I’m happy to report that the Simpson family is on the mend. We got back home on the 22nd from a great visit with the eldest daughter and our new son-in-law in Denver, and then got covid on Christmas eve. But after a couple of days of feeling lousy, I’ve gotten back to about 75% of my usual capability.
And while I’m loath to brag on myself, even at 75%, I’m much more capable than the current presidents of Harvard or the United States at their 100%. (I know: that’s not much to boast about.)
Since this will be my last column of the year, my instinct is to try to look back on the major events of 2023. But the big picture is a little too disheartening to me for that right now. So instead, I’m going to ramble through a few stories that caught my attention recently, and that I’d taken a few notes on before I got sick.
First up, I saw a clip of CNN Chief Legal Analyst Laura Coates on a recent edition of Bill Maher’s show. And before you say anything, no, I’ve never heard of Laura Coates either. And good lord no, nobody with the title of “CNN Chief Legal Analyst” should generally be taken seriously on any topic, for any reason, at any time.
However, her response to one question perfectly represented the consistent self-regard of our leftist “betters” in the media, especially when it comes to demanding that we deny obvious realities when they contradict lefty narratives.
When Maher brought up the economy and Biden’s recent record low polling, Coates said, “I feel like people talk about the ‘feel-onomics,’ right? How I feel about something more than what the actual data is…”
Got that? Leftists like Maher and Coates think that normal (deplorable) people rely on their “feelings” about the economy, rather than on “data.” Which is more than a little ironic, coming from the ideologues for whom “feelings over data” might as well be their motto, credo, and one single commandment.
Feel like a 14-year-old girl named Genevieve? Then ignore the 50-year-old bearded face you see in the mirror, because that’s just an irrelevant data point.
Feel like Hamas is opposed by the peace-loving people of Gaza? Then ignore the cheering throngs in the streets when raped and dead Israeli women are paraded around and spit on, as well as the polls showing that 75% of Gazans support this very thing. Just more data points.
Feel like Biden is healthy and competent, and that Grandma Squanto is an Indian maiden (#wemustneverstopmockingher), and that Ilhan Omar isn’t a brother-marrying jihadi-sympathizer, and that Hunter isn’t a brother’s-widow-jumping, degenerate, addicted bagman for his dad?
Then ignore all the information that your eyes and brain present to you, because those are just irrelevant data points.
Where was I? Oh yeah, people ignore data about the economy in favor of their feelings.
I’ve got news for you, CNN lady. Every time we go to a grocery store, or buy gas, or apply for a mortgage we are being pelted by many, many painful data points. And similarly to when any blunt object strikes you in the groin – ice cream has doubled since Brandon arrived? I NEED my ice cream! – you “feel” pain.
And that pain doesn’t contradict data points. It is the natural consequence of contact with those data points. You idiots!
Speaking of dishonest media propagandists, a recent obituary of the inventor of Glock pistols reads like a parody of ignorant, bad-faith character assassination.
The man’s name was Gaston Glock, and he died this week at the age of 94, and the column starts with some basic information, followed by his company’s statement about his contributions to the industry.
And then it turns into a game of what Adam Carolla has called, “Stupid or Liar?” Because the writer has to be either one or the other.
He says, “It is unknown how many people have died as a result of Glock handguns.”
What?
Then he notes that the Glock was an improvement over other guns of its time, but follows with, “But many gun control advocates criticized Mr. Glock for popularizing powerful guns that they said were easy to conceal and could hold more ammunition than other guns.”
Okay. So gun grabbers “criticized” his product for being superior to its competitors? Got it.
The rest of the article is a long listing of mass shootings which evil criminals carried out with Glocks! I kept reading, certain that I’d eventually get to the part where the writer estimates how many millions of crimes have been prevented with Glocks, how many murders, assaults and rapes were stopped with Glocks, etc.
HA! I kid.
Because I knew what to expect when I read the headline that this shmuck gave his article: “Man who made billions out of death and killing dies at the age of 94.”
I’m not making that up. And sadly, this article typifies the level of sophisticated thinking on display in most anti-second amendment arguments.
Speaking of defective thinking, California leftists continue to reap what they’ve been sowing.
From 1902 until 2019, California gained population every single year. And now, for the third year in a row, they’ve lost population.
Headlines throughout 2023 tell the story: “CA’s population is on the decline, and high-income earners have joined the exodus” (March 23rd). “CA ranks #1 state wealthy Americans are moving away from” (July 25th). “CA is leaking vital high-income taxpayers” (August 21st).
My favorite LA Times headline – because of how clearly it reveals the writers’ low opinion of their lefty readers’ intelligence – comes from December 19th: “Rich People are Leaving California. That’s bad for the economy.”
DUH!
As the headlines suggest, the state is not getting a good trade in terms of who is leaving and who is moving in. Even before we look at the numbers, we can all guess what each group looks like.
People fleeing: Those who want to work hard, earn money, and keep more than 48% of it. Those who want to start a business and employ people. Those who don’t enjoy physical combat with either micro-managing petty bureaucrats or violent, mentally ill drug addicts.
People arriving: Meth enthusiasts who prefer living outdoors over gainful employment, and like warm winters. Grievance study majors with a tackle-box worth of facial piercings and a blog espousing “quiet quitting.” Those who enjoy the freedom of waking up around noon, rolling out of their sleeping bag, and pooping on the sidewalk.
And no offense to CNN lady, but the economic data back up those “feel-onomic” factors: Recent IRS data shows that the average income of leavers was $137K, while the average of arrivers was only $75K.
Losing almost twice as much on every such “trade” would hurt the income of any state. But CA is a leftist state where the evil rich have been paying their “fair share!” If by “fair share” you mean that the most productive 1% should pay 40-45% of all state income taxes.
The good news is that after the last three disastrous years, CA’s political leaders finally seem to have learned their lesson, and are reversing course in 2024, cutting taxes in an attempt to lure back successful citizens.
HA! I kid again.
Ken-Doll Newsom, fresh from his debate beatdown by DeSantis, signed legislation to increase the top state income tax rate from the already highest in the nation 13%, to an eye-watering 14.4%!
Annnndddddd…
one year after Ken-Doll bragged about having a surplus of $97.5 billion, the state has experienced “an almost unbelievable 25% decrease” in income tax collected, and now expects a $68 billion DEFICIT next year.
You know what I call that, don’t you?
That’s right: Bidenomics!
Finally, I’d like to end 2023 on another positive note, with a feel-good Christmas eve story from relatively near Bethlehem.
This time of year, I usually like to watch festive videos such as “Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer” or “A Charlie Brown Christmas.” But this season, my favorite video was produced by the IDF. It tells the heart-warming tale of Hassan Atrash, the terrorist most responsible for arming Hamas, as well as smuggling weapons into the West Bank.
Since Israel has had the good sense to ignore Biden and Blinken (and Lloyd Austen and Blitzen!), they’ve been knocking off most of the worst terrorists in Gaza. And a few days before Christmas they discovered a car that Atrash was riding in.
They had a jet in the air, and followed Atrash’s car on video, as it wove through the crowded streets of Rafah. Then, when it moved down a less crowded street, the Israeli pilot got the command and launched a missile.
And to paraphrase an old seasonal poem:
“It sprang off its rail, with a hiss and a whistle,
And it dropped through Hassan’s roof like the down on a thistle.
And the pilot exclaimed, as he flew out of sight,
Shalom, mother-friender, the dust you can bite!”
I love a happy ending!
By the way, THIS is a story that deserves a headline like, “Man who devoted his life to death and killing dies at the age of 68.”
But I will settle for brevity: “IDF takes out Atrash.”
I’ll see you in the new year, everybody!
Hamas delenda est!
Martin Simpson 