Wasted Money

I see that the Department of Labor, not to be outdone by other federal departments in Extreme Chainsaw Activity, has done The Right Thing:

The U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) has canceled nearly $600 million in grants to foreign countries in another round of major funding cuts.

John Clark, a DOL official appointed by President Donald Trump, directed the department’s Bureau of International Labor Affairs (ILAB) to axe all 69 of its active grant programs on Wednesday due to a “lack of alignment with agency priorities and national interest.”

Quite what the Department of Labor was doing in giving money to furriners in the first place… well, we all know the answer to that one.  [humming the tune to “The Internationale”]

And seeing as the U.S. is no longer part of the international socialist collective — or at least we’re heading in that direction, at long last — there’s no reason for us to fund the wellbeing of foreign workers anyway.

One particular item did catch my attention, though:

“$3 million for ‘safe and inclusive work environments’ in Lesotho”

I’ve been to Lesotho several times, know the place quite well in fact, and for three million bucks you could probably buy the country’s entire industrial infrastructure, pay the workers a fat cash bonus and still have some money left over to  gamble  invest in a couple of their casinos.

Of “$3 million to ‘enhance social security access and worker protections for internal migrant workers’ in Bangladesh”, we will not speak.  (It’s a Muslim country;  let the fucking Arabs pay for it.)

Similar arguments can be made for all the other useless items.  Read the article for the full flavor of the wastage, and if you have specific knowledge of the circumstances of any of them, feel free to comment.

In the meantime:

Be Still, My Beating Heart

From the Trump Administration:

Attorney General Pam Bondi warned against committing acts of vandalism or terrorism against Tesla products or other Elon Musk-owned properties.

Bondi said those committing those acts would face the full brunt of federal law enforcement without the possibility of plea agreements.

That thumping noise you hear is that of my heart, having burst right out of my ribcage, doing a

around the house.

Friendlier Shores

I see that the Henry Repeating Arms Company has decided to move its 100% Made In America operation out of the  gun-hating state of New Jersey to the friendlier boundaries of Wisconsin.

Considering that Wisconsin is a super-prime target market for their lever-action rifles — all that deep-woods hunting, oh my — this should come as no surprise to anyone.  (I’m kinda curious as to why not Pennsylvania, but they doubtless have good reasons for the Midwest destination.)

The only question that I — and every American gun owner — would have is:  What the hell took you so long?

There are not that many, if any, gun manufacturers from which I could buy pretty much all the guns in their catalogue without regret, but Henry is definitely one.

I don’t care if the technology is old-fashioned and dated — what the hell, so am I — but this is one rifle I’ve never owned, but should have.

And About Damn Time, Too

Getting our act together:

President Donald Trump’s administration is eliminating taxpayer-funded housing program benefits going to illegal aliens.

This week, Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) Secretary Scott Turner and Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Kristi Noem announced the “American Housing Programs for American Citizens” memorandum which will prevent taxpayer money from being used to aid illegal aliens.

“American tax dollars should be used for the benefit of American citizens, especially when it comes to an issue as pressing as our nation’s housing crisis,” Turner said in a statement:

This new agreement will leverage resources, including technology and personnel, to ensure the American people are the only priority when it comes to public housing. We will continue to work closely with DHS to maximize our resources and put American citizens first.

Yup.

  • For illegal aliens:  tent cities and return tickets;
  • U.S. citizens in truly parlous circumstances:  subsidized housing.

Taxpayer money for our own, not for strangers.

By Any Other Name

So your community was trashed by a storm, and you’re about to get all sorts of relief from the .dotfedgov.

However, because you’re a bunch of woke raacists and sexxists, your announcement concerning said relief contains the following little nugget:

“Within the Small Business Support Program, the City will prioritize assistance for Minority and Women Owned Businesses (MWBE) within the scoring criteria outlined within the policies and procedures.”

In the bad old days (say, the Obama/Biden Years), this would have got nods of approval from the issuing power.

But we no longer live in those dark times, so:

Housing and Urban Development (HUD) Secretary Scott Turner has decisively rejected Asheville, North Carolina’s outrageous $225 million disaster relief request.

HUD Secretary Turner condemned the city’s initial draft action plan for prioritizing assistance based on race and gender identity rather than need. “This draft action plan that the city of Asheville presented at first has elements of DEI, and that is not acceptable to HUD.
“It’s not acceptable to the President, according to his executive order to get rid of all DEI. We’re working with the city of Asheville.”

Yeah… and?

“They have been very responsive to make sure that their upcoming draft action plan is in compliance with HUD and how we give funds out according to HUD’s principles.”

HUD’s new (and proper) principles, and not the old DEI-spattered ones, that is.

MOAR like this, please.