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I’ve blogged a number of times on how badly Obama’s promise to transform our car buying behaviors (as that’s what Progressives do with their I know better than you what is best for you “tell”. And then we, who make up the Free Market decision makers (aka, telling the Central Planners to go….do something else) actually told the auto economy our choices. And given that this was his last year to get to that Million Electric Car end point, I am happy to anounce #FAIL:

In his 2011 State of the Union address, President Obama predicted that there would be “a million electric vehicles on the road by 2015.”  But only 382,176 plug-in electrified vehicles (PEVs) have been sold in the U.S. since 2008, according to Hybridcars.com. That’s just 38 percent of Obama’s one million vehicle goal.  And although auto sales in the U.S. were at an all-time-high last year with 17.47 million sold, electric vehicles actually lost market share, dropping from 3.47 percent of all vehicles sold in the U.S. to 2.87 percent, according to the Electric Drive Transportation Association (EDTA).

But of course, Americans MUST have heeded his call to be more efficient (via the EPA / DOT jacking up mandatory MPG standards – yet another Administrative Law decree (instead of Congressionally pass legislation)), right?  Er 

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I had to run out this morning to do a couple of errands for TMEW and while getting some gas ($1.94/gallon for mid-range!), met up with a long time Republican activist.  After chatting about this primary (we both agreed that this has been the wildest, most upside everyway one we’ve seen with Trump upending all of the regular “rules”.  The Internet became a disruptive force for a number of industries; he has done it in politics like Obama did starting in 2008 (Big Data analytics for the latter, celebrity and media manipulation for the former).

That said, he is disgusted with how the NH Republican Leadership are turning themselves in the Jr. Partners of the Democrat Party and to point, Obamacare’s Medicaid Expansion here in NH (and certainly not limited to that, either).  He’s about to leave the Party because while it says it stands for one thing, its leadership (its elected officials in the NH House and Senate).  He also mentioned Kelly Ayotte, like what I received from her (front of the mailer envelope:

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The Washington Monument Syndrome is the typical response when a bureaucracy is denied its funding – it ALWAYS goes after the most newest and brightest Shiny Object – and then either deny access to it by taxpayers (e.g., close the W.M. to tourists) or declare DISASTER if their funding is denied.  And in this case, monies not under the control of anyone but by them.  Only a part from the Nashua Telegraph (paywall), but enough:

Nashua, Manchester narcotic units threatened by cut in funds

Oh NO!  Those dreaded city councilors / Mayors / Budget Committees – how DARE they not fund their departments to fit their needs to defend their citizens!  Why those cheap…..oh wait:

NASHUA – The federal government’s decision to freeze payments to local and state law enforcement agencies from its Asset Forfeiture Program could cripple the Nashua and Manchester narcotics units and others statewide at a time when the heroin and opioid epidemic is rampant, their police chiefs said Wednesday.

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I’ve noticed it, too, over the last couple of years.  It seemed to turn Left (ok, to be sure, more centrist) as the TEA Party kept taking a pounding a couple of years ago.  I’ve mentioned it to TMEW a number of times – Fox’s hard line has gone limp.  More oft than I’d care to say, I’d say that the commentariat are retreating from the stances that made me want to watch it.  And I’m not the only one that’s caught it, either (reformatted, emphasis mine):

On his daily radio program, Limbaugh said “he has found when talking to people, including media people, in the east coast” and places like Washington, Boston, and South Florida that “virtually everybody thinks of Fox News as a conservative network.” Limbaugh said he travels to Missouri for Christmas and the holidays and goes on golf trips all over the country and, “I’m here to tell you Fox News is not considered the conservative network that is used to be.”

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60 percent of Republican voters feel “betrayed” by the party’s political leadership

They campaigned for getting majorities in the US House (where appropriations and tax bills start) and the US Senate.  They campaigned on smaller Government.  They promised to stop Obama’s expansion of Government.  They railed against piling up more deficit spending.  They promised to turn off the spigot.  So ask me again – WHY do we support Republicans?

The federal budget deficit will rise again this year for the first time in six years, according to a report released Monday by the Congressional Budget Office. Not only is this year’s deficit up by $100 billion, it marks the first time the deficit has grown, relative to the economy, since the Democrats had complete control of Washington. This year’s projected deficit is $544 billion, an increase of $105 billion over last year. As a share of the overall economy, the most meaningful measurement, the deficit has also increased, now equaling 2.9 percent of GDP.

And WHO is in charge right now, huh?

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From the Union Leader, my brow first furrowed and then LMOA:

Increasing state’s minimum wage debated

“Paying decent wages is a good investment for our economy,” said Senate Bill 412’s prime sponsor, Sen. Donna Soucy, D-Manchester. “Well-paid workers are better employees and better customers; their spending helps sustain our businesses and our economy.”

The state’s unemployment rate is the fourth-lowest in the country, and all other New England states have higher minimum wages, she said, which puts New Hampshire businesses at a disadvantage. Even companies like Wal-Mart have recognized the benefits of raising wages in order to retain workers at their stores, she said, noting a recent company announcement that it would raise what it pays both full- and part-time workers.

Seriously, is State Senator Donna Soucy absolutely incompetent in things economically?  First, while one might think that “well-paid” workers may be better paid employees but artificially enhanced (via government meddling) isn’t going to make low skilled (and thus lower paid) employees “better”.  In fact, as we are seeing in places where the “spread the wealth of other peoples’ money around” Democrats and Progressives have already done this (e.g., Seattle, Berkley), some employees have become “no-paid”.  And the simple truth is that raising the minimum wage doesn’t make them “well-paid” – they are still at the bottom of the barrel due to their low economic worth to their employer.

And she doesn’t say much about wage compression either.

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[emphasis mine -Skip]

This year, the state legislature will decide the future of expanding the state’s Medicaid program to able-bodied adults under ObamaCare. Medicaid expansion – passed in 2014 by a legislature more sympathetic to ObamaCare and growing government – expires later this year, and some of our elected officials are seeking to make it permanent.

In early 2013, when ObamaCare proponents pursued adding able-bodied adults to the Medicaid program, they offered three reasons for adding thousands of individuals to a program that is already the largest in state government. All three premises have proven to be false.

First, expansion supporters argued that adding people to Medicaid would improve their health. Then, a Harvard/MIT study showed no discernable improvement in physical health for those on Medicaid versus the uninsured, and the expansion proponents quickly dropped that argument.

Next,

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Oh, btw, my whole take on this “The Academy Awards are racist”?

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