil.

The idea is to make oil so cheap that American producers can’t extract it economically. The current surge in U.S. oil production is a result of expensive extraction techniques—hydraulic fracturing and horizontal drilling—that could be cost-prohibitive if oil prices fall much further.

According to Rauber, OPEC’s efforts may also render the Keystone pipeline moot by forcing prices too low for the expensive refining process of heavy Canadian “oil sands” crude.

We already know that Russia, Iran and Venezuela are claiming that the drop in global oil prices are the result of a vast American conspiracy.  Russia, Iran and Venezuela depend mightily on the profits from oil sales and need it to keep their countries functioning and keep their current leaders in power.  Gwynne Dyer in Hurriet of Turkey calls this strategy “fiendishly clever” on the part of the US.

There’s one problem.  Russia, Iran and Venezuela aren’t glimpsing the big picture.  And Saudi Arabia is big enough, wealthy enough and canny enough to play the Long Game.

The Long Game is this: Saudi Arabia hasn’t slowed oil production on its end for a very important reason.  The US is now the world’s leading producer of oil and could become even bigger.  Fracking was the difference.  But to make fracking possible, oil has to come in at roughly $85 a barrel in order to make the investment worthy.  Fracking is complicated and expensive.

All Saudi Arabia has to do, to keep a chokehold on fracking, is not turn the faucet off or down.  Keep up production.  Oil falls below $85 and fracking becomes unprofitable for companies in the US.  Workers have already been laid off and some wells shut down.

The winner?  Saudi Arabia.  They can afford to sit while a few billion dollars percolate.

And?  Oh yeah.  That cheap oil?

Gonna go up again.  Mark my words.

In the meantime: a tip of the fedora to the good, old Sierra Club.

Fucktards.

BZ

 

OPEC: attempting to kill US shale oil

From AP.org:

OPEC keeps oil output on hold despite low prices

by George Jahn

VIENNA (AP) — Reflecting its lessening oil clout, OPEC decided Thursday to keep its output target on hold and sit out falling crude prices that will likely spiral even lower as a result.

Oil prices fell sharply on the news. Even though the decision was largely expected, it showed the once-powerful cartel is losing the power to push up markets to its own advantage.

For the first time in years, expect even cheaper oil prices.  However:

By opposing an output cut, Saudi Arabia appears to be hoping to drive prices below the level at which shale oil production is economical. Experts say shale oil production turns too costly at the $60 a barrel level.

This is OPEC attempting to shut down oil shale production and protecting their own production interests in the Middle East.  From Bloomberg.com:

OPEC Policy Ensures U.S. Shale Crash, Russian Tycoon Says

by Will Kennedy and Jillian Ward

OPEC policy on crude production will ensure a crash in the U.S. shale industry, a Russian oil tycoon said.

The Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries kept output targets unchanged at a meeting in Vienna today even after this year’s slump in the oil price caused by surging supply from U.S shale fields.

American producers risk becoming victims of their own success. At today’s prices of just over $70 a barrel, drilling is close to becoming unprofitable for some explorers, Leonid Fedun, vice president and board member at OAO Lukoil (LKOD), said in an interview in London.

A short-sighted administration — such as Obama’s — would and will make hay out of this news in a renewed attempt to ensure Keystone XL does not pass.  But of course this situation is no guarantor that energy prices couldn’t rise back and the nation be in another desperate situation with regard to energy, as “alternative energy” is not yet of sufficient stature to be viable and reliable.

Accounting for about a third of OPEC output, the Saudis can weather lower prices because their coffers are well-padded and its production costs are relatively low.

But poorer OPEC members like Venezuela and Nigeria need levels close to $100 or above to fund national budgets. Saudi rival Iran is suffering, too, with the price drop adding to huge revenue losses due to sanctions on its crude sales imposed over its nuclear program.

“I think you’re going to see additional tension between the OPEC ranks,” said Jamie Webster, senior director of crude oil markets at IHS consultants.

Enjoy gas prices whilst you can.

BZ