February 13, 2021

Speaking Of Religious Mass Hysteria, How About The Campaign Against Fossil Fuels?

February 13, 2021/ Francis Menton

In her most recent post, Jane observed the substantial resemblance between the current wave of “gender dysphoria,” and various religious mass hysterias throughout history, notably to some during the medieval period. Yet as much as it may be widely discussed and prominently featured in the media in recent years, gender dysphoria still affects only a relatively small number of people.
But how about the campaign against fossil fuels? That also bears great resemblance to religious mass hysteria.
We have the tale of grave sin and the possibility for redemption. We have the priestly caste — politicians of the Democratic Party — that has been anointed to instruct us and lead us into the path of salvation. We have the expulsion of all heretics from the seats of the religion in academia. We have the holy people sermonizing about their own saintliness and our sin. (Greta Thunberg and Bill McKibben come to mind.).
By contrast to transgenderism, this fossil fuel hysteria affects us all.

February 11, 2021

Transgender Mania is a New Twist on an Old Story

February 11, 2021/ Jane Menton

The western world is currently experiencing a mass hysteria over gender dysphoria and transgenderism. I call it mass hysteria because I believe its manifestations generally have less to do with any legitimate medical condition, and much more to do with seeking attention, affirmation, and accolades in a new religion that I call “Wokeism.”
Throughout history, many religions have had periods of fanaticism, where the fanatics have been accorded not just indulgence, but even admiration, praise and honor in the moment. Only later has the danger within the mania become obvious — after the damage has been done.
Now, one of these episodes is occurring right before our eyes.

February 09, 2021

February 09, 2021/ Francis Menton

In my post a couple of days ago on the impending “stimulus” disaster, I only covered a handful of its larger squanderings of hard-earned taxpayer money.
Needless to say, there are many, many more. $1.9 trillion is a lot of money to waste.
Today comes news of a thoroughly co-ordinated effort to push a different big piece of this catastrophe, this one apparently in the range of up to $250 billion out of the $1.9 tril. As you read a little about it, you quickly realize that the $250 billion will just cover this year, and that the advocates intend that sum to be annually renewable.
The particular subject of this initiative is said to be “fighting child poverty.” Now, what kind of monster could possibly be against that?
What the initiative is really about is spending an additional $250 billion per year in the name of “fighting child poverty,” but specifically structured in a way that child poverty as measured cannot and will not be reduced in even the slightest amount.
In whatever articles you read about the subject over the next days or weeks while the bill is pending, you will not see that aspect of the new spending mentioned. Except here.

February 07, 2021

February 07, 2021/ Francis Menton

Of all President Biden’s potential legislative initiatives, the first up in Congress is the latest round of so-called “stimulus” — some $1.9 trillion to be borrowed by the government and promptly wasted.
Somehow, we are supposed to believe that this is a good idea. Over at CNN, they call it the “rescue package,” as if the economy is failing, and the only possible route to salvation is borrowing and then immediately wasting this vast sum.
It goes without saying that all the grandees of the left support the plan. After all, these people have gone to the fanciest schools and have the fanciest advanced degrees. They are the “experts,” to whom we must all defer.
Nothing illustrates the foolishness and ignorance of our so-called “experts” better than this “stimulus” bill.

February 03, 2021

February 03, 2021/ Francis Menton

On January 1, 2021, our progressive true-believer mayor, Bill de Blasio, began his eighth year in office. Since he is limited to two terms under current law, this will be his last year, unless something changes.
Now that another crowd of progressive true-believers has just swept to power in Washington, it seems like an appropriate time to look at how the seven years of super-progressive government have served us in New York.
Recall that when de Blasio became Mayor in January 2014, he followed 20 years of at least nominally Republican mayors, Rudy Giuliani (1994-2001) and Mike Bloomberg (2002-2013). Those 20 years saw dramatic improvements in New York City’s fortunes, including reductions in crime (the murder rate, for example, fell by over 80%), and resumption of a healthy rate of population increase after previous declines. Would the progressive de Blasio instead bring about some kind of immediate disaster and collapse?
For better or worse, that’s not really how it works with bad progressive public policy. Instead of immediate disaster and collapse, what we see is gradual but steady decline, particularly when compared to other jurisdictions that follow policies of, for example, lower taxing and spending and disciplined law enforcement.
So on to an overview of de Blasio’s “accomplishments.”

January 31, 2021

January 31, 2021/ Francis Menton

They say that President Biden vomited forth as many as forty Executive Orders in the past week and a half. Many subjects were covered, but the big two were climate change and racial “equity.”
So then, surely, now that the progressives are firmly in charge, and are able to have their figurehead issue Executive Orders for anything and everything, directing that the world become perfect, we can expect that those two “crises” in our public life will be fully solved within the next four years.
Just kidding. As all readers here will likely recognize, the official progressive programs to address climate change and racial inequities are just exercises in reality denial. Those official progressive programs may well have serious adverse effects on our personal freedoms and on our economic success, but the chances that those programs can improve either the climate or racial “equity” are about zero.
So I’m going to go way out on a limb here and make two official Manhattan Contrarian predictions for the next four years: (1) World carbon emissions will increase, not decrease. (2) All the new rounds of affirmative action and other “racial equity” initiatives will achieve no more than all the prior rounds.