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Election Integrity Is a National Imperative

KEY TAKEAWAYS

  • HR 1 mandates the most questionable and abuse-prone election rules nationwide, while banning commonsense measures to detect, deter, and prosecute election fraud.
  • Election reform is a national imperative, but under our Constitution, election reform must be undertaken at the state level.
  • The American people expect us to ensure that every eligible citizen is able to vote and also make sure that their vote is not stolen or diluted.

After an election marked by significant voting irregularities and numerous instances of officials setting aside state election law, I share the concerns of millions of Americans about the integrity of the 2020 election.

That’s why when I was serving as presiding officer at the joint session of Congress certifying the Electoral College results, I pledged to ensure that all objections properly raised under the Electoral Count Act would be given a full hearing before Congress and the American people.

The tragic events of Jan. 6—the most significant being the loss of life and violence at our nation’s Capitol—also deprived the American people of a substantive discussion in Congress about election integrity in America.

Under the Constitution, elections are governed at the state level. And each state is required to appoint presidential electors “in such Manner as the Legislature thereof may direct.”

Many of the most troubling voting irregularities took place in states that set aside laws enacted by state legislatures in favor of sweeping changes ordered by governors, secretaries of state, and courts.

While legislators in many states have begun work on election reform to restore public confidence in state elections, unfortunately, congressional Democrats have chosen to sweep those valid concerns and reforms aside and to push forward a brazen attempt to nationalize elections in blatant disregard of the U.S. Constitution.

Congress will vote this week on HR 1, the so-called For the People Act, a massive 800-page election overhaul bill that would increase opportunities for election fraud, trample the First Amendment, further erode confidence in our elections, and forever dilute the votes of legally qualified eligible voters.

In 2008, when the U.S. Supreme Court upheld Indiana’s new voter ID law, the ruling noted that America has a long, well-documented history of election fraud. The court cited the 2005 report of the bipartisan Commission on Federal Election Reform headed by former President Jimmy Carter and former Secretary of State James Baker, which said the “electoral system cannot inspire public confidence if no safeguards exist to deter or detect fraud.”

HR 1 would eliminate those safeguards and prevent states from implementing new, needed reforms. Polling shows that large numbers of Democrats did not trust the outcome of the 2016 election and that large numbers of Republicans still do not trust the outcome of the 2020 election.

We have to do everything we can to change that and ensure that the American people, no matter which political party they favor, have confidence in the fairness and security of the election process.

HR 1 mandates the most questionable and abuse-prone election rules nationwide, while banning commonsense measures to detect, deter, and prosecute election fraud.

The bill would force states to adopt universal mail-in ballots, early voting, same-day voter registration, online voter registration, and automatic voter registration for any individual listed in state and federal government databases, such as the Department of Motor Vehicles and welfare offices, ensuring duplicate registrations and that millions of illegal immigrants are quickly registered to vote.

States would be required to count every mail-in vote that arrives up to 10 days after Election Day. States must also allow ballot harvesting—where paid political operatives collect absentee ballots from places such as nursing homes—exposing our most vulnerable voters to coercion and increasing the risk that their ballots will be tampered with.

At the same time, state and local election officials would be stripped of their ability to maintain the accuracy of voter rolls, barred from verifying voter eligibility, and voter ID would be banned from coast to coast.

Congressional districts would be redrawn by unelected, unaccountable bureaucrats. Illegal immigrants and law-abiding American citizens would receive equal representation in Congress. Felons would be able to vote the moment they set foot out of prison.

Leftists not only want you powerless at the ballot box, they want to silence and censor anyone who would dare to criticize their unconstitutional power grab.

HR 1 is also loaded with ill-advised changes to federal campaign laws that would impose onerous legal and administrative burdens on candidates, civic groups, unions, nonprofit organizations, and ordinary citizens who want to exercise their First Amendment rights to engage in political speech, including on public policy issues that are vital to the life of our nation.

Under HR 1, donations to many private organizations would be made public, exposing millions of Americans to the radical left’s cancel culture crusade.

Every single proposed change in HR 1 serves one goal, and one goal only: to give leftists a permanent, unfair, and unconstitutional advantage in our political system.

HR 1 would turn a blind eye to very real problems at the state level, exacerbate existing vulnerabilities, and further undermine the American people’s confidence in the principle of “one person, one vote.”

Election reform is a national imperative, but under our Constitution, election reform must be undertaken at the state level. Our Founders limited Congress’ role in conducting our elections for good reason: They wanted elections to be administered closest to the people, free from undue influence of the national government.

Having run for office at both the state and federal levels, I have concluded that the bedrock principles of free and fair elections are access, security, and the ability to engage in free and open debate.

HR 1 is an unconstitutional, reckless, and anti-democratic bill that would erode those foundational principles and could permanently damage our republic.

After a year in which our nation has endured a global pandemic, economic hardship, and a contentious election, now is not the time to further inflame passion and division. It is time for our nation’s leaders to help America heal.

To restore public confidence in our elections, our leaders should uphold the Constitution, reject congressional Democrats’ plan to nationalize our elections, and get about the serious work of state-based reform that will protect the integrity of the vote for every American.

The American people expect us to ensure that every eligible citizen is able to vote and also make sure that their vote is not stolen or diluted through errors, mistakes, or outright fraud.

Every citizen deserves the freedom to support, oppose, criticize, or promote the candidates and causes they believe in. And most importantly, the American people must have the utmost confidence that every voice matters, and every vote counts—or democracy cannot survive.

This piece originally appeared in The Daily Signal.

13 Killed in California Crash Allegedly Entered US Illegally via Border Fence Hole: Officials

U.S. Customs and Border Protection officials said they believe the victims killed in the collision in Southern California just miles from the U.S.-Mexico border were illegal immigrants who were smuggled through a dilapidated border fence near Calexico.

A Ford Expedition carrying more than two-dozen people collided with a semi-truck in Imperial County, California, on Tuesday, leaving at least 13 dead and more injured, local officials said.

Border Patrol agents and the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) opened an investigation to see whether the car was carrying smuggled migrants.

“We pray for the accident victims and their families during this difficult time,” said El Centro Sector Chief Patrol Agent Gregory Bovino in a news conference on Wednesday. Agents, he said, believe the deceased individuals were part of a larger group of about 44 migrants who were smuggled through a hole in the fence near Calexico, a California city that lies along the border and is next to the Mexican city of Mexicali.

Bovino added that an “initial investigation into the origins of the vehicles indicate a potential nexus to the aforementioned breach in the border wall, while adding that “human smugglers have proven time and again they have little regard for human life.”

“Those who may be contemplating crossing the border illegally should pause to think of the dangers that all too often end in tragedy; tragedies our Border Patrol Agents and first responders are unfortunately very familiar with,” he said in the news conference.

California Highway Crash
Law enforcement officers work at the scene of a deadly crash in Holtville, Calif., on March 2, 2021. (Gregory Bull/AP Photo)

The deadly collision occurred on Highway 115 at Norrish Road in Holtville, located some 115 miles east of San Diego. It’s not immediately clear what caused the crash.

And Guatemalan officials on Wednesday said they received information that one Guatemalan national died and another person from the Central American country was injured, Reuters reported. Ten Mexican nationals also died in the incident, Mexican authorities said, according to the news agency.

The revelation that the Expedition was carrying smuggled illegal immigrants is sure to trigger criticism against the White House from Republicans and some Democrats who represent districts near the border over its immigration policy. Starting on Jan. 20, President Joe Biden has signed a number of immigration-related orders, which Republicans have said have triggered a crisis along the Southern Border.

Biden, in remarks to reporters on Tuesday, downplayed concerns of there being a crisis at the border. “No, we’ll be able to handle it,” he said, while confirming that he received a briefing about the border situation Tuesday.

Department of Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas, meanwhile, alleged the previous administration bears some responsibility for the crisis.

“Let me explain to you why [fixing the broken immigration system] is hard and why it is going to take time,” he said during a news conference on Monday. “I think it is important to understand what we have inherited because it defines the situation as it currently stands. Entire systems are not rebuilt in a day or in a few weeks.”

But Rep. Henry Cuellar (D-Texas), whose district lies along the border, warned that the situation needs to be taken seriously by the White House—namely due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

“It is not a crisis yet, but it will become a crisis,” Cuellar warned in a Fox News interview. “The numbers have been increasing, and as your report just said a few minutes ago, the numbers are just increasing every day. The number of unaccompanied kids, the number of families who are coming in are just increasing every day.”

Police in India Allow Attack on Churches, Then Arrest Christians

(Morning Star News) Armed Hindu extremists in Madhya Pradesh, India disrupted worship services at two churches on Feb. 7, beat congregation members and pressured police to arrest more than 20 Christians on suspicion of forcible conversion, sources said.

Under a new anti-conversion ordinance that came into effect in the state on Jan. 9, Udaigarh police in Alirajpur District charged one of the two churches’ pastors with forcible conversion.

Pastor Malsingh Meda and 21 members of his church in Bhamdakhapar village were arrested, as was pastor Dilipsingh Vasunia, who leads a church in Jambukheda village. Pastor Meda was released at 1 a.m. on Feb. 8, and Pastor Vasunia was charged with forcible conversion and obtained bail on Feb.10.

Though police reached both villages before the Hindu extremist attacks on the worship services, they did nothing to stop the damage to the church buildings or the assaults on the Christians, eyewitnesses told Morning Star News.

“I was conducting the service when one of them [Hindu extremists], carrying a gun, came and slapped me twice on my face,” Pastor Meda told Morning Star News. “Then another man carrying a gun approached me and slapped me, then three others carrying wooden sticks came one after another and hit me with the sticks.”

Before attacking his church, the mob belonging to the hindu extremist Hindu Yuva Janjati Sangathan (Hindu Youth Tribe Organization, HYJS) had disrupted the Sunday service of Pastor Vasunia’s congregation. Two Hindu extremists were brandishing guns as the mob questioned worshippers and searched their belongings, video on social media shows.

The mob is seen questioning women, checking their Bibles and rummaging through their bags. Police follow the assailants but do not stop them. Officers later detained Pastor Vasunia and his nephew, Bhajan Vasunia, and took them to the Udaigarh police station on suspicion of forcible conversion, said Abhishek Ninama, a relative of the pastor.

The same mob then left for Bhamdakhapar village, where they assaulted Pastor Meda and other male worshippers while two policemen stood idle outside the church building.

“My son was stopped by two policemen from entering the church, and he witnessed that a group of Hindu extremists pushed the two policemen aside and made their way into the church carrying guns,” Pastor Meda said.

Congregation women ran to a room and locked themselves inside to escape assault, he said. Among male church members beaten with wooden sticks was a senior citizen, the pastor said.

The mob also desecrated a cross and Bible, confiscated Christian literature and damaged church property and parked vehicles, Pastor Meda said. The Hindu mob divided into groups.

“One group entered the church and, locking the door from inside, they began to assault me and all the male members, while another group damaged all the vehicles parked outside the church,” he said. “Yet another group climbed the roof and broke the roof with heavy stones. They then began to attack us with stones by throwing them from the roof. They aimed a huge stone at my wife, and she barely escaped it.”

Pastor Meda called a police hotline, and the attackers fled – to the Udaigarh police station, where they were waiting when officers brought Pastor Meda and 21 church members for interrogation, he said. HYJS members had filed a complaint of forcible conversion.

Six children, some as young as a few months old, accompanied their mothers at the police station, where church members waited for hours before they were released.

“They were asked if they were allured to attend church, and what kind of benefits they have been offered to become Christians,” Pastor Meda said. “Women boldly testified how their husbands had been drunkards, how some had had prolonged sickness, how some had been possessed by a demon, and how they had been cured by coming to church and by putting their faith in Jesus.”

Officer P.S. Damor told Morning Star News that police had made the arrests based on a complaint from a relative of a person alleged to have been converted by allurement.

Nine men including Pastor Meda were detained, with eight of them released that evening and the pastor later that night at 1 a.m.

Pastor Vasunia’s nephew was also let go, while officers put him and Pastor Meda in the same cell.

Hindu Extremist Agitation

Pastor Meda said Hindu extremists surrounded the police station clamoring for charges against the Christians well past 11 p.m.

“We could not see them, but we could hear a huge mob shouting slogans of ‘Jai Shri Ram [Hail lord Ram]’ and a lot of movement of the mob around the police station,” he said.

A local Christian who requested anonymity told Morning Star News that he visited the police station that night to enquire about the pastors.

“Around 8 in the evening, about 300 men belonging to the Hindu organizations had surrounded the police station. They were shouting slogans demanding them to be booked under stringent laws,” said the source, who fled the area fearful of attack by the agitated mob.

HYJS District President Dilip Chauhan told media that for several months the organization has gone to every police station in Alirajpur District with “proofs” to get Christian pastors arrested.

“We go to the church and catch hold of the pastor and bring him to the police station to be arrested,” Chauhan reportedly said on Feb. 7. “HYJS demands that an FIR [First Information Report] be registered against Pastor Dilip Vasunia under the new anti-conversion ordinance 2020 of forceful conversion, and if this does not happen, we will stage a protest.”

Police later that day charged Pastor Vasunia under the new anti-conversion ordinance.

Office Damor confirmed the charge.

“We have booked Dilipsingh Vasunia under the new anti-conversion ordinance 2020 on charges of forcefully converting the complainant’s relative,” Damor told Morning Star News. “We have done our investigation and found the allegation to be true.”

New Ordinance

Since the new ordinance, which replaced the state’s previous anti-conversion law of 1968, came into force on Jan. 9, official reports show 28 people have been booked, according to the Hindustan Times. More than half are Christians, according to police records.

State Home Department records show that eight cases have been registered in eight districts of Madhya Pradesh in one month; four cases are said to be against nine Muslims, and four against 19 Christians for allegedly luring and coercing people to change their faith through worship meetings, police reports showed.

The Supreme Court on Feb. 12 refused to entertain a plea by attorney Vishal Thakre challenging the validity of the “Madhya Pradesh Freedom of Religion Ordinance,” sending it back to the Madhya Pradesh High Court.

Vijayesh Lal, general secretary of the Evangelical Fellowship of India, said the new anti-conversion laws in Madhya Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh states are far more severe than laws passed earlier in Gujarat and Himachal Pradesh states, which in turn were far more severe than prior laws passed in Odisha (then Orissa) and Madhya Pradesh in the 1960s.

“These laws encourage vigilantism by extremists and increase impunity,” Lal told Morning Star News. “They have put religious minorities in a dangerous situation in which it has become very easy for just about anyone to target them just by leveling the convenient allegation of forcible conversion, because these ordinances make every conversion suspect and place the burden of proof on the accused rather than the accuser.”

The Indian constitution allows for freedom of religion, but laws and ordinances ironically entitled “Freedom of Religion” that actually curtail religious freedom are in force in eight states: Odisha (1967), Madhya Pradesh (1968 and 2020), Chhattisgarh (2000 and 2006), Gujarat (2003), Himachal Pradesh (2006 and 2019), Jharkhand (2017), Uttarakhand (2018) and Uttar Pradesh (2020).

Although a similar law was passed in Arunachal Pradesh in 1978, implementary rules have not yet been formed. Tamil Nadu passed a law in 2002 but later repealed it. Rajasthan passed a similar law in 2006, but the state governor has not signed it.

The hostile tone of the National Democratic Alliance government, led by the Hindu nationalist BJP, against non-Hindus, has emboldened Hindu extremists in several parts of the country to attack Christians since Prime Minister Narendra Modi took power in May 2014, religious rights advocates say.

India ranked 10th on Christian support organization Open Doors’ 2021 World Watch List of the countries where it is most difficult to be a Christian, as it was in 2020. The country was 31st in 2013, but its position worsened after Modi came to power.

If you would like to help persecuted Christians, visit https://morningstarnews.org/resources/aid-agencies/for a list of organizations that can orient you on how to get involved.  

Alabama to Join Texas, Mississippi, Florida, Others in Eliminating Mask Mandates this Week

Alabama will become one of the next states to eliminate a government-imposed mandate that requires people wear masks in public, sources close to the matter told Breitbart News.

A source familiar with state deliberations confirmed that as soon as Friday but definitely in the coming days. Alabama will join several other states nationwide in removing its mandate requiring masks in response to the coronavirus pandemic.

GOP Gov. Kay Ivey’s office has not yet confirmed what sources familiar with the state’s planning and deliberations are, but a spokeswoman for Ivey told Breitbart News she was never a fan of mandates to begin with—a sign of the coming move.

“All along, Governor Ivey has made clear that she prefers personal responsibility to government mandates. We are optimistic that our state is heading in the right direction, and we still have some work to be done. Governor Ivey will provide an update to the people of Alabama soon,” an Ivey spokeswoman said.

The governor’s spokeswoman would not deny that she intends to lift the mask mandate on Friday, when the order is set to expire–but would not confirm the news either.

While this statement does not confirm outright what Ivey has planned—again, sources familiar with the deliberations confirmed to Breitbart News that she is planning to scrap the mask mandate—this development is significant as it comes on the heels of several other states ditching their own mask mandates.

Alabama Lt. Gov. Will Ainsworth also released a statement on Wednesday urging Ivey to ditch the mask mandate once and for all:

Ivey could always back down ahead of the forthcoming announcement, and if she does it will be seen as cowering to democrats like President Joe Biden in Washington without following scientific advice and the leadership of other GOP-led states. Alabama Democrats are pressuring Ivey to cave to Biden and keep the mandate:

This week, Texas Gov. Greg Abbott and Mississippi Gov. Tate Reeves—both Republicans—announced they are lifting their states’ mask mandates. They join 14 other states—Florida, South Dakota, Alaska, Arizona, Georgia, Idaho, Iowa, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, North Dakota, Oklahoma, South Carolina, and Tennessee—in not having mask mandates.

These red states’ decisions to ditch previously implemented mask mandates are a rebuke of Democrat President Joe Biden’s push to try to get Americans to wear masks for his first 100 days in office. Biden is not even through half of his first 100 days and already losing the confidence of a growing number of U.S. states rejecting his advice and guidance.

In response to the announcements from Texas and Mississippi, Biden lashed out at the White House on Wednesday falsely calling the people in those states subhuman.

“The last thing, the last thing we need is Neanderthal thinking that in the meantime, everything’s fine, take off your mask, forget it,” Biden said about Abbott’s and Reeves’s moves.

One of the sources familiar with Alabama’s forthcoming decision told Breitbart News that Biden attacking the people of Texas and Mississippi is playing a huge role in Alabama’s move to nuke the mask mandate. In other words, this person said, Biden’s attacks on American citizens are backfiring as more and more responsible government leaders across the country reject his authority and are moving away from his recommendations as he shows disdain for Americans from states that did not vote for him for president.

“Joe Biden has fewer functioning brain cells than a Neanderthal and continues to listen to clowns like Fauci, who’s been wrong at every turn, but he’s got the nerve to criticize states who abandon mandates that aren’t supported by science? Screw him,” one source familiar with the forthcoming order changes in Alabama told Breitbart News.

Capitol Police Taking March 4 Threats Seriously

Capitol Police say they are taking threats for a possible March 4 plot to breach the Capitol as “serious.”

Law enforcement officials on Wednesday warned that a militia group was discussing carrying out attacks at the Capitol on Thursday, a day tied to conspiracy theories about March 4 being a “true inauguration day.”

The police warning didn’t give specifics, citing the “sensitive nature of this information.”

Capitol Police and federal law enforcement have been criticized for not acting faster on intelligence that the Jan. 6 protests could turn violent.

“The United States Capitol Police Department is aware of and prepared for any potential threats towards members of Congress or towards the Capitol complex,” the department said in a statement. “We have obtained intelligence that shows a possible plot to breach the Capitol by an identified militia group on Thursday, March 4. We have already made significant security upgrades to include establishing a physical structure and increasing manpower to ensure the protection of Congress, the public and our police officers.

“Our Department is working with our local, state, and federal partners to stop any threats to the Capitol. We are taking the intelligence seriously. Due to the sensitive nature of this information, we cannot provide additional details at this time.”

Capitol Police have beefed up security since the Jan. 6 riot.

The Capitol remains surrounded with fencing topped with razor wire and some 5,000 National Guard troops remain on site.

Biden Blasts Red States for ‘Neanderthal Thinking’ on Masks

After Texas and Mississippi lifted their longstanding face mask mandates, President Joe Biden fired back at their leadership on Wednesday, calling it “Neanderthal thinking.”

“The last thing we need is Neanderthal thinking in the meantime: ‘Everything’s fine, take off your masks,'” Biden told reporters at the White House. “It still matters.”

“It’s critical, critical, critical that they follow the science,” he continued. “I know you all know that. I wish to heck some of our election officials knew it.”

Biden was asked at the end of his Oval Office appearance before reporters about Texas and Mississippi both lifting face mask mandates a day earlier and removing restrictions on indoor capacities at businesses.

“I think it’s a big mistake,” Biden said. “Look, I hope everyone’s realized by now, these masks make a difference. We are on the cusp of being able to change the nature of this disease because of the way we’re able to get vaccines in people’s arms.”

Biden announced there will be enough vaccines in America by the end of May to inoculate anyone who wants to be vaccinated. The timetable was moved up from the end of summer, to July, and now to the end of spring, Biden said. There are now three vaccines approved for emergency use in America, produced by Pfizer, Moderna and Johnson & Johnson.

“This entire country has paid the price for political leaders who ignored the science when it comes to the pandemic,” White House press secretary Jen Psaki told reporters at the daily press briefing.

“There’s still more work to be done. We need to remain vigilant.”

The issue of mask wearing has been a divisive one for months, with some critics calling the use excessive. Particularly as some medical experts have advocated for wearing more than one mask at a time for added coronavirus protection, some have bristled at the notion.

Masks have been recommended by many medical experts, along with social distancing and hand washing, as ways to curb the spread of COVID-19 since the start of the pandemic. At issue now is whether the arrival and dissemination of effective vaccines signals that the time is right for a relaxation of some of these restrictions.

Bill Gates’s New Book Proposes Extreme Ways to Avoid a Climate Disaster, but at What Cost? (FEE)

The Foundation for Economic Freedom (FEE) reports:

There are no solutions. There are only trade-offs.

“In a typical year the world emits over 51 billion tons of greenhouse gases, and as we keep doing that, the consequences for human life will be catastrophic.”

So begins the promotional video for Bill Gates’s new book, How to Avoid a Climate Disaster. It’s a harrowing thought, really, that the world could be on the brink of catastrophe. But Gates is optimistic that we can mitigate the climate crisis if we take the right steps in the coming years.

Those steps may be painful, however. Drastic threats call for drastic measures, Gates seems to reason, and the chief measure he recommends is completely eliminating greenhouse gas emissions.

“The case for zero was, and is, rock solid,” Gates writes. “Setting a goal to only reduce our emissions—but not eliminate them—won’t do it.”

One of his proposals for reaching net zero emissions is direct air capture, which takes carbon dioxide out of the air and stores it underground. He also hopes to leverage developments in wind and solar power to clean up the energy grid, and encourages us to pursue technology breakthroughs to reduce emissions in other industries.

One of the more radical changes Gates recommends is transitioning our diets to synthetic meat.

“I do think all rich countries should move to 100% synthetic beef,” Gates remarks in an interview with MIT Technology Review. “You can get used to the taste difference, and the claim is they’re going to make it taste even better over time.”

I’ll admit I’m skeptical as to whether fake meat will be able to replace the real thing anytime soon. In any case, Congresswoman Lauren Boebert wins the prize for the best reaction to Gates’s suggestion.

To call Gates’s goals ambitious would be an understatement. Currently, roughly 80 percent of US energy comes from fossil fuels, so reducing emissions to zero would require a complete transformation of the energy grid. Add to that changes in agriculture, manufacturing, and other industries, and we’re looking at a complete overhaul of the modern American economy.

Complete…and expensive.

Just one major cost would come in the form of public spending on clean tech, which Gates recommends increasing fivefold to $35 billion per year. That’s a high dollar figure, to be sure, but the real cost is the resources, such as land, labor, and materials, that get used up for these investments.

Wind farms, for example, take up land—and a whole lot of it—that could have been used for housing developments or other productive purposes. Notably, turbines and other supporting infrastructure only take up about 3 percent of the total land used for wind power, while the rest of the land is typically left “as is” to avoid air flow obstructions. As a result, it takes at least 60 acres of land to produce one megawatt of wind power.

With respect to materials, the silicon that goes into solar panels is silicon that can’t be used to make microchips. And with respect to labor, workers that produce synthetic meat in subsidized meat plants are no longer producing the other goods and services they’d be producing in more productive operations.

The point is, when $35 billion worth of resources is allocated to clean tech, that’s $35 billion worth of resources that can’t be used in the private sector on things like cancer research, improved sanitation, food production, or affordable housing.

So the true cost of this public spending isn’t really the dollars and cents. Rather, it’s the lost opportunities to pursue other projects that meet other needs. Economists refer to these lost opportunities as the “opportunity cost” of an expenditure. Of course, it’s easy to ignore these costs because they are so invisible, but that doesn’t make them any less real. And especially when we’re talking about spending $35 billion per year, we need to keep in mind just how many foregone opportunities that entails.

With that said, public spending is hardly the only part of Gates’s plan that would involve significant costs. Indeed, the regulations he proposes for the energy industry would also have detrimental effects on the economy, and especially on the poor.

The problem with regulations is that they make it far more difficult to produce energy, because production has to be shifted away from economical methods and toward inefficient methods. So not only will less energy be produced, but energy will also become far more expensive. This is especially harmful for the poor, who rely on cheap, plentiful, and reliable energy for transportation, heating, and other basic needs.

Opportunity costs factor in here, too. When people are forced to spend more money on energy, they have less money to spend on other things, such as food, rent, or medical insurance. Ironically, we would also have less climate resilience because fewer resources would be going toward better infrastructure.

Opportunity costs extend far beyond green energy policies, of course. In the classic book Economics in One Lesson, for example, Henry Hazlitt illustrated the concept of opportunity costs with the example of a government bridge.

“The bridge exists. It is, let us suppose, a beautiful and not an ugly bridge. It has come into being through the magic of government spending. Where would it have been if the obstructionists and the reactionaries had had their way? There would have been no bridge. The country would have been just that much poorer [so it seems].

Here again the government spenders have the better of the argument with all those who cannot see beyond the immediate range of their physical eyes. They can see the bridge. But if they have taught themselves to look for indirect as well as direct consequences they can once more see in the eye of imagination the possibilities that have never been allowed to come into existence. They can see the unbuilt homes, the unmade cars and radios, the unmade dresses and coats, perhaps the unsold and ungrown foodstuffs….What has happened is merely that one thing has been created instead of others.”

The government-funded initiatives which Gates is proposing could very well be developed if he gets his way. There would be more wind farms, more solar panels, and more direct CO2 capture facilities. Those things would visibly exist. But as with the bridge in Hazlitt’s story, we must also consider everything that would have been prevented from existing. In many cases, this could be living essentials that people depend on for survival. Indeed, if we implement everything Gates is proposing, it could mean millions being thrown into poverty and thousands of deaths as a result.

So while it may be appealing to pursue climate solutions, we should keep in mind the words of Thomas Sowell. “There are no solutions. There are only trade-offs.” And not all trade-offs are good ones. Some trade-offs are of the “out of the frying pan, into the fire” variety.

Thus, while Gates’s book prescribes “how to avoid a climate disaster,” the question that must not be neglected is whether those prescriptions will cause humanitarian disasters far worse than any they prevent.

Horowitz: The big lie behind the panic over COVID ‘variants’ exposed

‘Variants’ are the new ’15 days to flatten the curve’

It was the most unprecedentedly destructive decision in the history of human civilization. Officials decided to lock down a society and treat every human being like a leper until a vaccine was introduced, regardless of whether those interventions helped one iota in slowing the virus. Well, the vaccine is here, so it’s game over, right? Wrong. “Variants” are the new 15 days years to flatten the curve. Except the premise is built on a lie.

“The US is at risk of losing all its recent gains in the battle against Covid-19 as highly contagious variants take advantage of Americans getting lax with safety measures,” read the opening line of a fresh new piece of panic porn from CNN on Tuesday. Never mind the fact that the mask mandates have not been lifted one iota in states like California and have been intensified at the federal level, but of course, we already know masks don’t work.

It’s the perfect narrative. What more can they do to keep people under their control as roughly 35% of the country has already gotten the virus and pretty much any vulnerable person who wants a vaccine now has access to one? Well, watch out for the new variants that, of course, just magically appeared and were never there all along – they will make us start all over again!

We already know that T cells and B cells play the predominant role in stimulating immunity against coronavirus, at least against any serious illness. So how does T cell immunity work against the new strains? Researchers at the Center for Infectious Disease and Vaccine Research, La Jolla Institute for Immunology, tested both people who already had the original strain of the virus and those who had the Moderna and Pfizer vaccines to see if the T cell responses worked against the four new strains: B.1.1.7 (British), B.1.351 (South African), P.1 (Brazilian), and CAL.20C (Californian).

The results? “T cell responses are largely unaffected by the variants.”

“Overall, the results demonstrate that CD4+ and CD8+ T cell responses in convalescent COVID-19 subjects or COVID-19 mRNA vaccines are not substantially affected by mutations found in the SARS-CoV-2 variants,” concluded the authors of this complex T cell study.

This study should come as no surprise to those who have been following the research on T cell immunity over the past year. Researchers in Singapore found that those who recovered from SARS-1 in 2003 not only retained their SARS-specific memory T cells 17 years later, but that those T cells appeared to work against SARS-CoV-2 in lab simulations. It stands to reason that a variant of SARS-CoV-2 is unlikely to pose a greater challenge to the immune systems of convalescent COVID patients that it does to those who had a completely different form of coronavirus.

The media is trying to scare people by reporting each variant as if it’s something novel to this particular virus, when in fact, most viruses have endless numbers of variants that are generally not impervious to the immune system’s response triggered by the original variant. Forget about four or five variants; already, back in June 2020, a paper published last in the WHO Bulletin claimed that a variant analysis of SARS-CoV-2 genomes “detected in total 65776 variants with 5775 distinct variants.”

The media is focusing on these few variants as if they are somehow more deadly, but the reality is that cases and deaths have plummeted in all of the source countries, such as South Africa, Brazil, and England, over the past two months, coinciding with the same decline following the late fall spike in nearly every part of the world.

Additionally, according to a study by University of Arizona researchers, the British variant has been circulating in the U.S. since mid-November and does not appear to have altered the existing trajectory of the virus under the original strain. Clearly, these variants have not altered the natural progression – roughly two-month cycles of mechanical waxing and waning of this virus – that we have observed since the beginning.

A King’s College study of 37,000 people during the peak of the fall spread in England found no proof of higher mortality, hospitalization rates, or reinfection due to the new Kent B.1.1.7 variant among those who already recovered from the original virus. “A key question was whether immunity would be lost with the new strain,” observed Professor Tim Spector OBE from the School of Life Course Sciences. “Our analysis found that of every 1,000 people previously infected with the virus, only 7 got reinfected and this rate was not affected by the new Kent variant. It’s reassuring that reinfections are still really rare many months after previous infection, suggesting that both natural immunity and vaccines will be effective against this new strain.”

An even larger study of 184K from New and Emerging Respiratory Virus Threats Advisory Group (NERVTAG) for the British government concluded as of January that “we do not have evidence of an increased risk of hospitalization in individuals with variant B1.1.7.”

Finally, it’s important to remember that if those sowing panic about variants are correct, then it is a self-indictment of their own policies. Clearly, masks and lockdowns did not prevent their proliferation and never will in the future. Consequently, if somehow natural infection and vaccination do not protect against them, then there is no point in continuing any of these policies.

You know what does help and has not been proven any weaker against any variant – yet the government will not promote it? Cheap drugs and natural supplements – from hydroxychloroquine and ivermectin to doxycycline, vitamin D, zinc, quercetin and even aspirin and melatonin. Many of these treatments naturally boost the immune system and/or prevent viral RNA from replicating itself. They work for all sorts of RNA viruses, not just COVID, so the variants will not change this equation.

As such, it looks like the real answer to this problem – to the extent they believe it’s real – is to mail out cheap kits to every American to use as a prophylactic, as India has been doing for $2.65 a person.Sadly, that would unleash freedom in America without lining anyone’s pocket. It would also alleviate the fear and panic of getting the virus. Given that tyranny and cronyism control our government and media, the contradictory panic porn will continue, forcing our public health officials to double down on failure to address their own supposed concerns.

108 Illegal Immigrants Released by Border Patrol in Texas Tested Positive for COVID-19: Officials

More than 100 illegal immigrants released into Texas by the U.S. Customs and Border Protection have tested positive for the CCP virus, or the virus that causes COVID-19, since late January, officials said.

Felipe Romero, a spokesperson for Brownsville, Texas, told Fox News that 108 migrants tested positive for the CCP virus since Jan. 25—when rapid testing for the virus began. That represents about 6.3 percent of the total undocumented migrants who were rapid-tested in Brownsville’s bus station, the official said.

The Epoch Times has reached out to the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), the agency that oversees the Border Patrol, for comment.

Romero told Fox that the city doesn’t have the authority to halt migrants who test positive for the virus from traveling anywhere else in the United States, although officials advised them to quarantine and follow federal health guidelines.

“The City of Brownsville continues to follow all guidelines provided by the CDC and [Department of State Health Services] for COVID-19. The migrants who test positive at the B-Metro facility are advised of quarantine procedures and are asked to socially distance,” Romero also told Noticias Telemundo Investiga.

“There are several NGOs providing resources to a positive case,” he said to the outlet. “For example, organizations help with quarantine either in a shelter or at hotel. Since the City started testing the migrants on January 25, there has been 6.3 percent of positive cases. The Cameron County positivity rate is 13.8 percent.”

Several illegal immigrants told Noticias Telemundo Investiga that they tested positive for the CCP virus after taking a rapid test in Brownsville, which is located near the U.S.-Mexico border.

“Right now we were tested for COVID and they separated about eight of us because we were positive,” Miriam Izaguirre, of Honduras, told Noticias Telemundo Investiga on March 2. “We are waiting right now.” She was waiting to catch a bus to Houston.

Some illegal immigrants added to the network that they tested positive and are planning to go to New Jersey, Maryland, and North Carolina.

Eva Orellana, 29, told the outlet that she’s planning to go to North Carolina—after she tested positive for the virus.

“On the way, we were wearing a mask all the time, gel, washing our hands,” she said. “Really, I don’t feel anything.”

Rep. Henry Cuellar (D-Texas), whose congressional district lies partially on the border, told Fox News this week that the surge of migrants along the border may turn into a full-fledged crisis.

“It is not a crisis yet, but it will become a crisis,” Cuellar warned. “The numbers have been increasing, and as your report just said a few minutes ago, the numbers are just increasing every day. The number of unaccompanied kids, the number of families who are coming in are just increasing every day. In my district, just a couple of days ago, 166 people. And it goes on, and just different numbers are going up. So, it’s not a crisis yet, but it’s going to get there very soon.”

The Democrat noted that it’s not just the increase in immigrants—but also the virus.

“You add COVID-19 on top of that. You add a lot of the border communities are not getting the vaccines fast enough. The fact they aren’t letting Mexican legal visa holders come across, but they’re letting undocumented people in, that does cause a concern to me and a lot of my border community leaders down there. So yes, and if you look at the Border Patrol, they’re operating at 25 percent,” he further stated.

Liberals claimed CPAC stage was Nazi symbol, but company whose founder is ‘very liberal’ designed stage

‘Great work conspiracy theorists’

Liberals claimed over the weekend that the stage used at the Conservative Political Action Conference resembled symbols used by German Nazis.POLL: What scares you the most?

But, as it turned out, the stage was designed by a Maryland-based company that designed stages for President Joe Biden and whose owner is a Biden supporter.

Who designed the stage?

According to Forward, the company responsible for designing the stage, Design Foundry, said the stage was designed to make best use of the conference space — not to propagate Nazi hate.

The company told Forward that it “had no idea that the design resembled any symbol, nor was there any intention to create something that did.”

In fact, the contract between Design Foundry and the American Conservative Union — the umbrella organization that hosts CPAC — stipulates that Design Foundry alone is responsible for the stage design.

“The designs, renderings, drawings, specifications, materials and other documents used or created as part of the proposal are owned by Design Foundry,” the contract states, according to Forward.

Meanwhile, Design Foundry has also worked with MSNBC, Google, Target, and Citibank, among other major companies.

Additionally, journalist Yashar Ali revealed that Design Foundry has worked with Biden and that the company’s owner is “very liberal” and supports Biden.

I know Design Foundry because they handle design for many events in DC for companies like MSNBC & Target. They oversaw the design for the Biden Cancer Summit in 2018. The owner, Annie, is very liberal and was so excited for Biden’s victory. Great work conspiracy theorists.

Also worth noting that many of her employees are liberal. So many of you decided to go after something without any reporting or knowledge about who was responsible for the design. And before you ding her for working for CPAC, you try having an events business during a pandemic.

What is the background?

Viral social media posts claimed over the weekend the stage used at CPAC was designed to resemble Nazi insignia.

“Has anyone else noticed the shape of the CPAC stage is the Odal Rune/SS insignia?” one post claimed.

“The #CPAC stage is designed to be a rune used by the Nazis. Curious if @Hyatt is okay with Nazi symbols being used on their properties like this?” another viral post by Morgan J. Freeman — the filmmaker, not the actor — claimed.

Despite objections from CPAC organizers saying their stage was not, in fact, a Nazi symbol, Hyatt Hotels, which hosted CPAC at the Hyatt Regency in Orlando, Florida, appeared to lend legitimacy to the outcry by responding to the charges.

“We take the concern raised about the prospect of symbols of hate being included in the stage design at CPAC 2021 very seriously as all such symbols are abhorrent and unequivocally counter to our values as a company,” Hyatt said.

What did CPAC say?

The organization said it would no longer work with Design Foundry.

“It’s clear that the company we retained designed a stage that has become an unwelcome distraction. As a result, we will not be using that company’s services going forward at future events,” Ian Walters, director of communications for the ACU and CPAC, told Forward.

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