Getting paid‚ getting paid

Kinzer refused to comply with a dress code at Whole Foods

While these fossils may not look like much‚ they are part of the jawbone of what is now believed to be the largest marine reptile ever to swim in the seas. The beast could have measured 82 feet long—as big as a humpback whale—but with a long narrow mouth bristling with teeth used to hunt […] The post 11-Year-old Uncovers Giant Ichthyosaur Fossil – The Largest Marine Reptile Ever Found appeared first on Good News Network.

A magpie bird reunites with dog best friend‚ forty five days after being seized by wildlife officials in Queensland‚ Australia.

It's Going to Take Some Serious Fraud to Help Biden Win

Comedian Michael Ridley says that the version of normal the entertainment industry desires is one that prioritizes sex and capitalizes on a short attention span. The stand-up comic is now far removed from where he grew up in Virginia‚ and once he was able to escape the COVID-19 lockdowns‚ he made his way to Texas to flourish in the ever-growing Austin comedy scene. In just a few years‚ he has shifted from being politically neutral to questioning the direction and motives of media and government. Ridley believes that with children being constantly overstimulated with messaging‚ their attention spans have become shorter and their ability to discern what is normal versus what is irregular has lessened. &;quot;We're creating a world full of sex and porn addicts. Everybody is so overstimulated‚ [kids] have the shortest attention spans ever‚&;quot; Ridley told Blaze News. This is showcased most blatantly in the types of role models that are pushed on young girls‚ the comedian said. &;quot;Kids nowadays are like 'oh yeah‚ that's just Ice Spice‚ she just shakes her ass on national television and she's an icon‚ she's a hero.' It's crazy that that's what's being pushed out as just normal. It's normal for everything to be so vulgar.&;quot; What's become irregular‚ Ridley claimed‚ is having any type of common decency or moral compass in terms of what a parent should show their children. Look no farther than drag queens‚ which are to be culturally accepted as appropriate for school-age children. &;quot;If you had full-blown strippers in libraries [reading to children]‚ parents would be upset. They would say 'get the strippers out of here&;#33;'&;quot; &;quot;But if you have a drag queen now it's like this kind of eggshell situation where you don't know if you're allowed to say anything. Am I a homophobe if I don't want a man dressed up as a woman with big fake [breasts] reading to my kids&;#63; Because I don't want my kids to be exposed to oversexualized content&;#63;&;quot; Ridley asked. &;quot;I just want them to grow up with normal brain chemistry. I don't want them to have social media and porn brain rot by the time they're 14.&;quot; Drawing from his own experience‚ Ridley says being exposed to explicit videos at a young age is definitely not healthy. &;quot;I really wish that hadn't happened. It is not healthy to be exposed to [porn].&;quot; The Virginian referenced Pornhub blocking access to its website in Texas over age-verification laws and the complaints he has heard in Austin‚ where he now lives. &;quot;The leaps and bounds '90s kids had to make to get to porn and how easily accessible these kids have it ... Pornhub just got banned in Texas and everyone's pissed. But it's also kind of a good thing. Yeah‚ sorry‚ dude‚ grown-ups can't watch porn‚ but it also means kids can't watch porn.&;quot; Instant gratification and feeding into an ever-shortening attention span is a &;quot;nightmare&;quot; for society‚ Ridley explained. &;quot;You're a slave to this sexy‚ gay‚ capitalist monster that lives and breathes off of your dopamine receptors‚ and we are all addicted to it.&;quot; Destruction of the nuclear family Drawing on inflation and taxation‚ Ridley said the patterns in society and governance all lead to an attempt to dismantle the nuclear family. What is pushed on the younger generations lends itself to the idea that there is some powerful influence that wants young women to be overly sexualized and have access to abortions‚ for example. &;quot;It's the destruction of the nuclear family; you've seen it in the black community‚ you've seen it in where they destroy the nuclear family and they separate the father from the mother‚ from the children‚ and you have a whole generation of you people being raised by nurture.&;quot; &;quot;That's why you see videos of black boys twerking on TikTok and their moms and their aunts are laughing and clapping. If any dad was there‚ he would be like 'what the f*** is he doing&;#63;'&;quot; Not shy of self-reflection‚ Ridley admitted that he didn't have a positive male role model growing up. &;quot;When you're not raised with a man who steps in and goes 'hey‚ this isn't right‚ keep this away from my kid‚' I know what it's like. I was just exposed to all this s*** that I wasn't supposed to see at a young age because there wasn't anyone there to stop it.&;quot; The programming is easier to install in a young mind when you take away the family unit‚ the podcaster continued. With a generation raised by the media‚ this negates their ability to come together and is just one of many factors that create a weak populace. Putting a child‚ food‚ or income in the hands of the government are other steps towards the &;quot;ideal populace&;quot; in Ridley's mind. &;quot;Children that are addicted to dopamine‚ that can't read or write‚ that won't speak for themselves and they're passive ... it's like social engineering [for] the perfect cog. They just want perfect cogs for this giant machine.&;quot; Gender theory is yet another negative result of this culture‚ Ridley explained‚ an issue the comedian sees society looking back at with confusion. &;quot;All those people who are pushing kids to transition‚ I wonder if they're ever going to be like 'why did we do that&;#63; Oh‚ we were trying to do something good‚ right&;#63;' You're trying to express yourself and free yourself sexually‚ that's okay‚ sure. But there's so many people who have written‚ there's so many articles written saying 'I wish i never did this.' Voting with a soda can Ridley confessed that he once voted for President Trump based on seeing an orange soda in a parking lot on election day. The joke came full circle when Ridley said that he wasn't voting based on a joke any more and that for 2024 he and his wife would be voting for Trump based on the economy. &;quot;I've converted my liberal wife into a conservative 'trad wife‚' and we hate young people‚&;quot; he joked. &;quot;Being a normal person and having good morals has somehow turned me into what the left would call a 'right-wing extremist' because I'm in the center.&;quot; &;quot;I paid $4‚500 in federal taxes. ... I'm voting for Trump‚ that's it.&;quot; The 31-year-old said he is far past any &;quot;rebellious days&;quot; when he could see himself support phrases such as &;quot;tax the rich.&;quot; &;quot;When you start making real money and you start to pay for yourself‚ you start to ask why the f*** is all my money going overseas to fight wars that I don't really give a f*** about&;#63;&;quot; Ridley is hoping the government will start providing more transparency regarding tax dollars and budgets. He noted that he has found everything is getting more expensive and his &;quot;hard-earned‚ young professional dollars&;quot; are going to waste. The rising star‚ who has worked multiple Austin comedy clubs and made appearances in Joe Rogan's Comedy Mothership‚ wondered why there continuously seems to be an ulterior motive when it comes to government programs. &;quot;Why is there something evil always lurking around the corner&;#63;&;quot; he asked. The general public has to become better at reading between the lines and noticing when the &;quot;programming&;quot; hasn't turned out to be what the media has claimed it would‚ Ridley added. &;quot;I want normal‚ I want 1999 back. I just want the world that I grew up in to somewhat come back. Everything's gay‚ everything's sexy‚ and these kids in school do not know how to read. But‚ yeah‚ we're both voting red.&;quot; Michael Ridley's podcast &;quot;Ridley Radio&;quot; can be viewed on YouTube. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Michael Ridley (@chinkysweat) Like Blaze News&;#63; Bypass the censors‚ sign up for our newsletters‚ and get stories like this direct to your inbox. Sign up here&;#33;

This isn’t shaping up to be a great year for Congress — specifically‚ the House of Representatives‚ and‚ still more specifically‚ House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.). After the calamitously bruising battle to send more magic fedbux off to support wars deemed in America’s interest‚ which saw the speaker side with Democrats over outraged members of his own party‚ the nation’s legislature plumbed new depths of dissatisfaction among millions of Americans. For many voting citizens‚ the outrage turned on the quaint idea that our tax dollars are being allocated for purposes the people reject. The good news is your tax dollars are safe from that treatment. The bad news&;#63; That’s because our government is now based on slamming the “0” button on the national computer to add ever more zeroes to the end of the total federal budget. The more you know‚ the more you “earn” — light work under our legal system‚ where it’s extremely difficult to prove insider trading allegations. The ship of fiscal responsibility sailed a long time ago — it’s time to wake up to the fact that the feds simply create “dollars” out of thin air and “spend” them however they want. Your tax dollars are largely a fiction for budgetary purposes‚ even though their disappearance from your pocket couldn’t be more real. But though the swamp treats taxes like beatings meant to continue until morale improves‚ it’s really the spending that has Americans with torch and pitchfork in hand. Everyone knows taxes are a fact of life — unless you’re poor enough to be excused or rich enough to excuse yourself. What really has Middle America mad is the increasingly flagrant way that the nation’s power elite hoovers up real money for itself by making the printer go brrrr on multibillion-dollar expenditures just because they say so. The feedback loop works like this. Elected officials have already delegated away most of their governing authority to the swarm of bureaucratic agencies basketed under the executive branch‚ leaving Congress critters free to focus on their one true love — deciding how the infinite supply of invented value is given away. By showering this manna from a place somewhat south of heaven on favored corporations and cronies from K Street to Kyiv‚ members gain beaucoup bennies of their own. Not only do they gain in power and prestige‚ quickly cementing their ability to return to the trough — I mean‚ public office — again and again. They also gain the exit options they’ll eventually cash in on when their ability to luxuriate out of office exceeds their ability to do so within. But wait‚ there’s more. By pouring patronage on the places where they know the unelected bureaucrats will concentrate their corruption‚ they ensure that business opportunities ordinary Americans can’t access will bloom forth on a predictable‚ virtually foolproof schedule. And what that means is members of Congress can — wait for it — cash in on those opportunities‚ rigging up a system of rotating windfalls that keep the circular gravy train in perpetual motion. Examples&;#63; They’re plenty. They’re at the heart of the suspicious activity I went to Washington with Blaze Originals to put under an investigative blacklight. The resulting documentary‚ “Bought and Paid For: How Politicians Get Filthy Rich‚” gives you an eyeful of scandal: officials cashing in on insider information it’s actually not quite illegal to leverage for personal gain. Most who take advantage suffer‚ at worst‚ slaps on the wrist‚ even for the most egregious transactions — like placing big stock bets on defense contractors on the eve of the war in Ukraine or pushing the bounds of the rules while sitting on the ethics committee. The more you know‚ the more you “earn” — light work under our legal system‚ where it’s extremely difficult to prove insider trading allegations. (That wasn’t Nancy Pelosi adding to her millions by going all in on Nvidia stock right before it popped. That was her husband‚ a canny and avid trader&;#33;) Blaze Originals reached out to just about every member of Congress plausibly involved or interested in these goings-on — and‚ like Pelosi herself‚ just about every member stonewalled. But don’t worry. “Bought and Paid For” is full of big surprises‚ choice interviews‚ and inside info of our own. It’s no substitute for legislation‚ but it is a spur. Amid the House’s richly earned shame spiral‚ an extra dose of opprobrium might be just what the doctor ordered. The very‚ very least members could do to begin to atone for their profligate ways is to turn off the money tap‚ starting with themselves. There’s even legislation to help do just that ready for a vote in the House and the Senate. And with November looming‚ today’s super-traders would be well advised to apply their outsized talents for self-dealing to their political futures. Unlike their counterparts in the administrative bureaucracy‚ we can actually throw them out of a job. Cool it with the unseemly cash-grab‚ and maybe next term the better angels of their nature will get the upper hand. Or else&;#33;

Align: Vroom editors Paul Brian and Lauren Fix may be seasoned car industry experts‚ but that doesn't mean they're completely immune to the electric vehicle hype. &;quot;As far as looks ... spectacular‚&;quot; says Lauren. &;quot;Technology‚ amazing. And all of this entices you because the car manufacturers are doing something completely different than they did before.&;quot; But those compliments come with some pretty big misgivings. Should you hop on board the EV bandwagon&;#63; Paul and Lauren recently sat down with me to share their 10 reasons not to go electric.-- Matt Himes1. We've been down this road beforePaul: Electric cars are not new. When the 1901 Chicago Auto Show was staged‚ more than half of the fourteen vehicles that were shown at that show were electric vehicles. It's not a new idea at all. The problem is‚ is that there's this nasty little thing called practicality. It's all smoke and mirrors. This is all about control. Don't let anyone kid you that this electric car thing isn't about limiting your range.There are a lot of people who are saying‚ &;quot;I've seen all of this‚ I apparently should be doing it.&;quot; And then they get hit with the harsh realities of what happens with an electric vehicle.2. They're more expensive than you thinkLauren: If you're thinking about buying an electric car ... you have to look at the full costs. The first thing you're gonna do is [ask]‚ &;quot;What's the payment&;#63; Oh‚ ok‚ I think I can afford that‚ especially with all these incentives.&;quot;[But these incentives] are now only for 12 cars‚ that's it. Because they kept changing their regulations and they're gonna make them even stricter. Right now we have 12 cars that qualify‚ and not all the Teslas even qualify‚ only the high-performance versions do.And many of the states are out of the matching credits. ... [They] have either stopped or have no more money left in their funds to have matching credits to support this incentive.The insurance is twice as much or close to twice as much [as] a regular gasoline-powered car. The tires wear out quicker because these are heavier‚ they're low-rolling resistant and run-flat tires. They're not $100 a tire‚ they're $400 a tire‚ and they wear out about every 10‚000 miles. Of course‚ no one talks about that ... but it's important that you look at all the true cost of owning a vehicle.3. They depreciate faster than a Model S Plaid in Drag Strip modeLauren: Look at that really cool Porsche Taycan — I think it's spectacular. Unfortunately‚ [it's a] $200‚000 car [that's] available used for $100‚000. So‚ if you buy one of these vehicles‚ you're losing about half as soon as you drive off the lot. If you are considering an electric vehicle‚ a lease would be your smartest move. Walk away at the end of your two- or three-year period.Paul: Do not buy an electric vehicle. Period. Lauren: The battery replacement will make you cry. Some of them are as much as $60‚000 for a new battery. Lease it‚ give it back to the dealer. That's your smartest move.4. The charging infrastructure just isn't there yetPaul: I just took a trip up to Road America [race track] last weekend. I live in the Chicago suburbs‚ and I happen to have a Kia EV9. That's what I was driving last week.Lauren: Cool car‚ by the way. Very‚ very cool. Expensive‚ but very cool.Paul: I had to charge up on Friday night to make sure that I was topped off‚ and then I drove to Milwaukee‚ and I did some interviews at the Milwaukee Mile. Then I said‚ &;quot;Hey‚ you know what‚ I can't find a level-3 charging station in Elkhart Lake.&;quot;[A level-3 charger] you can read a comic book while you're charging; the other ones you better have a copy of a Leo Tolstoy novel with you.So‚ I had to drive from Milwaukee to Sheboygan‚ Wisconsin‚ to find a level-3 charger. Well‚ that's 35 miles‚ 40 miles away from where I was going — Road America. So‚ then I had another two hours while I was charging that vehicle. Lauren: Who's got two hours&;#63; Isn't time money&;#63; It is to me. Paul: When I finally got home‚ I had 19 miles of range [left]. It was terrifying because I'm watching that gauge closer than I'm watching the road.Lauren: [Ask yourself]‚ is there charging available around you&;#63; Now‚ we were just in California driving one of the newest Honda electric cars‚ and they said‚ &;quot;Oh‚ there's four superchargers in this northern California town.&;quot;So‚ we went there‚ and three of them weren't working. One of them was‚ but there was a Tesla there. If it takes 20 minutes to charge‚ you should kind of hang around. Nope: 20 minutes later [it was clear] someone had plugged it in and taken off.The fact is that you're relying on public charging‚ but you have to still pay for that. And there's a cost to it. And electricity in California especially is the most expensive in the country. And I live in New York‚ and Paul lives in Illinois‚ also extremely expensive. So the three of us live in states where it's just crazy expensive for electricity‚ and it's not going down. Look at your electric bill every month. Now‚ add in a charging station.5. Charging may pose hidden health risksLauren: They always say‚ &;quot;Oh‚ just sit in your car. It's fine. We have fully reclining seats and big screens and you can play video games‚&;quot; and it all sounds great on the surface.We've all heard‚ don't put your phone in your ear‚ right&;#63; Don't put your phone in your ear. Even these AirPods‚ if you put in two‚ it's causing all kinds of issues. Don't put your phone in your pocket‚ especially for guys. We've all heard and read about this in a million different places. But it's okay to sit in a car with alternating current. So‚ I actually have one of these gauges that I bring with me. The manufacturers hate when I bring it‚ so I have to keep it hidden.Paul: Did you get a tin foil hat&;#63;Lauren: [laughs] If you're sitting in the car while it's charging‚ you're not just exposing yourself but anyone in the car. So‚ it's like being in a microwave. It's alternating current‚ which is the problem. Actually‚ you were with me‚ Paul. We were at one of the vehicle [test] drives at the super fast charger [that] takes 20 minutes. So‚ I asked the guy‚ and he said off the record‚ &;quot;Get out of the car and go as far away as you can.&;quot;And I said‚ &;quot;Really&;#63;&;quot;He said‚ &;quot;We're not going to tell anyone this because I'll lose my job. But get in the car‚ and park the car‚ plug it in‚ and go. Just go get something to eat and walk away.&;quot;But they're telling us all in the mainstream‚ &;quot;Oh‚ you can sit in the car with your kid and your dog and you can play games and make it fun.&;quot;No one has addressed the medical side of this. And I fear that at some point‚ like much of the stuff the government sometimes pushes‚ [we'll find out it has health risks]. And I'm not wearing a tinfoil hat‚ you can talk to anyone.6. The capacity just isn't there yetPaul: And it's not only the infrastructure‚ but it's the capacity. I know about a company that — because they had bought into the hype so heavily — wanted to change their trucks to EVs. And it was‚ I think‚ a fleet of about 20 or 25 trucks that they had.And they went to the village board and the village board said‚ &;quot;Wait a minute. We're talking about you guys building this whole charging farm‚ and the amount of juice that you're requesting far exceeds the capacity of the entire village.&;quot; And it wasn't a small village. We don't have the capacity. We don't have coal plants. We don't have enough new plants to do it. Lauren: They want to shut those [coal plants] down. Paul: And it's just antithetical to what they're pitching. It's like nobody thought about this. They just said‚ &;quot;This is a new idea‚ this is good‚ we're saving Mother Earth. We've got John Kerry‚ we've got Al Gore‚ we've got St. Greta ...&;quot;7. They're bad for the environment ... and the roadsPaul: When Lauren said the tires are more expensive‚ there's a secondary problem with the tires as well. And that's particulate pollution.Lauren: It's bad. It's worse. It kills the air. There's less CO2‚ but you're breathing in particles of tire.Paul: [Because an EV] could be 1‚500‚ 2‚000 pounds heavier [than a gas powered car]. And so now you've got a whole lot more weight that's playing on those tires. Lauren: I have a lot of friends who are first responders and they say the biggest thing is when [an EV] catches fire for whatever reason‚ the problem is that it's a chemical reaction. It's polluting the environment worse than you can imagine. Not just digging up the raw materials to make the batteries‚ but if [a battery] catches fire‚ there's no way to recycle it. It's a nice idea‚ but the fact is‚ it'd be like me handing you a birthday cake and saying‚ &;quot;Could you take the eggs out&;#63;&;quot; I just read an article that older cars from the '60s and '70s are better for the environment than the new cars because of the impact from what we call in our business &;quot;cradle to grave.&;quot; In other words‚ from all its raw materials all the way to the finished product and then the end-of-life cycle.Paul: And secondarily‚ for a long time states have been very generous with licensing fees for electric vehicles. [Now] they're waking up‚ and they're saying‚ &;quot;Well‚ wait a minute‚ how come that our pothole problems‚ our repaving problems‚ all of those things‚ are costing us more than they ever did before&;#63;&;quot;Lauren: Especially on local roads‚ not necessarily highways. Highways are designed for 18-wheelers.Paul: The taxpayer is paying that.Lauren: The state of Texas is charging $400 when you register your car and $200 for every year after that. Every state is starting to charge by the mile. If you're thinking‚ &;quot;Well‚ I don't have to pay gas taxes&;quot; ... well‚ if you're not paying gas taxes‚ then who's going to repair the roads and bridges&;#63; That comes out of the general fund. And that's what a lot of states have done‚ including here in New York.They gotta come up with the money from some other places to pay for the electricity‚ to pay for the tax credits on a federal and a state level‚ and that's you who's paying for that. So‚ whether you think you're getting it for free‚ you're actually paying for it. Nothing is free.8. They're about government controlLauren: It's all smoke and mirrors. This is all about control. Don't let anyone kid you that this electric car thing isn't about limiting your range.Paul: [They're working on technology that] if you're not making your payments‚ the auto drive system will drive it back to the dealership‚ so that it will in fact repossess your vehicle for you.Lauren: Without a person. Paul: Yeah. Lauren: So‚ you come out‚ and you're like‚ &;quot;Where's my truck&;#63;&;quot; It's at the dealer because you didn't make your payments. They've been able to lock you out of your car for a long time‚ especially on used car lots. But if you look at the infrastructure bill from 2021‚ the one that apparently Attorney General Ken Paxton has found to be illegal because they passed it without people actually being in Congress‚ there is a kill switch [proposal]. It will monitor everything in your car.They put this under the guise of [stopping] drunk driving. They want to put in a fingertip device [on the start button]. So‚ you took a medication‚ you've had a stressful day. I don't know‚ maybe you were using rubbing alcohol to remove nail polish. You touch that [and the car will decide] whether you should start [it] or not. There's a company called Gentex. You want to look it up. It tracks from the rearview mirror. Your eyes and [the eyes of] every person in the car. Second row‚ third row‚ your dog‚ your kid‚ everyone‚ your facial movements‚ what's going on. If it feels you're stressed‚ you're not paying attention‚ that's going to be added into the AI in the computer in front of you. If you don't know if you have it‚ take your phone‚ just stand in front and take a picture [of your rear view mirror]. You'll see two red dots or blue or green. It's tracking your eyes. You've seen that. &;quot;Please pay attention to the road. Do you need a coffee&;#63;&;quot;9. Nobody wants themPaul: If you need some sort of an impartial barometer as to what's been going on‚ take a look at what's been happening at the car rental companies‚ where the car rental companies have just been having a horrible‚ horrible time renting the EVs that they already had.Lauren: Nobody wants them. Paul: Yeah‚ nobody wants them. They've sold off half of their inventory. And‚ and gee‚ what did they find out when they went to sell their existing fleet&;#63; Well‚ they're not really worth what they were worth. You know‚ what they thought they were. Lauren: They're taking a huge hit. Remember‚ there was a shortage of cars because of the chip shortage. So.Elon Musk‚ smart guy that he is‚ he's the marketing king. He went to the car rental company and said‚ &;quot;Hey listen‚ I've got cars‚ I can't sell them. Let's work a deal‚ I'll cut you a deal‚ you can offer electric cars‚ everybody's happy‚ the government's happy‚ you look like you're helping in the agenda‚ everybody's happy.&;quot;Well‚ people don't want them. I've talked to quite a few people‚ including myself‚ where I've gone to Hertz and they said‚ &;quot;Hey‚ we don't have that car that you wanted‚ that SUV‚ but we do have a Tesla.&;quot; They're so excited to tell you‚ and I'm like‚ &;quot;No‚ that's not gonna work.&;quot;So‚ are people accepting it&;#63; He goes‚ &;quot;No‚ we can't‚ we can't not rent them.&;quot; You have to return them fully charged. That takes time. When you're at a destination‚ whether it's a vacation or a business meeting‚ you have a very tight schedule. You go‚ you do what you need to do. You want to drop the car and take off at the airport. I get the field purchase option. If you look at the charging‚ you can't bring it in on fumes. And they've also found there's a high maintenance on tires‚ because like I said‚ tires wear out quicker‚ but also there's a lot of damage to these cars and the cost to repair the damage like any rental car.10. They're bad for AmericaLauren: We have more fossil fuels here‚ or oil‚ underneath the ground than any other country. But instead‚ we're buying it from Russia and the Middle East. And we're getting all of our battery materials from China. So‚ while you think it's being environmentally friendly‚ all you're doing is helping China and the Middle East and Russia make more money. Now‚ wherever you think about that politically has nothing to do with it. The fact is‚ we can be energy efficient‚ and we were. But this administration wants to be reliable on other countries.And China‚ of course‚ would love to take over our country by bringing in Chinese cars and owning everything that we have and making us basically sit at home and play video games all day.Paul: We're trying to limit the amount of Chinese product that we're bringing into the States. But if the Chinese build their plants in Mexico‚ well‚ then all of a sudden‚ there's a trade agreement that we have with Mexico and with Canada‚ that allows those same vehicles to be accessed by Americans. Lauren: You know what's interesting‚ Paul‚ is if you look at China‚ why they're telling us‚ &;quot;Oh‚ electric‚&;quot; because they knew they couldn't take over the U.S. car industry. They knew they couldn't beat the Germans. So they came up with this electric story and pushed the story‚ helped politicians get reelected by helping them push the narrative. Now‚ there are five Chinese car manufacturers building plants in Mexico as we speak. At the same time‚ they're building nuclear power plants and coal-fired plants in China. We're taking those down where they're building seven a week. So‚ they've got plenty of energy ... and of course they're building stuff quick because that's how they do everything. They're gonna build plants in Mexico already started‚ they're gonna be fully automated. I'm on the World Car of the Year. We've driven the Suzuki‚ the SAIC‚ BYD‚ all of them. As a matter of fact‚ I'm supposed to go to China to see the plants‚ which I'm finding very interesting. But the fact is they want to bring these cars in here. And what does that mean&;#63; Everyone's like‚ &;quot;Oh‚ great‚ low-cost cars.&;quot;Be careful what you wish for‚ because the big three automakers that are here in the U.S. and all the manufacturers that are building here‚ Honda‚ Toyota‚ all of these plants are going to lose jobs. And that affects not just the Dow‚ and the stock market‚ it affects jobs‚ it affects the economy. And believe it or not‚ the auto industry and all the little companies that support it is so big it's half of the Dow Jones‚ and people don't even realize that.

In the swampish waters of American politics‚ politicians love to portray themselves as champions of small businesses‚ fighting against the dominance of corporate behemoths. In reality‚ of course‚ they often act at the behest of large corporate interests seeking to consolidate power through subsidies‚ rule changes‚ and legislative trickery.A glaring example of this monopolistic cronyism is the government’s substantial financial support for tech giants like Microsoft. During the 2023 fiscal year‚ the U.S. government allocated nearly $500 million in subsidies to Microsoft‚ despite more than 50% of government workers expressing concerns about the vulnerability of their systems to cyber attacks due to their overreliance on Microsoft’s productivity technology.What could possibly be the rationale for continuing to pour millions of taxpayer dollars into substandard cybersecurity&;#63;Such a significant subsidy raises questions about the true motivations behind such allocations and underscores just how corporate interests hold sway in government decision-making.The worry among many government employees that relying too much on Microsoft technology makes them more vulnerable to cyber attacks should prompt change‚ especially given Microsoft software’s long history of security breaches.For more than two decades‚ hackers have exploited more than 280 vulnerabilities in various Microsoft software products‚ highlighting their inherent weaknesses.One of the more recent notable events occurred in the summer of 2023‚ when Microsoft Exchange Online was hit with a massive cyber intrusion. A subsequent investigation by the Department of Homeland Security attributed the breach to Microsoft’s negligence‚ which enabled a Chinese government-affiliated entity to gain unauthorized access to sensitive data. The breach compromised “22 organizations and over 500 individuals‚” including “senior U.S. government officials such as Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo and American ambassador to China‚ R. Nicholas Burns” — lax cybersecurity practices and national security risks made possible by a largely unaccountable tech monopoly.The vulnerabilities within Microsoft's systems have not gone unnoticed by other U.S. adversaries. In March‚ reports emerged indicating that Russia’s SCR foreign intelligence service had exploited vulnerabilities in Microsoft software to infiltrate the company’s internal systems. All the more reason for heightened vigilance and active measures to address systemic weaknesses inherent in our current technological infrastructure.Compounding these concerns are the recent cyber attacks targeting government agencies in the United States and Canada‚ which have raised serious doubts about the adequacy of their cybersecurity measures. In the United States‚ the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency experienced breaches in two critical systems: the Infrastructure Protection Gateway and the Chemical Security Assessment Tool. Similarly‚ in Canada‚ government agencies have fallen victim to cyber breaches‚ further exacerbating concerns about the security of critical infrastructure and national interests.Despite these alarming developments‚ both the United States and Canada continue to heavily invest in Microsoft. What could possibly be the rationale for continuing to pour millions of taxpayer dollars into substandard cybersecurity&;#63;In Canada‚ the government allocated a staggering $299.8 million to Microsoft during the 2021-2022 fiscal year‚ despite that country’s smaller federal government.Large investments and serious weaknesses in Microsoft’s systems highlight the critical need to reevaluate how governments buy technology and to use a diversity of suppliers to reduce security threats.Cybersecurity threats aren’t going away. Governments need to actively improve their defenses and protect vital services. They should use a variety of technology providers‚ enforce tougher cybersecurity rules‚ and hold big companies like Microsoft responsible for any security failures.By focusing on cybersecurity and using various strategies to manage it‚ governments can more effectively guard against cyber threats and reduce the risk of catastrophic damage from cyber attacks to key infrastructure and national security.