New Home Sales Surged in March

New home sales surged in March to 9.6%, making homeowners hesitant to list their homes and trade up to higher mortgage rates, so they turned to new construction.

US Raw Steel Production Up from Previous Week

In the week ending April 22, US raw steel production was 1,700,000 net tons at an ACUR of75.6 percent, up 0.8 percent from the previous week ending April 15.

US Drill Rigs Running Up from Previous Week

There were 753 drill rigs running in the US last week, up 5 rigs from the previous week, up 58 rigs from one year ago. Meanwhile, Canadian drillers capped 6 more rigs, to 105, which is up 4 rigs from one year ago.

Conference Board Consumer Confidence Index Fell in April

The Conference Board Consumer Confidence Index fell in April to 101.3 from 104.0.

While consumers’ relatively favorable assessment of the current business environment improved somewhat in April, their expectations fell and remain below the level which often signals a recession is looming in the short-term.”

Deterioration in Business Conditions in April

The Federal Reserve bank of Richmond released its Fifth District Survey of Manufacturing Activity and says firms reported a deterioration in business conditions in April, according to those responding to the survey. The composite manufacturing index fell from -5 in March, to -10 in April. Two of its three component indexes-shipments and new orders-declined.

Texas Factory Activity was Flat in April After Growing Modestly in March

The Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas released its Texas Manufacturing Outlook Survey and reports Texas factory activity was flat in April after growing modestly in March, according to executives responding to the survey. The production index was virtually flat. New orders were negative for an 11th month. Perceptions of broader business conditions worsened notably in April. The general business activity index dropped to its lowest level in nine months.

GDP came in at 1.1% growth in the first quarter of 2023. Biden’s great economy.

News Headlines

On Tuesday, Joe Biden announced he is running for president in 2024 by telling lies to the American people, i.e.: “extreme MAGA Republicans will take away your freedom and liberty, will take away social security and Medicare. Extreme MAGA (pray tell; who exactly is extreme?) Republicans ban books and whatever other bullshit he spewed, and his press secretary followed suit. Here we go again, the so-called “Democrats” continue to do what they accuse conservatives of doing. Conservatives ban books? What books, exactly? Gay books, sexual deviance books? The Marxists have banned recital of the Pledge of Allegiance, have banned God in schools, banned us from saying “Merry Christmas,” have allowed biological men to compete in women’s sports, want abortion to be permitted up to the time of birth. THEY are taking your freedom, your liberty. THEY are the liars.

How has MAGA (Make America Great Again) become a rallying cry for the Marxist Democrats? Is it bad to want America to be great? I do not think so, but the Marxists spew this crap enough that low information voters begin to believe them. I don’t get it.

Here we go with the anti-gun nuts; Washington state Governor, Jay Inslee signed a trio of bills Tuesday meant to prevent gun violence by banning the sale of certain semiautomatic rifles (AK-47, AR15), one for a 10 day waiting period to purchase a firearm and one clearing the way for lawsuits against gun makers, or sellers, in certain cases. Now, Washington is a very liberal state, look at the shit hole they made of Seattle…anyway, this is clearly a violation of the 2nd Amendment and for God’s sake, the gun is not the problem, the sick shooter is the problem. Better to spend your time on the mental health issues causing the violence.

“Climate Crisis” What is that? What is the crisis? Global warming? Proven false. Climate change? I agree, the climate changes every day but there is no empirical truth that we are in danger. Al Gore has been preaching doom and gloom for 50 years and got very wealthy for taking his position. The Earth will be uninhabitable in 12 years (AOC) that was 6 or 7 years ago. Anything change in your neighborhood. Most, if not all, of the predictions are based on models which go out 30-50 years. The future is unpredictable, at best. The weatherman cannot tell you with certainty what the weather will be tomorrow. 50 years from now? Forget it, and none of these geniuses will be alive anyway. They can say whatever they want without no accountability.

Military suppliers consolidated at the Cold War’s end, under pressure to reduce defense costs and streamline the nation’s industrial base. Over the past three decades, the number of fixed wing aircraft suppliers in the US has declined from eight to three. During the same period, major surface ship producers fell from eight to two, and today, only three American companies supply over 90% of the Pentagon’s missile stockpile.” WSJ

Military spending has been about 3% of spending for a long time. It is not enough. This year’s military budget, after accounting for inflation, actually reduces military spending. This is a time of great geopolitical turmoil. There are bad actors world-wide who are gunning for the USA. Our military spending must be commensurate with these very real threats. This administration does not perceive the threat and will do nothing to fix the problem. It is a very dangerous place for the US to be.

Are we living in the United States of America?

On Tuesday, 673 professors from the University of North Carolina (UNC) Chapel Hill signed a letter declaring their opposition to any requirement that students learn about the United States government and its founding documents. The legislation is working its way through the North Carolina legislature and would mandate the teaching of such courses. The professors claim that such a law would violate the school’s “academic freedom.”

House Bill 96, the first bill on the subject, would require all public university students to take a 3-credit course that focuses on the history of America and its founding. The course would include such required reading as the Declaration of Independence, the United States Constitution, no less than 5 essays from the Federalist Papers, the Emancipation Proclamation, the Gettysburg Address, and Martin Luther King’s letter from jail in Birmingham.

What is the problem? When I was in school, these were taught in Civics Class and American History. It didn’t hurt me any and anyone who lives in this country and is not familiar with these pieces of history, cannot truly be considered an American. If we lose our history, we lose our country.

A trans runner has beaten 14,000 women at the London Marathon. Seriously. This crap goes on to the detriment of women, but where are the Feminists who have been crying for women’s rights for at least 50 years? It is all leftist bullshit, they don’t care about women’s rights, unless it suits the daily leftist talking points.

The Republican majority House passed a debt ceiling bill this week which would increase the debt limit and also cut some $4 trillion from spending. This is a win for Speaker McCarthy. They have done their job. It is up to the democrats in the senate and biden to negotiate a deal from this starting point, which they are loathe to do. If they do not, biden will take the blame for any possible default on US debt.

Anything for a vote:

The Biden Administration Department of Justice has filed a lawsuit against the state of Tennessee over one of the state’s new laws banning the practice of genital mutilation surgery for minor children, arguing the law is unconstitutional due to allegedly violating the Equal Protection Clause of the 14th Amendment to the US Constitution.

The law, should it go into effect, declares that a health provider is not allowed to “perform or offer to perform” such surgeries, which usually serve the purpose of indulging so-called ”transgender” children’s beliefs that they are somehow of the opposite gender.

The only violation is the genital mutilation of children who are growing through the confusion of puberty. Personally, I never had any thoughts that I was anything other than the male God made me. Apparently, puberty causes some children to question their biological sexual identity. I believe it is also true that after puberty, these thoughts vanish. Mutilation surgeries are permanent and the psychological pain of regretting a decision a child has made is life altering, and not in a good way. Those who promote this and those who perform these sick surgeries should all be hung.

“MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN”

and

“KEEP AMERICA GREAT”

Have a great weekend…. God bless America!

Buy American made products whenever you can, it’s good for you, good for your friends and neighbors and good for our country.

If you are hiring…try to hire a veteran…. they are loyal, disciplined, hardworking…and they deserve our support.

By the way, if you wish to comment on my rants or offer any other insights you may have, you are encouraged to email me.

TEDDY ROOSEVELT ON IMMIGRANTS IN AMERICA…1907

In the first place, we should insist that if the immigrant who comes here in good faith becomes an American and assimilates himself to us, he shall be treated on an exact equality with everyone else for it is an outrage to discriminate against any such man because of creed, or birthplace, or origin. But this is predicated upon the person’s becoming in every facet an American and nothing but an American. There can be no divided allegiance here. Any man who says he is an American, but something else also, isn’t an American at all. We have room for but one flag, the American flag…We have room for but one language here and that is the English language…and we have room for but one sole loyalty and that is a loyalty to the American people.”