I am not a big fan of Bloomenthal. I have seen enough of him to come to the opinion that he cherry-picks information to create anti-Trump narratives. But this whole Charlie Kirk thing doesn’t sit right with me so I gave the story a read
This is why I listened to CO for a few months. I had never heard of Erika Kirk and barely knew who TPUSA and Charlie were before he was killed. I do not regret listening to Candace. She introduced me to a lot of the players in this and I wouldn’t have been able to fully digest this article that you posted without her show.
I think Bloomenthal is a rat but there were some good nuggets of info from this story. I was unaware that Parscale was involved in this drama for instance.
My situation is very similar to yours. At my age, I will not need to buy a car again. One has around 80,000 miles and is known for making it to 250,000. My other is a beater Jeep. All paid for. And both have a Garmin GPS in them.
My interests in the EV is mostly curiosity. For the last few years, my opinion was that if I went away from the ICE, it would be a hybrid. But my opinion is changing to straight EV. If money were no object and everything else was equal, I think the EV would be the way to go so far as driving experience.
Interesting. I have thought for a long time that internal combustion engines equal freedom and EVs equal control. I never could quite put my finger on why exactly.
One of the arguments I have always used against EVs is the total cost of each usually favors ICE vehicles.
I asked grok, “Considering purchase, resale value, maintenance costs, etc. is an EV cheaper than a ICE vehicle?” This seems to be evening out as time goes by.
It depends on your driving habits, location, specific models, and ownership duration, but in many cases (especially for moderate-to-high mileage drivers who charge at home), EVs end up cheaper over 5–10 years due to big savings on fuel and maintenance. However, higher upfront purchase prices, steeper depreciation (in recent years), and potentially higher insurance can offset those gains for some buyers. Here’s a balanced breakdown based on 2025–2026 data:
- Purchase Price • EVs typically cost more upfront. The gap has narrowed but still averages several thousand dollars (e.g., ~$6,500 in some analyses). • Federal tax credits (up to $7,500) largely ended for purchases after Sept. 30, 2025. Some state/utility incentives may still apply, but check locally. • Net: ICE often wins here unless incentives or deals close the gap.
- Fuel/Energy Costs • Big win for EVs. Home charging often costs 3–7¢ per mile vs. 12–18¢+ for gas (depending on efficiency, gas prices ~$3+/gal, and electricity ~17–18¢/kWh national average in 2026). • Annual savings: Often $800–1,500+ for average drivers (more if you drive a lot or gas prices spike). Public fast-charging narrows this advantage significantly. • Electricity prices are more stable than gas in many areas.
- Maintenance and Repairs • Strong EV advantage. EVs have far fewer moving parts (no oil changes, spark plugs, transmission service, etc.). Maintenance is typically 30–70% lower (e.g., ~$400–600/year for EV vs. $800–1,200 for ICE). • Lifetime fuel + maintenance savings can reach 50–70% in some studies. Brakes last longer due to regenerative braking; tires may wear faster due to torque/weight. • Battery replacements are rare/expensive within warranty (often 8–10 years), but overall repair costs are lower for most owners.
- Resale Value / Depreciation • Often a challenge for EVs. EVs have depreciated faster recently (e.g., ~55–60% over 5 years vs. ~45% for ICE), due to rapid tech improvements, battery concerns, and market saturation. • Hybrids often hold value best. The gap is closing in some segments/markets as EVs mature, but used EV prices can be attractive for buyers. • Net impact: Hurts TCO if you sell/trade in after 3–5 years; less so if you keep the vehicle longer.
- Insurance • EVs are typically more expensive to insure (often 20–40%+ higher, e.g., ~$3,100–3,200/year full coverage vs. ~$2,200 for ICE). Reasons: Higher repair/replacement costs (especially batteries), higher vehicle values, and specialized repair needs. • Some models close the gap; shop around.
- Other Factors • Registration/taxes: Varies by state (some charge EV fees to offset lost gas tax revenue). • Home charging setup: Adds upfront cost if you need a Level 2 charger/install (~$500–1,500+). • Reliability/Downtime: EVs often have fewer breakdowns. • Total Cost of Ownership (TCO) studies: Many (e.g., from Consumer Reports, Atlas, fleets) show EVs cheaper over time for popular models, especially after 3–5 years or with higher mileage. About 40–50% of EVs beat comparable ICE in 5-year TCO in recent analyses, though it varies. Pickup trucks and low-mileage scenarios often favor ICE more. Bottom Line for Most Drivers (Especially in Oklahoma) • Yes, often cheaper if you drive 12,000+ miles/year, charge at home (Starlink users with good home power setup might benefit), and keep the car 5–8+ years. Operating savings compound. • Maybe not for low-mileage, short ownership, or if you prioritize resale/lower initial outlay. • Best approach: Use tools like the IEA TCO calculator or Edmunds/KBB ownership estimators. Compare specific models (e.g., a Chevy Equinox EV vs. gas version). Factor your local electricity rates, gas prices, and driving patterns.
Hopefully the Never Drummond voters will push Mazzei to victory. There were several candidates running in the primaries. Drummond only beat Mazzei by around a thousand votes to force a runoff.
I’m tickled to death how things are going. The things I was worried about, Trump has handled really well. I am very happy with the situation in Iran.
I am a little perplexed at the gnashing of the teeth going on online. The gloom and doomer crowd don’t seem to understand how successful this has been, and how difficult it is what Trump has done.
I am trying to figure out if the chorus of “Iran won. Trump lost” astroturfed by the globalists and then repeated by the NPCs has merit or if I am just delusional. I guess happy is a state of mind. And I an happy about how Trump is handling Iran.
I remember that. For a couple of years I thought that the girl correspondent, Lisa Fletcher, on the Sharyl Attkisson show was this girl from Houston. Thanks for bringing Ivory back to memory. She was one of the heroes of the moment.
I really don’t care about that. Releasing frozen assets that were already theirs to get a peace agreement doesn’t bother me. Even if the reparations are paid for by other countries, that wouldn’t bother me too much. I could live with it.
I am extremely happy about this. I hope it holds.
The devil is in the details though. I can put up with the shills trying to claim this as a victory for Iran except if the American taxpayer has to pay reparations. Fuck that.
Releasing frozen Iranian assets doesn’t bother me. The guilt trip by the “you promised to save the Iranian people” crowd doesn’t affect me. They had their opportunities. I am at ease with all of that except reparations, no matter what they want to call it.
It is about the money. I have heard that Iran will get 300 billion to rebuild. Paid by us. But as much as that is concerning, the optics don’t work for me. It would look like we caved and paid Iran off. And when they renege on the whole agreement(which they will), we will look like suckers. If Iran breaks the agreement down the road without the reparations being given, then that is to be expected and we can go from there.
Oh well, we’ll let Iran pot shot Israel for a few days while we plot some targets in Iran to take out. Then bomb them to a pulp again. It seems like the US controls the Strait of Hormuz to the point now that enough oil can flow to keep the prices reasonable.
The price at the gas pump was my main worry. As long oil prices remain reasonable, we can continue this cycle of destruction indefinitely. The US military can brush up on its drone warfare while we’re at it.
I was not for this war before it began but Trump seems to be handling it pretty well. My choice of withdrawing from this part of the world seems to be still on the table in a pinch.
Probably. Both messages started similar. Just a what’s up message to flatter. Then it turns to “have you thought about your financial future” and something about investing in bitcoin.
The conversations didn’t last past a couple of comments. I could see it being a con. I could also see it being them legitimately trying to make money off of its followers. A lot of people want to make money via YouTube, X, etc. I figure there are people on X that sell things this way.
Yeah, it didn’t really make me mad. I continue to follow his account. It was more like strike one, and I am keeping an eye on him. To tell you the truth there aren’t many Q centric accounts on X that I follow. Even back when Q was real time, I didn’t follow the interpreters at all. I read the drops myself and then compared notes with other Q peeps.
It doesn’t matter. Any deal that Iran signs won’t be worth the paper it is written on. Trump is mostly using these on again/off again negotiations to meter the oil flow through the Strait of Hormuz to maintain a price balance the normies can live with while he achieves other objectives.
Trump and Co are probably doing damage assessment from the other night and finding new targets. They’ll throw a wrench into the negotiations when the battlefield is set. Iran could end this if they wanted but they would have to give up more than they seem willing to.
As long as Trump can keep the oil prices reasonable, we can do this for a while. The whole thing creates a good smoke screen to occupy the shills and bots.
IMO
It very well could be. It has been a while but it seems like I checked it out fairly good. Good enough that I was convinced it was them.
I just went to X to see if the messages were still there. They weren’t. It looks like X’s message has changed to “New Chat” which requires extra security settings.
I still follow those in question and “whomever” it was quit messaging me when I ignored them. I’ll put it behind me and give them the benefit of the doubt.
I follow this guy because he makes good points from time to time. But, about a year ago or so, he contacted me privately on X and the conversation turned to my financial situation and investing in bitcoin type stuff.
The same thing happened with Dr. Simone Gold, who I worshipped. I understand these people need to make a living but it still left a bad taste in my mouth. Tread lightly.
Kary Mullis invented the PCR test. What he said 20-30 years ago about HIV and Fauci is true about COVID19 and Fauci.
https://x.com/victorfromde/status/1874640881992765529?s=61&t=Na9w5fE3ieoT5_-6p6gtUw
https://x.com/valerieanne1970/status/2053505346526683151?s=61&t=Na9w5fE3ieoT5_-6p6gtUw
https://x.com/bambkb/status/1697836677400502637?s=61&t=Na9w5fE3ieoT5_-6p6gtUw