One of the most infuriating things about many politicians and governments during this pandemic is their perceived need to defend indefensible positions right up until the inevitable moment they change their minds. Classic example: In question period on Friday, just a couple of hours before the Liberal government barred foreign nationals who have visited any of seven southern African nations within the past two weeks, Transport Minister Omar Alghabra wasn’t just rebuffing Conservative demands that such restrictions be implemented. He was also trying to score partisan points off the very suggestion. “Forgive me for not taking advice from the Conservative Party that (sic) they can’t even ask their own MPs to get vaccinated,” he sneered. He alleged the Conservatives had also asked for the PCR test requirement before entering Canada to be scrapped, and waxed incredulous. “Do they want to open the border or do they want to close the border?” The Conservatives had indeed called for an end to the PCR-test requirement, albeit only at land border crossings. But it was the Liberals who actually ended it, albeit only for Canadians who have been away for less than 72 hours. It was also the Liberals who eliminated mandatory on-arrival testing, which Ontario Premier Doug Ford, among others, is now demanding be reimplemented.
Health & Living
While the experts say it’s not Ottawa’s fault, it’s still the government’s problem. It’s hard to point to a single factor behind rising prices. Droughts in Canada and other countries reduced crop yields. The pandemic reduced production in manufacturing plants as consumers emerged from lockdowns with money they’re both willing and able to spend. “What we’re seeing around the world is supply chain bottlenecks,” Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland said this week when asked by a reporter if the Liberals’ plan to spend another $100 billion on post-pandemic programs is to blame for the jump in inflation. “We are seeing higher energy prices. Energy is a global commodity. When those prices are higher in one country, they are higher around the world. We’re seeing a basic challenge that shutting down the world’s economy turned out to be a much simpler process than turning the global economy back on.” But for a government that remains relentlessly focused on what it likes to call “the middle class and those working hard to join it,” inflation isn’t some abstract economic concept. It’s making life less affordable for those very same people.
Unreal. The World Health Organization (WHO) continues to make protecting the Communist Chinese their primary mission. The WHO decided to skip the next letter of the Greek Alphabet in naming the latest COVID-19 Variant. “Xi” may be embarrassing to China. So they skipped Xi and named it Omicron. Wow.
The Delta variant of COVID-19 may be gone, but another variation of the virus has already taken its place. This new variation, dubbed “Omicron” by World Health Organization officials, has reportedly sprouted up in South Africa in recent weeks, according to Fox News. Because of this, on Friday, President Joe Biden announced his administration will be placing new travel restrictions on the country of South Africa. Interestingly, many media members and prominent Democrats — including Biden himself — once insinuated that former President Donald Trump’s travel ban on China was racist. Despite this, the Biden administration will be implementing the new ban in accordance with advice given by Dr. Anthony Fauci and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. “This morning I was briefed by my chief medical advisor, Dr. Tony Fauci, and the members of our COVID response team, about the Omicron variant, which is spreading through Southern Africa,” Biden said in a statement, according to Fox News. “As a precautionary measure until we have more information, I am ordering additional air travel restrictions from South Africa and seven other countries. These new restrictions will take effect on November 29.”
Former White House physician Ronny Jackson, who served in the role under the past two administrations, said during a Fox News interview this week that he believes that Democrats will start to make President Joe Biden’s alleged “cognitive issues” a problem in an effort to make Vice President Kamala Harris the next president. Jackson, who is also a Republican congressman from Texas, made the remarks during an interview with host Laura Ingraham earlier this week following a recently released report on Biden’s health. Jackson said that he believes that Biden did not even have a cognitive exam done because he claims that Biden’s medical team knows that “Biden would not do well on this test.” “And that’s why they ran away from this and they will not do it because they know he’ll fail miserably,” he said. “You know, he will validate what the public thinks about him right now, that he’s not fit to be our commander in chief.” When asked about Biden running for re-election in 2024, Jackson said “there’s absolutely no way” that happens. “He will not run for president for a second term. He’ll be 82-years-old,” Jackson said. “And I really, I’m going to stick to what I’ve been saying all along since he was candidate Biden.
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi may be making a move from California to swanky Hobe Sound on Jupiter Island in Florida and a $25 million house. Pelosi, 81, and her husband Paul are multi-millionaires; she is one of the wealthiest members of Congress. The 10,000-square-foot beachfront property has six bedrooms, a fountain, pool and elevator. By moving to Florida she would likely to incur less tax than her California properties, with an average property tax rate of .97 per cent in Martin County compared to 1.81 per cent in San Francisco. Pelosi would also benefit from lower income tax — Florida charges nothing while California charges up to 12.3 per cent for those earning over $599,000. The Speaker visited the Sunshine State earlier this month — a visit that was flagged up by QAnon congresswoman Marjorie Taylor-Green who claimed Pelosi was on her plane. In a tweet posted on November 6, she wrote: ‘Nancy Pelosi went house hunting last week in south Florida. Photos show the cream-painted property also has a kitchen finished with marble counter tops, a private cinema, gym and swimming pool, and sits in 2.5 acres of landscaped grounds. Neighbors in the exclusive Jupiter Island community include Tiger Woods, who owns a house just down the road and Celine Dion.