WELL, TO BE FAIR, DAVID FRUM IS A PUTZ:

THE ENEMY WITHIN:

AN IDEA SO CRAZY IT JUST MIGHT WORK:

REMEMBER, FINANCIAL CRISIS IS AN OPPORTUNITY TO SLASH PROGRAMS: Why America Is in So Much Trouble. “There aren’t too many problems in America that can’t be traced back to the growth of big and incompetent government. . . . This road to financial perdition cannot stand. It risks blowing up the Trump presidency. Upon entering office, Trump should on day one call for a package of up to $500 billion of rescissions — money the last Congress appropriated but has not been spent yet. Canceling the green energy subsidies alone could save nearly $100 billion. Why are we still spending money on COVID-19? We could save tens of billions of dollars by ending corporate welfare programs — such as the wheelbarrows full of tax dollars thrown at companies like Intel in the CHIPS Act. The Elon Musk Department of Government Efficiency is already identifying low-hanging fruit that needs to be cut from the tree. Along with extending the Trump tax cut of 2017, this erasure of bloated federal spending is critical for economic revival and for reversing the income losses to the middle class under Biden. This is especially urgent because the curse of inflation is NOT over. Since the Fed started cutting interest rates in October, commodity prices are up nearly 5%, and mortgage rates have again hit 7%, in part because the combination of cheap money and government expansion is a toxic economic brew — as history teaches us. Nothing could suck the oxygen and excitement out of the new Trump presidency more than a resumption of inflation at the grocery store and the gas pump. Trump’s record-high approval rating will sink overnight if the cost of everything starts rising again.”

And if it happens, the press, which covered for Biden, will do its best to amplify it.

I HAVE BEEN PROUD TO BE ASSOCIATED WITH THE POST.

BETTER DEAD THAN RUDE: Newsom Continues to Flail, Sends Out Cringe Email Slamming People Who ‘Laugh About Gay Firefighters.’

Newsom earlier Saturday claimed on social media: “I’m not interested in politicizing a natural disaster.” In this email, however, he proceeded to do exactly that:

Now, if you’ll allow me, let me add a few words about Donald Trump, as his allies lie about water policy and laugh about gay firefighters – while people are literally fleeing as homes, churches and schools burn down. It sickens me to my core.

You have probably heard the saying, “A lie can travel halfway around the world while the truth is putting on its shoes” – well, that is especially true right now. We will combat these politically motivated lies. But our focus today isn’t on meme wars, it’s on firefighting. And showing up for Californians who have lost everything.

What exactly did Trump lie about? Notice there are no specifics. Are you saying there were no problems with the water supply, Governor? Tell that to the firefighters in the Palisades, who sometimes had to resort to desperate measures to attack the flames.

Nobody’s “laughing about gay firefighters,” but we are pointing out their self-admitted weaknesses, to borrow from another L.A. institution’s motto, when it comes to protecting and serving L.A.’s citizens:

(Classical reference in headline.)

I MENTIONED JIM BENNETT’S SUGGESTION ALONG THESE LINES HERE EARLIER. NOW IT’S GETTING TRACTION: An Alternative to Buying Greenland That Could Actually Work.

reenlanders are almost entirely indigenous Inuit peoples, not Danes. They have their own language and their own culture. They do not want to be a tiny part of a vast, culturally alien nation.

They don’t want to change which larger country they are part of; they want independence.

So, Denmark doesn’t want to sell to us, and Greenland doesn’t want to join us. Does that mean the case is closed?

Not at all. Trump can use Greenland’s desire for independence to leverage a deal that gives him almost everything he wants while also appealing to Greenland’s and Denmark’s pride and interests.

That’s what a COFA could do. The United States has three such treaties with the Republic of Micronesia, Palau, and the Marshall Islands. The U.S. supplies each with economic aid and access to many government programs such as Medicaid. Imports from these countries are largely tariff-free, and citizens of these nations can live and work in the United States.

In exchange, the U.S. handles all defense obligations. It can exclude other nations’ militaries, has certain rights to station troops and establish bases, and can operate its military forces within these nations’ boundaries.

This would meet the American desire to keep China and, to a lesser extent, Russia out of its backyard. The Arctic Ocean ice is rapidly melting, making the Arctic Sea lanes viable for shipping. China has shown a keen interest in the region, establishing a Polar Silk Road program to encourage its dominance in this increasingly important part of the world.

China has also tried to establish an economic foothold in Greenland. The island is reported to have significant reserves of rare earth minerals needed for modern electronic equipment — and China is currently the globe’s major supplier. It has also tried to exploit Greenland’s control over its own mineral development to start and explore for oil and natural gas.

I like this idea.

Related: Denmark to Trump: Let’s Make a Deal?

APOCALYPSE NOW, IN LA:

As fires continue to destroy Los Angeles, the incompetence of that city’s leadership, along with that of the State of California, is coming into focus. It is almost incredible that anyone could do as bad a job as Mayor Karen Bass and Governor Gavin Newsom have done. Many instances of their incompetence have come to light, but Michael Shellenberger takes the broad view, explaining how progressive politics inevitably led to the current disaster. Please do read the whole thing:

But don’t worry — the dancing TikTok nurses Mayor Bass’s crack team have things totally under control:

I BELIEVE THIS:

The gangs may also have blackmail material. Gangs usually do.

BRYAN CAPLAN: How Bad Is White Nationalism? “White nationalism is one of the most reviled ideologies on earth. But what exactly is so awful about it? Menachem Rosensaft‘s piece in Slate quotes some leading white nationalists, but never really explains why this nationalism is worse than all other nationalisms.”

OPEN THREAD: Have your usual wild Saturday night.

YOUR GOVERNMENT AT WORK:

THE LORD MOVES IN MYSTERIOUS WAYS:

BUT OF COURSE:

UPDATE:

UP IN SMOKE: Palisades Fire Incinerates Future Career of Mayor Karen Bass, Gavin Newsom’s Presidential Aspirations.

There are many other significant problems created by Bass, Newsom, as well as other progressive politicians in this state. However, blog space is short.

In conclusion: Bass’ future in politics and Newsom’s presidential aspirations can be added to the list of items destroyed in the Palisades fire.

California literally turned into a red state overnight.

The political careers of Bass and Newsom are quite possibly finished as a result of their combination of incompetence and obsession with leftist eco-shibboleths and DEI (and likely, particularly in Newsom’s case, a huge dose of “Magical Sorkinism” as well.) But I’d hold off on declaring California a red state just yet. This 2015 City Journal piece by VDH titled “The Scorching of California” is a reminder that wealthy Californians seem to have little desire to fix their state’s myriad woes.

HIGH-PAID CALIFORNIA INCOMPETENCE: While the Santa Ana Winds-driven flames continue to spread the flames across Los Angeles city and county, Open the Books exposes the high salaries taxpayers fund for so much official incompetence. Check out my latest PJMedia column.

SHOCKER:

I DIDN’T HAVE “WINKLEVOSS BROTHER AS MORAL LEADER” ON MY CARD FOR 2025, BUT HERE YOU ARE: