Wednesday, August 26, 2026

The week in review with Bill Katz, the editor of Urgent Agenda

 


Guest:   Bill Katz, the editor of Urgent Agenda.   The Trump administration  declares economic war on Iran.  "Bodegas" vs in New York City.   Former Secretary Clinton calls what's happening in the Democrat Party is a healthy experiment......


Green is bad





Green is bad:

Why is gasoline more expensive in LA than just about everywhere else?

Click to read:

https://www.americanthinker.com/blog/2026/08/green-is-bad/

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Before the Iran war, or before the affordability crisis could be blamed on President Trump's gas prices, gasoline was very expensive in California. I remember a friend visiting Los Angeles and telling me that he saw $6 gasoline when it was slightly over $3 in Texas. That's a lot of cash going from your wallet to the pump. I was surprised to hear that gas was so expensive out there.

So why was gasoline more expensive in LA than just about everywhere else? The answer comes in green --  this madness also known as the green agenda. Let's read more about it from Joel Kotkin:

Since the early 2000s, governors and legislators from both parties have signed onto a climate agenda that has contributed to a rise in California’s gas prices to around $5.55-$5.59 per gallon, compared to a national average of about $4.02. The cost of electricity is among the highest in the continental U.S.

Gov. Newsom’s response has been to blame Big Oil for price gouging. But that’s a convenient excuse. The truth is that California’s high energy prices are better understood as a self-inflicted wound, traceable to the state’s quixotic green energy policies.

Energy analyst Robert Bryce notes that wherever governments have tried to base their energy supply on a swift shift to renewables -- the UK, Germany, California -- the result has been huge spikes in energy prices.

Germany’s vaunted industrial economy has been devastated in large part because of the high cost of renewable energy.

These costs undermine California’s prosperity, while expanding the state’s already extreme divide between the haves and have-nots. The Air Resources Board’s most recent “scoping plan” -- the state framework for achieving carbon neutrality -- projects that the shift to renewable energy will result in significant income declines for households earning less than $100,000 annually, while boosting incomes for those above this threshold.    

These high costs make it difficult for California to cash in on its still remarkable innovation economy. This is one reason expanding tech firms -- many of them funders of green NGOs -- have set up new facilities in Arizona or Texas rather than California. Electricity costs are a major factor in chip-manufacturing and high-intensity computing.

 Let me make a long story very short: Go green, go broke.

The reality is that going green makes life more miserable for the middle class. The pain comes when you put gas in your car, or you get that electric bill in the mail. This is the reality of the green climate agenda. Everything is more expensive, and the Democrats just blame it on oil companies or (what's new) President Trump.

The green climate agenda also makes California less attractive for investment and drives more companies out. What happens when one of these companies, say, moves to Texas? They usually take jobs with them and a few taxpayers as well. Just drive through Central Texas, and you will see what I mean.

Green kills your economy -- just look at California. What a shame. Such a beautiful state governed by environmental fanatics.

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The TV and major league baseball games




We take baseball on TV for granted these days.  In fact, I watch more games on TV than at the ball park.  

So when did "baseball on TV" start?  The answer is 1939:
"Red Barber, the long-time radio voice of the Dodgers, also called the game for the broadcast. In the first game, Reds ace pitcher Bucky Walters flummoxed the Dodgers, holding them to just two hits in a 5-2 win. The Dodgers got their revenge in the second game with a 6-1 victory. In that second game, Dodger pitcher Hugh Casey snagged his ninth win with help from first baseman Dolf Camilli, who hit a two-run game-winning home run, his 22nd of the year, in the second inning. 
The game was broadcast from New York City’s Empire State Building, completed just eight years earlier, and could be seen in homes up to 50 miles away."
And that was the first televised game!

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Chicago 1968 and the Democrats

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August 26, 1987: Paul Molitor's streak ended at 39

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On this day in 1987, Paul Molitor went 0-for-4 and the streak was over.  He hit .415 during the streak.  It is still the 7th longest streak and the best since Pete Rose in 1978 and Joe DiMaggio in 1941.

Molitor broke with the Brewers in 1978.   He went on to have a marvelous career:  .306 average, 3,319 hits, & 1,307 RBI.  

He hit .355 for the Brewers in the 1982 World Series and was the 1993 World Series MVP when Toronto beat Philadelphia.

Just a great player and recently managed the Minnesota Twins.

P.S.  You can listen to my show.  If you like our posts, please look for ”Donate” on the right column of the blog page.

Tuesday, August 25, 2026

Ossoff 2028, US vs Canada trade & more

 


Ossoff 2028, US vs Canada trade & more....


Is Ossoff the ‘macho’ the Dems have been looking for?

Is Ossoff the ‘macho’ the Dems have been looking for?:

He wants to be "macho" but won't stand up to the party that wants his little girls competing with biological males.

Click to read:

https://www.americanthinker.com/blog/2026/08/is-ossoff-the-macho-the-dems-have-been-looking-for/




August 1967: Dean Chance pitched his second no-hitter of the month

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Back in 1967, Dean Chance pitched 2 no-hitters in one month.   The first one was a rain shortened 5-inning game and the second was a 2-1 victory over Cleveland.

Chance broke with the Angels in 1964:   20-9, a 1.69 ERA, 11 shutouts and 15 complete games.   Later, he was traded to the Twins and had a great 1967 season:  20-14 and 2.73 ERA.     


My biggest memory of Chance was pitching for the Twins, specially when Boston and Minnesota played for the AL pennant in the last day of the 1967 season.


Overall, he won 128 games with a 2.92 ERA!    


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August 1914: The Panama Canal opened for traffic

A little history today.   The Panama Canal  has another birthday this month.   The engineers selected the location in 1906 and construction began in 1909.  As we understand, they moved 240 million cubic yards of earth and spent more than US$ 400 million.  It was finally opened for traffic on this day in 1914.

Happy # 80 Rollie Fingers



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We salute Roland Glen Fingers, who was born on this day in 1946 in Ohio.

Rollie Fingers broke with the A's in 1968 and became their closer in 1971.    

Fingers and the A's won the AL West in 1971, The World Series in 1972, 1973 & 1974 and one more division in 1975.

Charlie Finley blew up the team in 1976 and Fingers went to San Diego.   He pitched for Milwaukee in the 1982 World Series.

Fingers saved 341 games and was one of the key reasons for the A's incredible run in the 1970's.  He was selected to The Hall of Fame in 1992.

P.S.  You can listen to my show.  If you like our posts, please look for ”Donate” on the right column of the blog page.