News and notes from around the interweb:
- I’m not sure I’d self-own like this ahead of the Texas storm though it’s not the first time he’s taken to Twitter to make fun of himself over fleeing the state during last year’s power grid meltdown (and having his excuses unravel as not-quite-true).
Inflation is out of control.
Gas prices are ⬆️
Food prices are ⬆️
Lumber prices are ⬆️
And tickets to Cancun are up 32%!
— Ted Cruz (@tedcruz) February 2, 2022
- It’s not easy booking Preferred Hotels (i.e. nice properties) using Choice points though it can be good value if you persevere.
- American Airlines Concierge Key members: your Hyatt Globalist status isn’t going away. American tells me that “Hyatt is updating expirations this month, so in 1-2 weeks, [Concierge Key] members should see their Globalist expiration date extended to Feb. 2023.”
- Watch a Virgin Orbit Satellite Launch From a RAF Pilot’s Amazing Perspective (HT: Paul H)
- Really, just like any other Fort Lauderdale departure.
- I guess the animal hat matches the life vest.
Happy Halloween on @SouthwestAir pic.twitter.com/FZJQ4r8aRS
— Chad Anderson (@VOL_Chad) February 2, 2022
- Britain’s Aviation Regulator Probed Hong Kong’s Pandemic Quarantine Rules After Direct Appeal From British Airways
- US Virgin Islands will accept proof of vaccination in lieu of testing for entry
Zero people think that Ted Cruz cares
One bit about the people of Texas,
Delta, Omicron, or any other
Individual variant of COVID.
A Senator who truly believes that Texans matter wouldn’t fuck off to
Cancun.
Brandon stays at DC even less than Trump, I see nothing wrong with Raphael
Too bad the clown in the white house won’t own all the damage he has caused to the country.
Like: High gas prices, High food prices and High lumber prices.
A president, thankfully, doesn’t control the price of oil, food or lumber. And inflation in those products is an international issue and not limited to the US.
A question to those who don’t understand the economy and blame the president for everything: Will you cheer the president when the prices of oil, food and lumber go down in the second half of the year?
@Alan you clueless stain ,
The POTUS does not control the price of gas you ass.
@Tim .Crude prices today (2/4) over $90. per barrel. Doesn’t the closing of the keystone pipeline have a effect on the price of all the oil we import from OPEC?
Teddy is a lock for re-election.
Alan, I am not a liberal, I am not a Democrat, I own 10 wells, and I can tell you that neither the White House nor Congress controls oil prices . . . or any other aspect of the economy. At times, things run hotter or colder but they always average out over the long run. If anyone is worried about inflation, put your money in stocks — higher prices mean higher corporate revenues which mean higher earnings which mean higher share prices. If you’re worried about oil and lumber prices, buy oil and lumber company shares. WE have greater control over inflation’s ultimate effect on us.
For the record and to be fair, since 1980 and across Democratic and Republican administrations and control of Congress, government spending has had a progressively smaller share of Gross Domestic Product.
PS
All of the rhetoric is political theater for the sole purpose of reelection and retaining power. Both sides of the aisle play their respective constituencies like fiddles.
I tend to use my travel interest as a means of trying to get away from annoying politics, but your blog is by far the most politically-obsessed miles/points blog out there and have had to avoid most of your posts in the last year or two. You should seriously think about creating an actual political opinion blog for your politics outlet instead of continually diluting your travel knowledge/insight with this mostly unproductive stuff that just alienates many of your potential readers like myself.
Just a thought.
Gary, I understand the political stuff gets clicks. And a little bit of these bloviating buffoons on both sides of the aisle can be entertaining. But please do this judiciously as too much may be toxic for VFTW. Points. Miles. Cards. Stay focused.
@ Al
100%
All those who think that political “leaders” do not “control” (eg, energy) prices are just totally misinformed — while it is true that “leaders” can *not* set the actual market prices, they most definitely *do* impact the *trends* of those prices! For example, when we go from prior energy independence (resulting in low gas prices) to now being totally dependent, once again, on oil imports due to reinstatement of prior *failed* policies and regulations against domestic energy productions (eg, shutting down pipelines, removing leases for new oil drilling fields, etc), what will inevitably happen? So *now* we have *high* gas prices, once again!
Why is this fact of reality so hard to grasp? After all, it’s just basic Economics 101 …
Dan – the nicest thing I can say about your post is that you are full of shit. I live in Texas and fully support Ted Cruz. Morons like you havn’t a clue about reality, but I am sure that you get all of your distorted “facts” from “news” sources CNN and the “View”. As time goes on, you will see and feel the results of your stupidity as the lying Socialist DemocRats continue destroying America. Enjoy your stupidity…
Largest job creation in US history under Biden. Nice try Rethuglican, anti-America, anti-democracy, con artists. Go cry in your milk and take an Omicron vacation to Cancun with the ugliest human being on planet earth, Raphael Cruz! Keep watching Faux Noise and taking your horse paste you cretins! Lotsa luck….
Marv- you are truly disgusting and obviously a moronic, lying liberal – and those are your good points.
I live in Texas. I think Ted Cruz is a cancer who is guided not by a notion of public service, morality or ethics but wherever he thinks the political winds of the day take him and where he can gain an advantage. His ilk will accelerate the downfall of the US and not socialism as some media outlets like to tell us.
Oh and given the worldwide issues with gas prices and inflation, blaming Biden for them by the republicans and their media outlets demonstrates their own contempt for their own base. They believe that their own base would be so uninformed and gullible. This is nothing new though. It’s one of their main pathways to power.
Thing 1 is totally right with his advice. Miles. Points. Cards. However I don’t see that ever happening as I don’t think ‘The Thought Leader in Travel’ can resist the compulsion to push his brand of politics on his ‘travel’ blog. I run through the Boarding Area headlines and I have a very good track record of being able to figure out which articles are from VFTH-articles that complain about unions, masks, regulations etc. —it’s very likely VFTW. It’s all very predictable. But hey he laughs all the way to the bank and gets to push his political views on those who keep coming back because he often has great stuff on miles and points. You take the bad with the good I guess. Case in point-I’m here.
“The State of Iowa should disqualify Ted Cruz from the most recent election on the basis that he cheated- a total fraud!”
“Ted Cruz is a total hypocrite and, until recently, a Canadian citizen who may not even have a legal right to run for president.”
“He’ll say whatever he wants to say. I actually think he’s a very unstable person. I really believe that. I think he’s a very unstable person. But I’ve never had somebody take something that you believe in and just say the exact opposite.”
“This guy Ted Cruz is the single biggest liar I have ever dealt with in my life. I mean it. … He will lie about anything. I’ve met much tougher people than Ted Cruz. He’s like a baby. … He’s like a little baby. Soft, weak, little baby by comparison. But for lying, he’s the best I’ve ever seen. … A guy like Ted Cruz, he has no clue. He never employed anybody. He’s a nasty, nasty guy.”
Was Trump finally telling the truth?
Tom and C.Weston – your remarks are asinine – you two are examples of what is wrong in America.
US net imports of oil are the lowest in decades, despite what an anti-vaxxin’, misinformation-spoutin’, Proud Boys-supportin’ chump like *StrictlyFacts* (oh sweet irony on that name) proclaims:
https://www.eia.gov/energyexplained/oil-and-petroleum-products/imports-and-exports.php
@UA-NYC — “US net imports of oil are the lowest in decades, …”
ROFLMAO! You’re kidding me, right? Are you totally *illiterate* or what? The reference you cited from the EIA is for the year 2020 … and *who* was still POTUS during that entire year? Had the Keystone Pipeline gotten shut down yet? Had those extra government land leases for drilling gotten canceled yet? Had our gas pump prices gone through the roof yet? Really? Seriously? Good grief!
Do better … now awaiting your apology for those as-usual tired old ad hominem attacks!
Ted Cruz is correct about what is happening in America…
dee – you are right – only a complete moron would say otherwise