by Travis Mateer
Unlike Americans, Europeans have had TWO world wars fought in their own backyard. And, unlike Americans, people in countries like Poland–who have actually experienced Communism first hand, not some Bernie Sanders meme version of it–are preparing for those days, or worse.
Here’s an excerpt from the link (emphasis NOT mine):
Artur, 57, a pensioner, drove up from Swidnik, some 30 km (18 miles) from the mine in eastern Poland on Tuesday, hoping to buy several tonnes of coal for himself and his family.
“Toilets were put up today, but there’s no running water,” he said, after three nights of sleeping in his small red hatchback in a crawling queue of trucks, tractors towing trailers and private cars. “This is beyond imagination, people are sleeping in their cars. I remember the communist times but it didn’t cross my mind that we could return to something even worse.”
In the UK, small businesses that haven’t already succumbed to “health” mandates from the scamdemic are being hit hard with spikes in energy costs. From the Irish Times:
The owner of a small coffee shop in the centre of Athlone was shocked when she opened her electricity bill this week and realised she had been charged almost €10,000 for just over two months of energy usage.
The cost of electricity to the Poppyfields cafe for 73 days from early June until the end of August came in at €9,024.70 an increase of 250 per cent in just 12 months. There doesn’t include the €812.22 in VAT, which brought her total bill to €9,836.92.
It has left Geraldine Dolan wondering if she will be able to continue running the business she has owned for the last 16 years as Ireland heads into what is certain to be a winter of rising energy prices and cost of living spikes.
In Missoula COUNTY, the budget being proposed will add another double-digit tax increase ON TOP OF the CITY tax hike.
So, what are our County Commissioners doing to address the growing anxiety that thinking about survival and losing one’s home due to clinically cold financial terms like “inflation” produces? Well, they are doing VERY important things, like holding a PET COMMISSIONER CONTEST.
Yes, this is an actual thing, but not as much fun as doing ANOTHER very important thing, and that’s selectively forgive the debt of TWO non-profits. Why? I dunno, ’cause they do good things for our community, I guess. From the link:
Missoula County forgave nearly $150,000 in loan debt owed by two nonprofits on Tuesday, saying they provided a community benefit.
Free Cycles saw more than $87,000 in debt forgiven while Homeword had roughly $62,000 in debt forgiven. Both loans were provided by the county years ago through its Community Development Block Grant revolving loan fund.
“It makes a great deal of sense to take a look at the non-profits in a different way than we would the for-profit business as it relates to community benefit,” said Commissioner Dave Strohmaier. “It’s something we have within our jurisdiction to do, and I think it will be a big help.”
Hmmmm…are these the same types of helpless politicians who feign injury like Killdeer when criticized about passing on insurmountable costs to homeowners? The same ones that complain like a broken record about their hands being tied behind their backs by meanie Republicans at the State?
While shenanigans around pets and debt take place, attempted baby thief, Rhonda Hiner, is back in jail, this time on a felony theft charge. I’m concerned the arresting agency, MCSO (Missoula County Sheriff Office), might mistakingly assume objects have more value than babies.
So, while selective debt forgiveness and an idiotic pet commissioner contest are priorities for our County Commissioners, unstable people, like Rhonda Hiner, continue exposing the limitations of our community’s ability to provide assistance.
I’ll leave it there, for now. Thanks for reading!