Posted originally on Apr 24, 2025 by Martin Armstrong
California’s homeless crisis presents the public sector with a valuable political opportunity to expand its resources. The state and cities continually increase spending to combat the homeless epidemic without producing any results. Funding vanishes into the coffers of the public sector, with the number of people on the streets continuing to rise. Continuing their path of greed, Los Angeles has announced it will raise its sales tax to 11.25% to assist the unhoused.
The California State Auditor released a report last year that revealed California’s programs to combat homelessness have been utterly ineffective. Nine agencies funded by the state have received billions from 2018 to 2023, but homelessness is rapidly rising, and California hosts the largest homeless population in the nation. What have these public agencies done with the $24 BILLION they were awarded to combat homelessness?
As for Los Angeles, the city voted in 2016 and 2017 to raise taxes, collecting $4.6 billion to support the unhoused. Measure HHH provided a $1.2 billion bond to build 10,000 low or no-income housing units. Los Angeles County Supervisor Mark Ridley-Thomas championed this program, but was later arrested for bribery and corruption, found guilty, and sentenced to 42 months in prison. He continued to make public appearances with Mayor Karen Bass during the appeal process.
Va Lecia Adams Kellum, former chief executive of the Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority (LAHSA), signed a $2.1 million contract for Upward Bound House to use taxpayer funds to house the homeless. She attempted to funnel those funds through her husband’s business but was caught in the process. LA Mayor Karen Bass, again, was in full support of Adams Kellum. The Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors forced Adams Kellum to resign earlier this month after millions of dollars went unaccounted.
Councilman Jose Huizar, again, promised to reduce the number of people living on the streets and was one of the architects of Measure HHH. Huizar was found guilty and sentenced to 13 years imprisonment for accepting $1.5 billion in bribes from developers, spending some of the funds in his possession on prostitutes as well. He paid a $600,000 bribe to a Chinese real estate developer to clear himself of a sexual harassment lawsuit using public funds.
Mayor Bass maintains that homelessness is a result of greedy residents. Measure A passed this month, which is a half-cent countywide sales tax that is expected to generate $1 billion annually. Approximately 33.75% of those funds will go to the corrupt LA County Affordable Housing Solutions Agency (LACAHSA). Measure H is also in effect, which is a quarter-cent countywide sales tax set to expire in 2027. Again, they expect this measure to generate $1 billion annually. Measure ULA is also in place to require those purchasing luxury real estate to contribute to addressing the homeless epidemic. This measure includes a 4% property tax on sales over $5 million and a 5.5% tax on sales over $10 million. This third program is also expected to generate $1 billion in annual revenue.
Los Angeles and the entire state of California are openly looting taxpayers. Read the state’s plan to cover its budget deficits – endless taxes. Even residents who choose or are forced to leave the state will incur taxes to cover government thievery. Los Angeles is one of countless examples of how the public sector will virtue signal to rob Peter, not to pay Paul, but to pay themselves, as they are not hiding the corruption. We saw it on a national level with USAID after the DOGE audit. Expanding the public sector only benefits the government, but the government slowly expands its power by proclaiming it can solve all problems and exploiting empathy. Give to us so we can give to others. If you vote against aiding your neighbor through taxation, you are greedy, as Chuck Schumer boldly proclaimed. Social justice policies teetering on socialism simply ensure that everyone is equal in poverty, aside from those at the very top.
Posted originally on Apr 24, 2025 by Martin Armstrong
Donald Trump berated Zelenskyy on April 23, after he said Ukraine would not legally recognize Russian control over Crimea. He said he will not accept ceding any territory, even though this is against the Minsk Agreement that was supposed to allow the Donbas to vote on separation, since they are Russians who have lived there for hundreds of years.
These people have a human right to separate from Ukraine, which hates Russians, and they were killing Russians on the street in Odessa during the 2014 Revolution, which prompted this entire separatist movement. Trump recently presented a proposal to end the ongoing Russia–Ukraine war. Vice President JD Vance has indicated that the plan would freeze the fighting along the current territorial lines. Zelensky refuses to cede anything and would start immediately, wholesale discrimination and attacks on ethnic Russians in the entire region.
This entire region is laced with ethnic hatreds that extend back centuries and sometimes millennia, like Greeks vs Turks. When Yugoslavia broke up, it did so along ethnic lines. The Kosovo War was a bloodshed, and NATO got involved when there was no legal basis to do so. This is what should have been done with Ukraine.
Ukraine joined the Nazis and engaged in ethnic cleansing of Russians, Jews, Polish, and Hungarians. This has been part of the culture. Bandara was their leader and is considered to be a National Hero. He wanted to create Ukraine, which was never a country, by slaughtering all those who were of non-Ukrainian blood.
During the 2014 Revolution, they were displaying Bandera’s image everywhere. This was their time to reignite their ethnic cleansing, and only because they were killing Russians were they tolerated and their inhuman activity ignored by the West.
The CIA protected the Ukrainian Nazis because they hated Russians. Zelensky was a Neonazi pretending to be a Christian before becoming president like George Soros. The Ukrainian people I speak to want peace. They question if they are allowed to have peace without the permission of London and NATO, who want more bloodshed. Zelensky does NOT represent the Ukrainians.
They are sick and tired of being used as expendable pawns in the geopolitical chess game. Beware of mid-May. I fear that the EU wants war so badly as a distraction from the crumbling EU structure, so they push war with Russia. Be on guard for mid-May.
Posted originally on CTH on April 23, 2025 | Sundance
President Trump’s patience with Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy is obviously wearing thin. However, the key for President Trump to change the dynamic; the thing he is inarguably trying to avoid; is a full U.S withdrawal and subsequent isolation for Zelenskyy.
“Ukrainian President, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, is boasting on the front page of The Wall Street Journal that, “Ukraine will not legally recognize the occupation of Crimea. There’s nothing to talk about here.”
This statement is very harmful to the Peace Negotiations with Russia in that Crimea was lost years ago under the auspices of President Barack Hussein Obama, and is not even a point of discussion. Nobody is asking Zelenskyy to recognize Crimea as Russian Territory but, if he wants Crimea, why didn’t they fight for it eleven years ago when it was handed over to Russia without a shot being fired? The area also houses, for many years before “the Obama handover,” major Russian submarine bases.
It’s inflammatory statements like Zelenskyy’s that makes it so difficult to settle this War. He has nothing to boast about! The situation for Ukraine is dire — He can have Peace or, he can fight for another three years before losing the whole Country.
I have nothing to do with Russia, but have much to do with wanting to save, on average, five thousand Russian and Ukrainian soldiers a week, who are dying for no reason whatsoever. The statement made by Zelenskyy today will do nothing but prolong the “killing field,” and nobody wants that! We are very close to a Deal, but the man with “no cards to play” should now, finally, GET IT DONE.
I look forward to being able to help Ukraine, and Russia, get out of this Complete and Total MESS, that would have never started if I were President!” [SOURCE]Perhaps one of the unspoken challenges here, is the reality of the CIA relationship with Zelenskyy and Ukraine.
Zelenskyy purposefully timed this Wall Street Journal commentary , and an interview with Ben Shapiro, to antagonize the U.S. delegation in London for discussions on a ceasefire. Zelenskyy is an antagonist in this dynamic.
“Ukraine will not legally recognize the occupation of Crimea,” Zelensky said at a press conference here on Tuesday. “There’s nothing to talk about here. This is against our constitution.”
Regardless of whether President Trump officially removes support, it is highly likely the U.S. Intelligence Community, specifically the CIA, will disregard the administration policy and continue supporting the Ukraine war.
The EU, Great Britain, U.K intelligence agencies, CIA, NATO allies, Israel and the U.S. Senate all want to keep the perpetual war machine in motion. All of them have financial stakes in the conflict. The only western entity that wants to stop the bloodshed and carnage is President Trump.
President Trump is ultimately going to have to cut this gordian knot and shut down all U.S support for Ukraine. However, he will need CIA Director John Ratcliffe to bring the rogue silo to heel, while he directly confronts the other Five Eyes.
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