In Canada, things a cost a lot more than in America. Canada imposes a lot of anti-business regulations and taxes on businesses. For example, businesses have to pay part of the costs of “free health care” for their employees, and they pass those costs on to consumers. Joe Biden also introduced a lot of government regulations since he became president. And we’re paying for it.
Here’s an article about a new study in the UK Daily Mail:
Joe Biden’s slew of regulations implemented over the course of his two-and-a-half years running the country have cost every American household nearly $10,000.
If the president continues on his current regulation path and is reelected for a second term in 2024, according to the report from the Committee to Unleash Prosperity, Americans could be slammed with a $60,000 increase in costs by 2028.
The study is authored by Casey B. Mulligan, an economist and professor of economics at the prestigious University of Chicago. He also served as chief economist at the White House Council of Economic Advisers.
As of the end of 2022, the Biden administration imposed new regulatory costs on American households and businesses at a pace surpassing that of the Obama administration during a comparable period.
The added costs from these Biden-era final rules, which include both their current and expected future costs, amount to almost $10,000 per household. If regulatory costs continue to rise at the same rate as they did during the Obama administration, the total costs of Biden’s rulemaking over an eight-year period would almost reach $60,000 per household.
While the automobile fuel economy and emissions standards contribute the greatest single cost, they still account for only a third of the total regulatory costs. Collectively, health, labor, telecommunications, and consumer finance regulations impose costs that exceed those of automobile regulations.
It looks like the costs imposed by these regulations will get a lot worse, should Biden win a second term. $60,000 per household.
The UK Daily Mail article notes that these costs are separate from inflation, which has also increased during Biden’s first term:
The regulations have contributed to only one part of the massive increased financial burden on Americans since Biden took office, with inflation also impacting consumers’ bottom line.
From Biden’s election in 2020 to current day, inflation has risen a total of 16.45 percent.
Some items are affected more than others – like food and grocery costs.
Americans saw the cost of beef rise at a much faster rate than average inflation with a 20.4 percent increase from April 2021 to April 2022. And in that same time period the cost of chicken went up by 13.4 percent, while eggs went up by 11.2 percent.
I’m really surprised to see Biden polling competitively with Trump and DeSantis in swing states. In my mind, people should notice that their savings are going down, and their debts are going up, and realize that something is going wrong with our laws and policies.
Americans’ debt levels continue to climb to new heights at a time when economic conditions are becoming increasingly less stable.
Household debt balances set a fresh record high of $17.05 trillion during the first quarter, growing $148 billion or 0.9% from the fourth quarter of last year, the Federal Reserve Bank of New York reported Monday.
That debt load has spiked by $2.9 trillion since the end of 2019.
During the first quarter, the increases in debt were seen across practically all categories, with larger (and new record) balances for mortgages, home equity lines of credit, auto loans, student loans, retail cards and other consumer loans.
Does anyone know why Biden is polling around 50% versus Republican candidates? I don’t understand why anyone would vote to impoverish themselves and their families. Americans aren’t doing well under his leadership, and we should vote for a change of direction in 2024.
For years on this blog I’ve been observing what happens to freedom of speech and freedom of religion in countries where the secular left takes power. Michigan is a state that used to be purple, but they’ve moved further and further to the secular left. Let’s take a look at some of their recent leftist actions, then find out what is in their latest piece of anti-free-speech legislation.
Things started to get ugly when the Democrats did very well in the 2022 mid-term elections:
Democrats are projected to win key races and ballot measures across the board in the Great Lakes State, led by Gov. Gretchen Whitmer’s re-election victory. The party is also set to win multiple tight U.S. House races, enshrine a right to abortion in the state’s constitution, and take control of the state legislature for the first time in 40 years.
It’s the first time since 1983 that Democrats have had control of the legislature. When I think of purple states like North Carolina, they still have a very good conservative legislature. So a Democrat legislature really shows you how far Michigan has fallen. You would think that after Gretchen Whitmer’s horrendous handling of COVID (compared to Florida Governor Ron DeSantis) that they would have thrown the Democrats out, but they didn’t.
It’s not just putting a right to abortion into the state’s constitution. They also repealed the right to work without joining a union:
Michigan Democratic Gov. Gretchen Whitmer enacted legislation repealing right-to-work laws in the state on Friday, the first time such laws have been overturned in five decades.
So, if you are working in a union dominated field, you have to join a union and pay dues. Unions are overwhelmingly Democrat, and they tend to get involved in the worst social issues. I could never join a union, and now people are being forced to.
A Michigan man who shot an 84-year-old woman campaigning against abortion was sentenced to 100 hours of community service on Tuesday, according to the Associated Press.
She was shot in the back by the gunman. But Democrats LOVE when guns are used against Republicans, so he gets a slap on the wrist.
What about election fraud? That’s apparently not a serious thing in Michigan:
A local official in Flint, Michigan, was sentenced to six months of house arrest Monday for misconduct in office after sabotaging a ballot box in her own election in 2020.
After votes were cast in the 2020 primary election for her seat as township clerk, Funk sabotaged the ballot box, making the ballots ineligible for a recount, according to investigators.
She went on to win the general election later that fall.
It’s OK, because Democrats are allowed to do that. Michigan in particular has poor election integrity, coming in at rank 28 out of 50, in a recent ranking of election integrity.
Well, with all that said, let’s see the latest atrocity from the far left in Michigan, reported by Daily Wire:
A Michigan hate speech bill that has passed the state House and is now in the hands of the Senate is alarming conservatives, people of faith, and legal experts.
The bill, HB 4474, is part of a package of legislation that would replace Michigan’s existing Ethnic Intimidation Act and make it a hate crime to cause someone to “feel terrorized, frightened, or threatened.” Under the bill’s framework, “sexual orientation” and “gender identity or expression” are included as classes protected against intimidation. If passed, the hate speech legislation would make violators guilty of a felony punishable by up to five years in prison and a fine of $10,000.
Here’s a good comment explaining what the bill means to Christians and conservatives who are stuck in Michigan:
Rep. Angela Rigas, a Republican freshman in the state House, told The Daily Wire that including sexual orientation and gender identity as a “protected class” specifically targets conservatives who speak out against radical gender ideology.
“The state of Michigan is now explicitly allowing the gender delusion issue to be used as a ‘protected class.’ This opens up numerous issues when it comes to the courts and the continued weaponization of the system against conservatives,” Rigas said. “We saw similar concerns when they wanted to pass blocks on ‘conversion’ therapy. It seems Dems want to be in the business of telling people how to think. We are determined to keep choice and opinion a free choice despite those efforts.”
I’m not sure why people would continue to pay taxes to the secular leftists in the Michigan government. You’re literally paying for the rope that the fascists will use to hang you. And why? Because you say something that’s offensive to them.
Marriage stability vs sexual partners,(Teachman et al. JAMF, August 2010)
Christian writer Lori Alexander recently wrote a blog post (H/T Lindsay) urging Christian women to do 3 things:
be a virgin before marriage
be debt-free before marriage
don’t get any tattoos
She also urged women to be cautious about college, because it often gets them into debt. I disagree with her a little here. I always urge young women to earn a STEM degree in college, then work a few years to pay off their loans (if any) before marrying. This is because women, like men, need to have the experience of doing something hard that they don’t “feel” like doing, in order to grow. STEM degrees teach young people that the world doesn’t revolve around them, and that their feelings don’t matter when trying to solve a problem in the real world. It’s a very useful way for women and men to break themselves out of the desire for free and easy happiness that is so common in our time.
Lori’s article drew enormous opposition from both secular and Christian sources. So far, the only people defending her are men’s rights sites, like Dalrock (Christian) and Spawny (non-Christian). Every other “Christian” blog or news site that I read disagreed her article, and argued that premarital sex was no big deal, that having debt was no big deal, and that having tattoos was no big deal.
Let’s take a look at her three points, then I’ll explain why her article is largely correct, and why she is correct about what she asserts about the criteria that godly men have for women.
Even one non-husband premarital sex partner raises risk of divorce
Virginity
Regarding her first point, virginity is commanded by the Bible, it’s in line with peer-reviewed studies on marriage quality and stability. The reason that people find this difficult is that they want the freedom to give in to sexual desires without feeling shame. They want to believe that there is no permanent effect. It doesn’t help that parents and pastors are terrified of telling young people, and young women in particular, that promiscuity harms marital stability. Right now, the culture is drowning in feminism. Feminism tells women that the traditional male roles of provider, protector, and spiritual leader are “sexist”. The “best” men are good-looking pro-abortion bad boys. If a Christian woman is not able to think through the meaning of sex with respect to marriage enough to control herself, it seriously harms the stability of her future marriage.
Starting and Mid-Career salaries by profession (click for larger image)
Debt-free
Regarding her second point, almost everything a serious Christian man might plan to do for Christ with his marriage is impacted by finances. From education, to marriage timing, to number of children, to home ownership, early investment, to the success of children. to age of retirement. Less money means fewer choices, and less ability to counter challenges. Think of how important money for legal defense is to Christian-owned businesses who are being persecuted, for example. The reason that many people find the Bible’s teaching on stewardship difficult is that they don’t want to exercise self-control with money if they don’t feel like it. They want to waste money seeking fun and thrills, and then act like their poverty could not be avoided. Being debt-free is an indicator of practical wisdom and self-control in a woman.
Chapter 9 of Hugh Hewitt’s “In, But Not Of: A Guide to Christian Ambition”
Tattoos
Tattoos are a problem for serious Christian men for several reasons. First, they cost money and for no gain, and can even cause you losses in your career. Second, most people get them because of low self-esteem or vanity or to look rebellious or to look dangerous. None of these motivations should be acted upon by someone with a robust Christian worldview. The money could be better used on charity, or investments, etc. Women show what their priorities really are by how they spend their money and time. Show me a woman’s bookshelf, and I’ll tell you how seriously she has thought about what it means to be a Christian in all areas of life. Instead of showing me your tattoos to demonstrate your “spirituality”, show me your apologetics books, to demonstrate your intellectual engagement. And tell me how you used that information to engage in conversations with educated non-Christians to answer their challenges to your faith. That way I’ll know that you use your money to train do hard things in order to have an influence for Christ in serious, practical, effective ways. A woman who can defend her faith and discuss Christianity with non-Christians is demonstrating her ability to raise Christian children in a secular society.
A family praying and reading the Bible
The goal of marriage is to serve God
Today, young people have been taught to follow their hearts, and to deny that there is any authority or practical wisdom that should govern their decisions. They always imagine themselves to be exempt from moral rules, statistics, cause and effect, etc. They think they know better than everyone else – even though they do almost no research on their own. Every adviser who tells them to study computer science instead of creative writing is wrong. Their same-age friends know more about what causes divorces than peer-reviewed research papers. And money should be spent on skydiving and zip-lining, regardless of what financial experts like Dave Ramsey might say.
A woman who has made many mistakes cannot fix those mistakes with words. Rationalizations, evasions, and blame-shifting do not work to show that there has been real repentance. The man can only assess whether grace has caused any real re-prioritization of goals by evaluating her outward actions over a long period of time. Furthermore, if a woman who has made mistakes attacks those who correct her from Bible’s teachings on chastity, stewardship, etc., then it’s a sign that there is no real repentance.
Choosing a wife wisely doesn’t mean that Christian men treat OTHER Christian women poorly. Christian men love all the Christian women. We care for them and support them. But when a man chooses a wife, he is choosing someone who will have more influence on his ability to serve God than anyone else. In my case, the goals for my marriage involve making a difference with apologetics in the church, having many children who will receive the educations and careers they need to have an influence, influencing government to promote Christian-friendly policies, charitable giving, mentoring young Christians, modeling a good marriage to others, and having a home that can serve to host discussions about issues that matter. These things are not free – they take careful planning and execution to achieve.
Lori’s advice is intended for men who are serious about making their marriage produce a return for God. Men who are chaste themselves. Men who accept the Bible as an authority. Men who earned STEM degrees, instead of easy nonsense degrees that don’t lead to good careers. Men who earn 6-figure salaries, who buy houses for cash, and who are on track have a 7-figure net worth by age 50. Men who made good decisions cannot risk marrying someone who hasn’t prepared for marriage. The wrong woman in the home could ruin the man’s effort to produce a marriage that gives glory to God.
Not every man intends to achieve something for God with his marriage, but those who do need to choose a woman who has demonstrated ability at doing the job. For example, if the job requires marital fidelity, then chastity is a good indicator that the woman has the necessary self-control. If the job requires frugality, and practicality, then being debt-free, having a STEM degree, and having some private sector work experience are good indicators that she’s qualified for the role. Nothing valuable in life is ever been achieved by being lazy, wild and irresponsible. Serious Christian men look for wives who have applied themselves to difficult tasks that they didn’t feel like doing, who achieved success by remaining committed to the plan, in spite of their unhappy feelings and unmet desires.
We have a problem in the church such that we aren’t serious about teaching young people to develop marriage-ready character and to make serious plans for marriage. We are teaching them to follow their hearts, and that their feelings and desires are clues about God’s will for their happiness. We are teaching them to be uncomfortable with responsibilities, expectations and obligations to others. We are teaching them not to do their own research. We are teaching them not to make practical, wise plans. We are teaching them to ATTACK those who try to get them to be serious about doing what is likely to work. This approach is not working.
My own criteria for a wife are more demanding than Lori’s. My advice there is only for serious Christian men who want their marriage to serve God.
WINTERY KNIGHT 