Rubin Report: Freedom convoy putting visible stain on Canada's Trudeau as media lies ramp up

 

[VIDEO] So what's going on with the trucker protest convoy? Dave Rubin further discusses this ongoing protest which started in Ottawa and now has extended to even Detroit where a Canadian convoy has shut down a bridge into that city. Oh wait, you did know "Motor City" borders Canada?

Anyway, what's the common theme here? Well you will see clips from the liberal attack machine oh sorry the progressive left attack machine trying to tell their respective audiences to dismiss this convoy. And even Canada's Trudeau gov't trying to smear these blue collar logistical specialists (truckers) as any fringe groups that we're taught to shun. All of these truckers aren't nazis or white supremacists or confederates, they're just tired of the pandemic and the restrictions.

Wayne County refuses to certify results, but then....

 

[VIDEO] Wayne County won't certify their results in Michigan if the state board of canvassers follows suit and doesn't certify election results it could pave the way for the Republican controlled Michigan Legislature to select electors. Every state law as far as electors for the Electoral College I'm sure is different and if this works out that way then we have a new ballgame. Then again we'll have to see it's still 2020 you know it's not quite weird, yet. 

Oh wait:

The Wayne County Board of Canvassers abruptly changed course Tuesday night and certified the results of the Nov. 3 election after initially deadlocking 2-2 along party lines, which could have delayed the state process for validating pivotal votes.

The deadlock decision had been lauded by Republicans but decried by Democrats. During a lengthy public comment session, the vote was described as a targeted attack on majority-Black Detroit, the largest city in the county and state.

After hours of angry responses from Wayne County residents, the change in course was approved by the two Republican and two Democratic canvassers with the demand that the Secretary of State's office conduct a "comprehensive audit" of precincts with unexplained out-of-balance tallies.

The high-stakes vote, with the eyes of the nation on Michigan's largest county, apparently took place while the video stream for the virtual meeting wasn't working.

Not so fast.... 

Newsmax video via Newsalert

Hydroxychloroquine has become a political drug...

Now wait a second, he's not the only Democrat who is claiming the benefits of using hydroxycholoroquine. That medicine is one used in the treatment of malaria and is being promoted as a treatment to the coronavirus. The bad news is that promoting it's use is proving political in a time where we need treatments to this virus which is burning through the world's population.

A Democratic New York City Councilman says hydroxychloroquine saved his life after a near-fatal run-in with COVID-19 in March.

Paul Vallone, who represents northeast Queens, took the drug along with a standard flu Z-pack, and came back from the brink almost immediately.

“I couldn’t breathe, very weak, couldn’t get out of bed. My doctor prescribed it. My pharmacy had it. Took it that day and within two to three days I was able to breathe,” Vallone told The Post. “Within a week I was back on my feet.”

Though Vallone went public with his coronavirus diagnosis in an April 1 Twitter post, saying he was experiencing “mild symptoms,” his actual condition was considerably more severe. Vallone’s initial prognosis was particularly grim, as he also suffers from sarcoidosis, an auto-immune disease that attacks his lungs.

“We were in panic mode when I went down because I didn’t have a lot of immune response,” he said. “I needed something to stay alive.”

Hydroxychloroquine “worked for me.”

Vallone’s brother Peter, a former City Councilman and a current civil court judge in Queens, also became a convert after his brother’s illness.

“I guess all those doctors who are prescribing it are right. This drug is already on the market and the patent is up so it’s cheap. A new drug won’t be. So big money does not want this drug to be used. Always follow the money,” Peter Vallone said in a May 12 Facebook post, sharing a link to an NYU study touting the drug.

I guess you want to know who was the other Democrat? And it was very early into this pandemic during the time of panic buying and lockdowns. Back when we didn't know as much about this virus:

State Rep. Karen Whitsett, who learned Monday she has tested positive for COVID-19, said she started taking hydroxychloroquine on March 31, prescribed by her doctor, after both she and her husband sought treatment for a range of symptoms on March 18.

"It was less than two hours" before she started to feel relief, said Whitsett, who had experienced shortness of breath, swollen lymph nodes, and what felt like a sinus infection. She is still experiencing headaches, she said.

Rep. Karen Whitsett (Photo: Michigan House of Representatives)

Whitsett said she was familiar with "the wonders" of hydroxychloroquine from an earlier bout with Lyme disease, but does not believe she would have thought to ask for it, or her doctor would have prescribed it, had Trump not been touting it as a possible treatment for COVID-19.

Trump, at his daily coronavirus briefings, has repeatedly touted the drug in combination with the antibiotic azithromycin, despite criticism from health professionals that it is unproven and potentially dangerous. There have also been complaints that Trump's remarks have resulted in a shortage of the drug for those people who normally use it for its recommended purposes.

Why is talking about this drug as a treatment for coronavirus political? Because Trump has been talking about it, but I thought this was a dangerous illness. We need treatments to get back to some semblance of normal right? And yet, someone out there whether a doctor or nurse or politician wants to discount the President's assertion out of hand and anyone else who believes this could be an effective treatment without any study or consideration. I don't understand....

I also get the feeling any news from this NYC councilman will get suppressed. This is not something that's going to get spread because it goes against the grain of anyone who wants to discount President Trump.

It sort of happened to Michigan State Representative Whitsett.  She got censured by her caucus when she talked about this drug.

h/t Newsalert

What can $65K buy you in Detroit, Michigan?

It's been quite a while since covering the great American city of Detroit aka Motor City. As has been advertised in the news over the years Motown has suffered from population loss. Not only that there are a lot of foreclosed homes and vacant lands which have also been turned into urban farms.

Of course for the purpose of today's post Curbed Detroit looks at those homes which cost at least $65K. One home shown on their post costs about $60K two of the homes show in that post cost $69.9K.

If you can get through the many issues of Detroit which probably could amount to taxes and crime, a good deal could be had. Of course the basic rule of real estate is get in before the prices increase. Detroit may be a city in decline, however, nothing is forever! Detroit may rise from its decline.

Here’s what $65K can buy in Detroit right now https://t.co/8Pflhyhrac pic.twitter.com/7qAmi0xtjk

— Curbed Detroit (@CurbedDetroit) February 26, 2018

Detroit gets a light rail line

[VIDEO] If I were to pay a visit to the great American city of Detroit - a place I visited in 2009 - I would find a light rail line.

Detroit is a city that at it's peak had over a million people has fallen on hard times and now is somewhere around have a million people. That city had significantly depopulated over the last 40 or so years.

It's a city that needs some good news, perhaps this light rail line is it, however, is it viable. Investment in public transit is never a bad thing, but it can be if it receives little use by the community it serves. And if a public transit line such as this Q-Line isn't used by the community then there can be little growth from it.

Either way, I wish I could get up there to ride those rails for free. It's only free through July 1st. When the system starts collecting fares how much will people support it.

Detroit housing & gentrification...

Photo by Life Remodeled 2014/flickr

 Today we take another quick trip to the Motor City.

For years I've read about young Caucasian gentrifiers who are coming to Detroit to buy up the properties and spark a revival for the beleaguered Michigan city. Then there's a flip side, most cities that have properties that are delinquent on property taxes and you can buy them from the original owners. Sometimes that means you'd have to put the owners out.

That's what this Guardian article from last month says about these young gentrifiers in Detroit. Many of them realized that they have to put the owners out after buying their homes via an auction. In one case the new owner sold the house back although for a lot more than he paid for it while helping the original owners take care of some of their taxes.

As much as I want to own some real estate in the future, it would be difficult for me to have to consider something like this. It would be very difficult for me to want to put out the people who lived in their houses. It would be even more difficult to want to sell the property back to them.

Regardless this is a good article and I hope you give it a read.

HuffPost: Black-Owned Businesses Are Quietly Powering Detroit's Resurgence, But No One's Talking About It

Today we're going to again visit the great American city of Detroit, Michigan. Apparently there's a story no one really discusses and apparently it doesn't only involve young white entrepreneurs:

The largest municipal bankruptcy in U.S. history has also stirred up interest in success stories. Though no one person will fix Detroit, some people have received well-deserved attention for their work to improve the city. A New York Times article last month highlighted hot spots in the Corktown neighborhood, and a story in the same paper earlier this year heralded small businesses.

But something's missing from those pieces, and from many other articles that examine the city's resurgence: black Detroiters, who make up 83 percent of the population.

Stories that claim entrepreneurs are building, revitalizing and even saving Detroit focus primarily on white professionals, often younger and new transplants to the city, a trend that's palpable and frustrating for locals. When journalists and readers criticized the Times for leaving blacks out of its Corktown story, the paper's public editor addressed the lack of diversity in a follow-up, and the writer said she regretted not including a black-owned business. (A more recent Times story takes a wider-ranging view.)

It's not difficult to find a black business owner to speak with, though. There are more than 32,000 in the city, according to U.S. Census Bureau figures from 2007. Many, particularly those who have kept their businesses going on shoestring budgets, feel excluded from conversations about Detroit's revival and overlooked when it comes to getting access to funds and resources.

"I think, for the most part, black-owned businesses are not getting a piece of the pie," bookstore owner Janet Jones told The Huffington Post. "What about people who have been doing the hard work of living and working and having business in Detroit for the last 20 years?"

What do you think?

Water shutoff in Detroit

Today we're going back to the great American city of Detroit and to share this latest drama

After Detroit turned off water for thousands of residents, activists are calling on the United Nations for help in what they've called a "massive human rights atrocity."

The Detroit Water and Sewerage Department said in March that they would begin shutting off service to more than 150,000 customers who were behind in their bills, according to the Detroit Free Press. With 323,000 total customers, nearly half are late on their bills, or cannot afford water. A water department report states the utility sent 44,000 warnings in April and 3,000 customers have had their water shut off.

A coalition of groups including the Detroit People's Water Board, Food and Water Watch, Blue Planet Project and Michigan Welfare Rights Organization submitted a report to the United Nations Special Rapporteur on the right to safe drinking water and sanitation last week, saying they are "outraged about the violation of the human right to water and sanitation in the City of Detroit and call on the authorities to take immediate action to restore water services and stop further cut-offs."

We already know Detroit is a struggling city and certainly could use the cash from water bill payments. Certainly we all sympathize with those who definitely could use the water whatever their situation might be.

I think I understand going to the UN regarding this action. When people complain they want to go as high as possible. At the same time I sometimes have found the UN to be a useless organization.

Still here's hoping those affected Detroit residents get their water turned back on.

JPMorgan Chase to invest $100M in Detroit

[VIDEO] So a major US bank is coming to the rescue for Detroit, coming to that troubled city with lots of money to spend:

Detroit's revitalization hopes are getting a boost from one of the deepest-pocketed players in U.S. finance.

JPMorgan Chase, the nation's biggest bank, will announce Wednesday that it is investing $100 million in Detroit over five years, strengthening the city's redevelopment efforts, speeding up blight removal, helping train city residents for new jobs, and making mortgage money available for home loans.

About half the cash will come in the form of loans and the rest in grants. Chase has been working for several months developing the program, which will be announced Wednesday at a luncheon featuring Gov. Rick Snyder, Mayor Mike Duggan and JPMorgan Chase Chairman and CEO Jamie Dimon.

Dimon told the Detroit Free Press that the idea started last fall when Detroit was going through its painful bankruptcy.

"Obviously Detroit was having issues," Dimon said. "I got together some of our senior people and said what can we do that's really neat, that could be really creative."

Chase is already a leading Detroit lender to consumers as well as to businesses.

Above Chase CEO Jamie Dimon is being interviewed on NBC's Today program. This is certainly good news for Detroit.

'The change in Detroit is real'

So, I suppose my fascination with Detroit continues. The New Mayor of Detroit is optimistic about the recovery of this once most prosperous city. Recently Mayor Mike Duggan gave a "State of the City" address:

As first reported by the Free Press on Wednesday, Duggan also announced he was speeding up the spending of $20 million in unspent insurance industry funds set aside for demolition of fire-damaged vacant homes, an amount that could cover the cost of tearing down 2,300 blighted houses in the city. It’s money that was included in emergency manager Kevyn Orr’s proposed bankruptcy plan of adjustment last week that calls for spending $520 million over the next six years to tear down as many as 80,000 vacant structures at a rate of as many as 450 a week.

Duggan also urged state lawmakers to quickly act on legislation to crack down on scrap-metal operators who buy goods stripped from buildings, streetlights and cars. A bill in the state House would require scrap operators to take photos of the sellers and pay them by check mailed to an address. Widespread scrapping is blamed for malfunctioning city streetlights, stripped vacant homes and other costly damage to public and private properties.

In other efforts, Duggan said his administration is focused on encouraging job opportunities for Detroiters, including in major developments such as the M-1 Rail streetcar project on Woodward from downtown to the New Center and on the proposed new Detroit Red Wings arena just north of downtown. He also said a team he assembled is working on a proposal for the city to create an affordable auto insurance option for Detroiters, who now pay some of the nation’s highest car insurance premiums.

No matter their driving records, “most Detroiters are paying more per month for car insurance than they are for their cars themselves,” Duggan said, noting his family’s car insurance bill rose to $6,000 a year from less than $3,000 after he moved to the city in 2012.

And thankfully the cheerleading by this mayor is being lauded, hopefully this may make a difference for Detroit. Even if it takes decades to rebuild what was lost in the past 50 or so years.

Via Newsalert!

And old story from last year: how Detroit went broke?

Chart from the Detroit Free Press

I wish I hadn't missed this. This was published by the Detroit Free Press last year to outline everything that placed Detroit into it's ultimately status as the largest municipal bankruptcy. Interestingly enough it was noted that former Mayor Coleman Young was fiscally conservative and worked with major corporations and was more than willing to make necessary cuts to keep the city solvent.

At one point Detroit was doing better, but then in the 21st century Detroit's finances went into the red again. Then there were issues of terrible financial management by earlier mayors and then later ones. In addition what to do about city pensions.

It's an interesting read and surely the emergency financial manager of Detroit is coming up with a plan for all of Detroit's issues.

So Detroit has a new debt deal?

Detroit skyline by D rek/flickr

I've written a lot about Detroit in the past especially in light of their many troubles in recent years. In addition considering that they were forced to file bankruptcy last summer, let's hope that this news will prove to be good news:

A fresh settlement between Detroit and two global banks to erase a Wall Street bet that overwhelmed the city’s budget could be the first crucial element of the city’s Chapter 9 bankruptcy restructuring.

The amount of the new deal is still confidential, and it still needs judicial approval. It comes as emergency manager Kevyn Orr is putting the finishing touches on a comprehensive restructuring proposal that’s expected to be released this week.

With more than 100,000 creditors waiting to see what the city is expected to offer — and 700,000 residents hoping for a better city — Orr is expected to propose dramatically slashing its $18 billion in debt and liabilities and redirecting cash to core services, including police, fire and blight removal.

“If there’s one thing certain about the plan that will be filed shortly, it’s going to change many things very substantially,” said Bruce Bennett, an attorney for Jones Day, Detroit’s lead bankruptcy law firm

Hopefully in the near future there will be further details!

Via Newsalert!

So Detroit had made a bid for the 1968 games

While it appears that the winter olympics is about to start in Sochi, Russia this year Curbed Detroit took a look at plans for the 1968 summer olympics in Detroit. Unfortunately it didn't happen for them, but it pays to dream I suppose. What would've been if the Motor City had gotten the games?

BTW, ultimately for the 1968 Summer Games Detroit had lost out to Mexico City. As noted by Curbed the Mexico City games were noted by the Black Power salute of medal winning members of the US Track & Field team.

Detroit's Mayoral home rebranded

Manoogian Mansion Residence - Detroit by yrvelouria

Over at Curbed Detroit we've learned that the new Mayor of the Motor City - one Mike Duggan - has sold his home and is moving into the city's mayoral mansion. Not only that he's electing to rebrand the home.

While that move could be seen as PR move, as the writers of Curbed stated "the house simply isn't very big". The home is only about 4,000 square feet apparently big, but not mansion big. And at that Curbed further states Mayor Duggan would "lose a third of his living space compared to his old house".

In doing this post I also thought, how much is this residence worth to Detroit? Why isn't this one of those assets that could be sold to get Detroit out of bankruptcy? I'm sure it has been looked at as other city-owned assets were.

Guardian: Rand Paul goes where other Republicans won't, even Detroit

[VIDEO] Last week US Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY) appeared on Hannity to offer his solution to the bankruptcy of Detroit (that's the vid you see above). The question is whether or not Detroiters would be willing to listen to such a solution that could bring the city back. Who says that the city has to be bailed out by the federal government?

Detroit somehow has to be brought back and it doesn't take a bailout, it takes her own people. It also takes bringing in people who want to revive Detroit's economy. You see a bit more from the Guardian

Paul, the junior Republican senator from Kentucky and Tea Party leader, is announcing his own rescue plan at the Detroit Economic Club today. It's a city he doesn't represent in Congress, that doesn't contain many likely Paul voters for 2016, and has been dominated by an automobile industry Paul was against bailing out.

Paul emphasizes that his plan for Detroit isn't a taxpayer-funded bailout either. Instead he would make the city an "economic freedom zone", slashing taxes and regulations rather than shoveling federal largess. He would eliminate the capital gains tax and provide incentives for entrepreneurs to relocate to Detroit in order to create jobs.

The senator admitted his proposal amounted to "enterprise zones on steroids", an homage to Jack Kemp, a Republican who sought to bring supply-side economics – and robust growth – to the inner city.

In one sense, this isn't new. Kemp long argued that tax cuts, deregulation, and the proliferation of small business were the real keys to urban renewal and a more lasting foundation for prosperity. Ronald Reagan hoped to send blacks and blue-collar white industrial workers a message by accepting the Republican presidential nomination in Detroit in 1980.

Of course the article further notes whether or not this could gain Republicans "minority" votes since Detroit is overwhelmingly Black. All I can say is good luck with that although a different solution needs to be tried. Still check out this paragraph:

But these kinds of breakthroughs cannot be achieved unless they are tried, however haltingly or imperfectly. At a bare minimum, Republicans need to appear willing to leave the comfort zone of their own constituencies and aspire to more fully a party for all Americans. If Richard Nixon could go to China, then certainly Rand Paul can go to Detroit.

Well, this I can agree but let's hope no Republican will go to Detroit trying to act like they know what's best. Maybe they can find someone who would utilize these "economic freedom zones".

So the next mayor of Detroit could be white?

It seems Detroit has been a frequent topic since an emergency financial manager was appointed over the city this past summer. "Motown" has been declining for a long time a city that reached its apex population wise in 1950 is suffering such population loss to the point that it seems that the "Great American City" is turning into a ghost town.

In discussing this story, my intention is to not give too much credence to the race of the candidate in question. It shouldn't be an important consideration especially in a situation where the citizens are looking for new solutions. Still it's interesting reading this LA Times article what kind of race is being run in that city for Mayor:

The last time there was a white mayor of Detroit, the Vietnam War was just ending and the nation was getting used to a Supreme Court decision called Roe vs. Wade.

But now this city, which is in the midst of a trial to determine whether it is eligible for bankruptcy protection, is set to elect its first white mayor since 1974, Mike Duggan, and by an overwhelming margin. Recent polls show Duggan up by a nearly 2-1 margin over his opponent, Wayne County Sheriff Benny Napoleon, in a city that is 82% African American.

Duggan's lead is seen as a signal that the residents of long-struggling Detroit are ready for a change in leadership — someone who hasn't served the city in politics before. After all, still fresh in voters' minds is the case of former Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick, who three weeks ago was sentenced to 28 years in prison for corruption.

The winds of change, however, may also be fueled by the nation's willingness to elect a black president.

Minister Malik Shabazz, president of the Marcus Garvey Movement/New Black Panther Nation in Detroit, is one of Duggan's most vocal supporters. Shabazz admits that having President Obama in the White House changes things.

"In the last two national elections, African Americans have asked the nation to choose the best person for the job and not get caught up in color. And twice, Barack Obama has won," he said. "Now, in Detroit, in 2013, the best man running is a white brother, and that's OK."

Having an emergency manager in Detroit effectively running the financial strapped city is indicated in this article as temporary. There is a way out for Kevin Orr in a year. I'm sure the emergency manager is a campaign issue.

I look forward to continuing to follow the situation up there in "Motor City" in the near future. The election is this coming Tuesday! Of course there are other elections such as state elections in Virginia and New Jersey for Governor and of course there are a host of other mayoral elections to be determined on Tuesday.

Via Newsalert!

More videos picking on Detroit...

[VIDEO] On Sunday, CBS' 60 Minutes took a look at Detroit and the many people who are doing their part to save this city and some frustrated citizens and firefighters. We see the vacant Detroit neighborhoods, and the very vibrant downtown which is largely owned by the owner of Quicken Loans Dan Gilbert!

BTW, Curbed Detroit noted Gilbert's tweet about this story. He wasn't very happy and believed the story they should've covered was "A city’s soul that will not die was the story & they missed it". It was evidenced in this story even if it wasn't entirely positive.

Below is another video that I wanted to share with you from Reason.tv!

Check out the old home of former Detroit Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick

[VIDEO] Well another take on the sentencing on Kwame Kilpatrick the former Mayor of Detroit. Curbed Detroit shared this video of Mayor Kilpatrick's old house and aside from the fact that it had been broken into and they showed the screen door no longer had it's knobs it appeared to be a very nice home. He probably moved out not long before he became Mayor since well Detroit has a Mayoral residence.

I recall that Kilpatrick had already been to jail pleading to guilty to charges that caused him to resign from his office in 2008. More recently he has been sentenced to 28 years in prison on various charges of corruption. That's much more than our very own Rod Blagojevich we thought he got it stiff! OUCH!

Reason: Belle Isle Commonwealth: #Anarchy in Detroit

[VIDEO] You know this video should be tipped to Curbed Detroit that is part of a localized network of sites that keep an eye on real estate in many of our major cities around the nation. What you see above courtesy of Reason.tv definitely is real estate related.

I've actually visted Belle Isle four years ago. There was a family reunion in Detroit and I just so happen to visit and a picnic was held on this public park. It's very unique and beautiful.

The vision shown here while very appealing it should be just as possible to turn the various vacant neighborhoods that seem to exist in Detroit into this "Singapore" desired by the man who wants to develop Belle Isle. In fact many of our cities have neighborhoods that we should turn into a "Singapore".

This brings to mind something that was thought of years ago but that's for another post.

In the meanwhile, it's time to pay attention to any site that shows attention to what's going on in that beleaguered great American city!

Hat-tip Newsalert!

Reason: #Anarchy in Detroit, Part I

Via Instatpundit I got wind of another documentary series by Reason magazine talking about Detroit. The point of that series is to show how residents of Detroit are seeking to take matters in their own hands as city government isn't able to deliver necessary services there. Sometimes I suppose we all do what we have to do!

Detroit is a struggling city and this is no surprise to anyone. The question is, can this often beleaguered city be revived either by the actions of very passionate and concerned citizens or by government. I can only bet Detroit's people can solve most of the city's issues.

The video shown over at Instapundit is of a private security firm taking over some of the Detroit Police's responsiblity. Well they probably can't deliver tickets and all that, but that firm recognizes some areas where police can't really engage in. For example this security firm seeks to prevent and for the most part the police can only respond to something that already happened.

Perhaps the people in many of our nation's other struggling cities can take some notes to solve some of their urban problems. Even the magnificient metropolis known as Chicago could take some notes!

I would like to share some of the videos soon but feel free to click over to Reason to watch them for yourself.