An Oily Idea

Just the News reports President Trump plans to meet with oil company executives to determine how US refining capacity can be increased. This is good.

I have a radical idea to suggest. In the last five years California has lost 6 of its 16 refineries. Much of this due to state regulations and interference. Presumably at least some of these could be put back into operation at a reasonable cost. The program need not be limited to CA.

I suggest the president nationalize those still workable and then accept bids from existing oil firms to refit and run them for a percentage of the revenue. To finance their purchase, bonds backed by the resulting profit stream, could be issued.

Perhaps they could be designated as National Defense Reserve Capacity facilities and the current Hormuz situation as an "emergency." The Office of Petroleum Reserves, Dept. of Energy could oversee them. 

Inevitably state governments - especially CA - would resist such actions. If owned by the federal government, RDRC facilities should be beyond state regulatory interference.

Nieman Marxist

Here's a great put-down of the nepo babies populating the Democratic Socialists. Children of wealthy, entitled parents doing what? Rebelling against the system that enriched their elders? 

The meme alludes to the high-end TX retailer Nieman Marcus. Source is David Burge @iowahawkblog, reposted at Instapundit by Ed Driscoll.

21st Century Siege Warfare

Writing for PJ Media, Charlie Martin likens our current operations against Iran to “siege warfare.” Of course he is correct. 

The besieger normally wins if he can maintain the siege long enough. The besieged hopes the enemy will tire of the process and leave, before the besieged can no longer tolerate the privation. 

I sense President Trump has decided this siege will last at least until January of 2029, regardless of the political consequences here at home. 

Whether Iran can hold out that long is the question. Doing so will severely degrade it as a nation. Here at home the question is whether MAGA and the GOP can withstand the political blowback.

Epic Bond Villainess

The Viking-heritaged good folk of Iceland recently voted NOT to join the European Union. Hot Air’s Beege Welborn has too much fun likening the EU to the Hotel California.

At the rate the unelected Empress of Europe, current European Commission president, and epic Bond villainess Ursula von der Leyen is going, no one will be left standing to wonder how to check out, even if they could.

In which the poobahs of Europe sought to assemble a nation called “Europe” without giving the tacky plebeians much voice in the enterprise. As you might surmise, it isn’t working out well.

Update

Autumn has arrived here in the high country, three weeks before it arrives in the lowlands. Highs in the 70s for the next couple of weeks. The leaves haven't begun to change yet, but we've a lot of gloomy skies and either showers or thunderstorms are almost daily events.

Our summers are glorious, but sadly short. They start late and end early - essentially July and August. Winters are correspondingly long, and cold. Early autumn is nice so we stay into early October. 

Then, like the snowbirds we emulate, we "fly" 500+ miles south to our winter quarters, just over the Nevada border. There our many golf course water features are well stocked with happy geese every winter, about which golfers complain.

A Supply-Side Solution

Housing too expensive to buy? A big part of the solution: increase the marriage rate, which has declined dramatically. This is the finding of a “joint analysis by the American Enterprise Institute’s Housing Center (AEI) and the Institute for Family Studies (IFS)."

Marriage has three benefits for the housing market. First, increasing marriages would decrease the number of homes required in the housing market by consolidating two households into one. This acts like a supply-side solution, reducing our national shortage. Second, when two working people get married, their household income rises, meaning they can afford to live in larger and higher-quality homes. Finally, the homes that would be freed up by a marriage recovery are among the most affordable in the country, making marriage both an affordability and supply solution.

Couples have more buying power but need only one home, whereas two individuals need two homes but have less available buying power.

Some things were better and have gotten worse, this appears to be an example.

Reminder

Regardless of what happens in early November, with the midterm elections, Donald Trump will - God willing - be President until January of 2029. Let this reality guide your vote two months from now.

If Democrats gain a majority in the House and Senate, they can pass legislation (or impeachments) but can they override a veto? I doubt it. The only things of significance passed and enacted will be continuing resolutions of various types. 

Meaning, literally no progress of any sort will happen. We will be stuck in a time warp, unable to move in any direction. It isn't good when the free world's most powerful and rich nation cannot act.

Teen Takeovers

Lucianne.com links to an American Thinker article documenting that nearly all participants in teen mob takeovers are black. Here are key quotes.

It would be better, for the public at large and for participants in the takeovers themselves, to identify the problem exactly as it is: not a problem with “teen” takeovers, but with “black teen” takeovers, and to move from there toward solutions. Solutions will never be found if the truth is suppressed and endless excuses are made for exactly those responsible. There is a problem with a certain segment of blacks youths in America today, and that problem needs to addressed head-on.

At its core, there is a problem with the way our society makes excuses for the behavior of black youths. Too often the story is that offenders have grown up in difficult circumstances. So did millions of whites, but most of them do not go about breaking curfews and engaging in violence. There’s also the suggestion that since black Americans have historically suffered from slavery and Jim Crow, the failings of present-day blacks — including lawlessness — should be overlooked, almost as a sort of non-monetary reparations. But black American teens have never experienced discrimination; if anything, they receive preference in schooling and hiring and can look forward to future promotions ahead of whites.

 Takeovers constitute racism in action.

Later ... The teen takeover in Aurora, CO may have been an exception, photos show many of the rioters to be Hispanics.

Really, Ms. Eilish?

Image courtesy of Ed Driscoll, 

posting at Instapundit.

Saturday Snark

Me: Cardinal Richelieu in The Three Musketeers.

Images courtesy of Power Line's The Week in Pictures

and its Comments section.

Friday Meme Fest

Images courtesy of Politico's

The Nation's Cartoonists on the Week in Politics.

Images courtesy of RealClearPolitics'

Cartoons of the Week.

Tim Curry, Dead at 80

Known primarily for his starring role as Dr. Frank-N-Furter in the Rocky Horror Picture Show, British actor Tim Curry has died at age 80. Obituaries mention a number of his other roles, but tend to omit a couple I remember well. 

He played Cardinal Richelieu in The Three Musketeers and Dr. Petrov in Hunt for Red October. His was a unique, offbeat talent; he often played smirking villains.

A Curious Correlation

This graph was compiled at the request of columnist Glenn K. Beaton and posted at his Aspen Beat. He hurries to assure us that a correlation does not prove causation - technically true - but finds the covariation intriguing nevertheless.

In this particular case, there are reasons to think that correlation does equal causation. Testosterone is the male hormone that is responsible for dense muscle mass, risk-taking and road rage.

Testosterone is the main reason that males are far more likely than females to engage in mountaineering, car racing, entrepreneurialism, Seal Team 6-ing, boxing, exploration – and violent crime.

Just to be clear, both trend lines have been independently reported. Beaton may be first to note the rather obvious correlation and suggest reasons for possible causation. 

Perhaps that honor should instead go to SecWar Pete Hegseth whose recent public statements concerning testosterone testing for service members strongly implies such an awareness.

"It is an ill wind that blows nobody any good" ... folk idiom.

Update

Saturday, at the wedding reception I unintentionally ran an experiment that played out this way. At the open bar I ordered a tall screwdriver, meaning extra orange juice, not extra vodka. It was very tasty, and disappeared somewhat quickly. My general rule in adulthood has been one alcoholic beverage is enough.

Still thirsty on a hot afternoon, I got a second, this time pure OJ and ice with no vodka. Truly, orange juice does taste better with a splash of vodka, which I've heard alleged but just proved to myself. I'm an empiricist.

Yesterday's trip hangover was mild, mostly a lack of energy, no headache or "off" stomach. We had a quiet day, after a very busy weekend.

ICYMI, Christmas is four months from today.

Saturday Snark, Two Days Late

Images courtesy of Power Line's The Week in Pictures

and its Comments section.