Chicago’s Deadly 4th Of July Weekend Leaves 109 Shot, 19 Deceased
The Democrat-run city of Chicago experienced a nightmarish weekend with over 100 citizens being shot over the 4th of July holiday.
Several teens were shot during the violent weekend, and an eight-year-old boy was killed.
Chicago Superintendent Larry Snelling discussed the shootings, telling the community, “We have to really stop and think about the mindset of someone who will shoot a child, a helpless child an unarmed mother and think that that’s okay. And go about their days. Those people have to be taken off the street. They have to be put away if we’re not doing that. Then we’re failing other families.”
Snelling was likely attacking the city’s far-left, Soros-backed district attorney Kim Foxx for allowing many repeat offenders back onto the streets.
Democrat Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson said, “Black death has been unfortunately accepted in this country for a very long time. Let’s tell the full story of how we got here because if you skip a chapter, it won’t give us the ability to actually make the proper adjustments so that we can ensure that stronger and safer becomes a reality.”
“These are not just numbers on pages, these are not just headlines in the news,” Mayor Johnson added. “No, these are our fellow Chicagoans, our neighbors, family members, who’ve lost their lives.”
ABC 7 Chicago detailed one shooting after another in a Monday article.
Overall, 24 “mass shootings” took place in the city during the holiday weekend.
Two deceased victims, 45-year-old Neekshia Strong and 24-year-old Capri Edwards, were “shielding children from gunfire on Independence Day,” according to FOX 32 Chicago.
Three boys, aged 5, 8 and 8, were struck during the shooting that killed Strong and Edwards, with one of the boys also dying.
A one-year-old child was in the home where Strong and Edwards were killed, but was miraculously not injured by the gunfire.
Democrats will undoubtedly use the unnecessary deaths to call for more gun control despite the fact the leftist city already has some of the strictest laws in the nation.
The tragic weekend comes just one month ahead of Chicago hosting the 2024 Democratic National Convention, which is perfectly fitting for the corrupt anti-American political party.
The Degenerative Disaster of Medicare
In 2023, the U.S. spent 1.04 trillion dollars on Medicare, which is over $3,000 per citizen. For an inefficient, problem-ridden program, that number is difficult for Americans to stomach.
Medicare is a health insurance program for seniors and specific disabled individuals. It has provided coverage for millions since it originated in 1965. However, the benefits it offers are far outweighed by its inefficiency and inadequacy, which cost trillions.
Medicare spending has grown exponentially since its creation under Lyndon B. Johnson. As of 2023, Medicare expenditures comprised 17% of the federal budget. The Congressional Budget Office projects Medicare’s spending will rise to $1.6 trillion by 2032. The Medicare Hospital Insurance Trust Fund, which finances a large percentage of Medicare, is set to be depleted by 2028. This threat of insolvency has the potential to leave millions of seniors without adequate coverage.
The causes of these burgeoning costs have a common thread: government inefficiency. Medicare’s fee-for-service model incentivizes quantity over quality—the program awards medical professionals for unnecessary procedures and artificially inflated costs. The American Medical Association approximates that 25% of Medicare spending, about $250 billion annually, is wasted on overtreatment, care administration inefficiencies, and excessive managerial costs.
Much of these administrative costs are due to the difficulty of complying with Medicare. A 2016 study showed that physicians spend an average of 785 hours per physician per year on Medicare regulatory compliance, costing an annual total of $15.4 billion.
These administrative complexities are due to the program’s intricate rules and regulations which often need to be clarified for both beneficiaries and healthcare providers. This often results in significant delays in care and excessive unnecessary costs. Medicare’s bureaucracy creates numerous obstacles for both physicians and patients which prevent seniors from getting the adequate care that they need.
This inefficiency is also passed on to seniors in the form of taxes and fees. Despite the common belief that Medicare is “free,” it comes with numerous hidden costs. The 2021 standard monthly premium for Medicare Part B was $148.50, with recipients with higher incomes paying up to $504.90 every month. Since 2000, these premiums have increased by 226%, far outpacing inflation. Additionally, the Medicare payroll tax is set at 2.9%, with those earning over $200,000 facing an additional 0.9% tax.
The aging of the U.S. population is putting unprecedented strain on Medicare. As the baby boomer generation continues to reach retirement age, the number of Medicare beneficiaries is growing faster than the working-age population that supports the program through payroll taxes. In 2022, there were 65.0 million Medicare beneficiaries, with 57.1 million aged 65 and older. This number is projected to increase substantially in the coming years.
The Medicare Trustees Report projects that Medicare spending will grow from 3.8% of GDP in 2023 to approximately 6% by 2047. This rate of increase is unsustainable, and the increasing ratio of beneficiaries to workers means that either taxes must increase significantly, benefits must be cut, or both.
In addition, Medicare’s current structure limits beneficiary choice and stifles innovation in healthcare delivery. Telemedicine has shown promise in reducing healthcare costs, especially chronic disease management. However, Medicare hasn’t embraced these innovations due to stifling regulatory constraints. A market-based approach would allow for greater experimentation and adoption of cost-effective healthcare solutions, driving innovation and improving care quality for seniors.
The current trajectory of Medicare spending is unsustainable and threatens the fiscal stability of the United States. With projected expenditures reaching $1.04 trillion in 2023, the system requires bold action from Americans and politicians who want to preserve the country’s future.
Healthcare systems will continue to fail as long as the government continues to heavily interfere. A reformed system should prioritize consumer choice, encourage provider competition, and reward innovation in healthcare delivery. This approach would utilize market forces to drive down costs and improve quality while ensuring seniors have access to comprehensive health coverage.
The time for incremental changes has passed. Medicare has cost tens of trillions and is not adequately serving seniors’ needs. Only through bold, market-oriented reforms can we hope to achieve an efficient healthcare solution that benefits both seniors and the rest of the American people.
Alex Jones Talks Big Picture In Must-Watch Analysis
The State of US Real Estate Is Not Good
The Home Buyers
As reported by ZeroHedge recently, the NAR U.S. Pending Home Sales Index dropped 2.1 percent MoM in May, down 6.6 percent YoY.
To put these numbers into perspective, the current index is at 70.8, or 70.8 percent of the contract activity in the base year 2001. This is lower than any point during the 2008 financial crisis; even lower than 2020, when lockdowns brought markets to a screeching halt. This is the lowest level of contract activity in my lifetime.
Source : Zero Hedge
The position of new home buyers in 2024 is unprecedented. Not only are prices at record highs, but the new generation of prospective home buyers can’t remember a time without cheap mortgages. During the steep decline in pending sales between 2005 and 2007, the average 30-year fixed rate mortgage only increased by about one percent. Since January of 2021, the average 30-year fixed rate has increased by 4.21 percent.
The Retail Investors
News is trickling out into the press that the investors are offloading non-traded Real Estate Investment Trusts (REITS) , and the demand for withdrawals is causing a significant cash shortage for major players link Blackstone and Starwood.
Last January, InvestmentNews ran a piece on the REIT situation, which included an interview from an anonymous executive.
“What’s going to happen over the next couple of years when commercial mortgages come due, and who will pick up the pieces?” asked a senior industry executive, who asked not to be identified. “Where will they get their refinancing, and where will the REITs and real estate investors go to get their leverage?
“Right now, the firms that hold a bunch of those loans are the regional banks,” the executive said. “And those smaller banks can’t do it, especially after what happened last year. They won’t be able to refinance.”
I discussed the endemic problems in regional banks in a recent article, but this unnamed executive raises another good point: even if the managers can pay disbursements, how are they going to refinance? Any new real estate investments are going to be negatively leveraged for the foreseeable future.
What’s Next for Real Estate?
We’ve covered home buyers and retail investors, but what about big institutional investors? I suspect private equity real estate (PERE) funds are in a similar position to nontraded REITS. For those not in the know, REITS are trusts while PERE funds are usually limited partnerships with owner-managers (General Partners or GPs for short) and non-managing limited liability owners (Limited Partners or LPs for short). At the end of the fund’s life, the owner-managers are supposed to sell off the assets and pay out the proceeds to the LPs.
Managers have some leeway over ending funds, depending on how the terms were negotiated in the partnership agreement. Some agreements funds allow managers, acting in good faith, to hold on to properties a bit longer than the fund’s intended lifespan to increase returns.
There was plenty of time for managers to get ambitious during Covid, when rates were low, real estate values were soaring, and investors were fire hosing money into PERE funds. It was, no doubt, very tempting to hold properties a bit longer than expected and keep collecting management fees. But what about now when rates are high and the market’s gears are full of sand? Will there be buyers willing to eagerly snatch up these properties at the current cost of borrowing?
Since these are private funds, we don’t get access to the limited partner advisory committee meetings, but any whiff in the press of legal disputes over fund payouts and clawback provisions will be a sure indication that something is amiss.
Alex Jones Talks Big Picture In Must-Watch Analysis
‘Joe’s All In — I’m All In, Too!’: Jill Biden Campaigns In Three States WITHOUT JOE
First Lady Jill Biden embarked on a whirlwind campaign tour visiting three states on Monday, attempting to push her husband Joe across the finish line as he sits on the sidelines.
Addressing calls from Democrats for Biden to step down during an event in Wilmington, North Carolina, Jill forcefully declared, “For all the talk out there about this race, Joe has made it clear that he is all in. That’s the decision he has made… I am all in too.”
Docta Jill left her dementia ridden husband at the White House to do another rally today:
— Greg Price (@greg_price11) July 8, 2024
“For all the talk out there about this race, Joe has made it clear that he is all in. That’s the decision he has made… I am all in too.” pic.twitter.com/LBGo68U6os
Jill will also appear Monday at campaign events in Columbus, Georgia, and Tampa, Florida, where Democrat city council member Alan Clendenin on Sunday urged Biden to drop out of the race, stating, “I believe it is in the best interest of our country and the world that President Joe Biden step aside and allow Vice President Kamala Harris to carry forward his agenda as our Democratic nominee.”
Florida Republican party chairman Evan Power referred to Jill as the “enabler-in-chief of an absent minded administration that has left the border open, allowed our country to be less safe, and has resulted in a world on fire,” according to the Tampa Bay Times.
The First Lady’s campaign appearances fuel concerns Joe’s being forced to stay in the race by family members unfazed they may be committing elder abuse by keeping him the party’s nominee.
Meanwhile, Biden on Monday issued a message to “fellow Democrats on Capitol Hill” explaining why he’ll remain in the 2024 presidential race despite calls to pass the torch.
Watch: Company Unveils Bullet Vending Machine
A new vending machine that sells ammunition is turning heads inside an Alabama supermarket, offering gun owners a novel way to purchase ammo without having to interact with a store clerk.
Purchasing ammo through the vending machine appears to have more safeguards than the US voting system; customers select their ammo type and scan their identification, then a facial recognition camera uses AI to verify their identity.
American Rounds COO Lawrence Songer told WVTM public reaction to the machine, installed inside the Fresh Value grocery store in Pell City in November 2023, has been mostly positive.
“The reviews and interactions we’ve had with customers think it’s a good idea. They think it’s convenient. They like the fact that it’s here,” Songer said, adding, “Sales have been steady and strong at all the locations we’ve launched, so far. And, hopefully it just continues that trend.”
However, one Fresh Value shopper expressed he thought it made ammunition too accessible.
“If you’re a responsible person, you don’t mind walking up to a counter and saying, ‘Hey, I need some .380 ammo or I need some 14 ammo,’ and if it takes you an extra second or two, so be it. You’re dealing with something that can take someone’s life. So I think that’s not too much of a price to ask,” the customer stated.
Songer contends the machine safely stores and secures the ammo so retail employees “don’t have the worry of putting something out on their store shelves that someone could steal.”
The company has so far put machines in 6 locations throughout Alabama and Oklahoma.
Submission Is a Good Place To Start
“Tonight will go down in history,” he began, as they reported the first returns. The National Front was way ahead, with 34.1 per cent of the vote. That part was more or less expected. It was what the polls had said all month—Marine Le Pen had gained only a few points in the last weeks of the campaign. But behind her, the Socialists had 21.8 per cent and the Muslim Brotherhood 21.7 per cent—they were neck and neck. With such a slim margin, they could easily switch positions, and probably would several times before the night was over: so far only the polling stations in Paris and the other big cities had reported. With 12.1 per cent of the vote, the conservative Union for a Popular Movement was clearly out of the running…”
Michel Houellebecq is France’s greatest living novelist, by some margin. He’s also it’s greatest prophet, divining the future in his novels, again and again, with an astounding prescience.
In his 2001 novel Platform, for example, which follows the career of a Parisian civil servant who gives up his humdrum existence for a life of sex tourism in South-East Asia, Houellebecq predicted the end of Fukuyama’s “End of History” and the rise of militant Islam as a force on the world stage. As a group of jetski-riding jihadis disembark on a Thai beach and begin slaughtering Western tourists in the book’s shocking conclusion, the certainties of the liberal “unipolar moment”—the sense of triumphalism brought about by the fall of the Berlin Wall and the West’s historic defeat of communism—vaporise in a cloud of smoke. Platform was published exactly two weeks before the planes hit the Twin Towers.
Another example. In 2019, Houellebecq’s novel Serotonin, in its depiction of a violent revolt by France’s desperate farmers, seemed to predict the rise just a few months later of the Gilets Jeunes or “Yellow Vests” movement in France. The mass movement looked set to bring the Macron government down until COVID-19 intervened and made large gatherings impossible. Very convenient, that.
But it’s Houellebecq’s 2015 novel Submission that really hits home the hardest, especially today, less than 24 hours after the latest round of parliamentary elections in France. Submission is a book about the Islamicization of France and the French people’s own complicity in it, including the book’s protagonist, a mild-mannered university lecturer who lacks the courage to resist and finally, at the end of the book, comes to peace with his role in the new Muslim France. As if to make Houellebecq’s prophecy all the more chilling, the book was published on the very day of the Charlie Hebdo shootings, when Islamic gunmen stormed into the offices of a satirical magazine that had dared to ridicule Islam, and slaughtered 12 people and injured 11 others. One of Houellebcq’s friends was killed in the attack.
Submission isn’t just a description of what life in an Islamic France might be like. It’s also an examination of how it happened. France becomes an Islamic state, ruled by an explicitly Islamic government, because the country’s leftist parties and political establishment can’t bear to see the country handed over to Le Pen, despite the fact that her party wins the largest share of the popular vote in the latest election. To prevent a truly right-wing government, the socialist party enters into a coalition with France’s newly formed Muslim Brotherhood, and its leader, Mohammed Ben Abbes, becomes the leader of the country.
There is no civil war, although one is threatened at multiple times in the book. There is no real violence, apart from the brutalisation of French citizens by the “new French” imported from North Africa and the Middle East. In the end, France as we know it simply collapses through exhaustion, political corruption and the inevitable effects of demographic change as a result of mass immigration.
Nine years later, and two years after the date for the Islamic takeover given in the book, Houellebecq’s prediction about the future of French politics has effectively come true. There may not be a French Muslim Brotherhood—yet—or a Muslim president—yet—but the broad details are all there. Macron has handed over the French government to the hard left, whose agenda is in many respects—and certainly with regard to immigration and foreign affairs (i.e. Palestine)—Islamicist in nature.
For the sake of keeping Le Pen at bay, Macron will allow the pace of demographic change to intensify yet further, which of course will only make the French establishment’s Le Pen problem worse, at least in the short term. France’s new left-wing alliance has already put forward dozens of demands related to immigration, all of which will allow even more people to come to France legally, including so-called “climate refugees” fleeing climate change, and make it all-but-impossible to expel illegal immigrants and foreign criminals.
Houellebecq possesses no crystal ball. He simply understands the French political system and the true depth of the cravenness of the French establishment. He knows the establishment would do anything to prevent Le Pen winning: that they would make a deal with the devil himself—or, failing that, Mohammed. He knows that they will keep doing this, for as long as it takes.
Submission offers no easy answers to this problem. In fact, it offers no answers at all. The key is in the title: “submission”—the meaning of the term “Islam.” In one of the book’s most poignant moments, the protagonist’s Jewish girlfriend flees France for Israel, but the protagonist is left to lament that, as a European, “There is no Israel for me.”
At that’s left is acceptance.
Deal with it.
So far, the French right have not taken the defeat lying down. Former presidential candidate Eric Zemmour, leader of Reconquête (Reconquest), issued a defiant statement yesterday as the results came in.
“No despair! Starting tomorrow, the fight must continue!” he wrote on Twitter.
“This evening, I know that the disappointment of our people is immense. For the right, for France, for all those who care about their security, their freedom, their identity, for all those who want France to emerge from the terrible crisis into which Macron has plunged it, the result is bitter.
“France has spoken on the right and the government will probably be on the left. So, what can we say about all those politicians who have called for voting for the far left? What can we say about Macronism, which disgraced itself by allowing Islamo-leftism to score this evening? What can we say about these false right-wingers, all these artists, these footballers, who have improvised as directors of conscience against the interests of the French? We will remember it.
“Millions of French people voted for the right this evening, despite the injunctions of the media, despite the turmoil of politicians. This is great news, worthy of the patriotism of our people. These elections will also have had the merit of clarifying the confrontation between the right and left-wing Islamism, between those who want France to remain France and its enemies who dream of seeing it disappear.”
These are fine words. And the French should be hopeful.
One thing Houellebecq didn’t reckon with, because it seemed far less possible in 2015, before the Migrant Crisis, is a massive resurgence of the right across the entire continent, from Hungary to Italy, and even Germany and the UK. This is now taking definite shape. He also couldn’t have seen the stunning rise in popularity of right-wing parties among the younger generations. The anti-immigrant Alternative for Germany is now the most popular party among 18-30 year olds in Germany, and throughout the election French TikTok was awash with anti-immigrant videos and proud declarations of “Yes, I’m racist” by boys and girls who a few short years ago would have been hanging around the trendier parts of Paris taking artful photos of themselves for their style blogs.
Even so, Houellebecq diagnosed, with tremendous acuity, the French people’s predicament, caught between rapid demographic change and an elite that will prevent them from doing anything about it. The answer is not submission, but Submission is a good place to start.
Epstein Files Come At A Bad Time For The Elite