Ben Carson Warns Of 'An Entirely New Threat To Our Country'
San Francisco’s decline quickens: Macy’s plans to close its flagship store
Macy’s has been on San Francisco’s Union Square since 1945. For decades, its flagship San Francisco store has occupied most of the south side of the square. That’s why, when news broke that Macy’s planned to shut down 150 of its stores, it seemed inconceivable that the Union Square store would be on the chopping blog. However, that’s exactly what’s happened, as Macy’s has announced that it’s joined the exodus of major retailers leaving the crime-plagued city.
For decades, Macy’s presided over the city’s storied Union Square (which has roots in the Civil War), first with its original store and then with the additions of the old City of Paris and I. Magnin buildings. I shopped there a lot, having grown up, lived, and worked in the city.
By the 2000s, Macy’s was a weird amalgam of incredibly expensive couture clothing and cheap sales items. It wasn’t clear how it made a profit. Well, it turns out that Macy’s cannot turn a profit, which is why it’s shutting down 150 stores nationwide:
Macy’s, an anchor of so many shopping malls, plans to close 150 department stores in a bid to reinvigorate sales and shift its public image more toward luxury goods.
The company on Tuesday said it will shutter “underproductive” stores, while opening more of its better-performing, higher-end siblings: Bloomingdale’s and beauty-focused Bluemercury. Macy’s also plans to add smaller stores at outdoor shopping centers, which have been growing in sharp contrast to indoor malls.
All this is part of a do-or-die task for the quintessential American department store under a brand-new CEO. His plan, dubbed “A Bold New Chapter,” appears to acknowledge that Macy’s for years has been losing its traditional middle-class shopper — both to the yawning wealth gap dividing America and simply to other retailers, including brands that sell directly online.
The big surprise, of course, is that Macy’s is including in the shutdown its bazillion square feet of retail space on Union Square, a move the San Francisco Chronicle accurately characterizes as a “devastating blow to downtown”:
Macy’s will close its massive flagship store in Union Square, San Francisco officials said Tuesday, a major setback to the city’s premier shopping district and its larger downtown recovery efforts during an election year.
The store will remain open until the company finds a buyer for the property, Mayor London Breed said in a statement Tuesday morning. The Chronicle has learned that the store will remain open until at least 2025.
[snip]
Macy’s massive, 400,000-square-foot Union Square store — which spans nearly an entire block fronting Geary Street between Powell and Stockton streets — is the company’s last outpost in San Francisco. Macy’s presence in the city dates to 1947 and its store is a landmark on the south side of Union Square. Its loss marks one of the biggest retail closures the city has ever seen, on top of the loss of a nearby Nordstrom that had been open since 1988 and dozens of smaller retailers since the pandemic.
That last quoted sentence tells the real story: The city, under its hard-left aegis, is losing its retailers.
Last August, CNN noticed that “nearly 40 retail stores have closed in Union Square’s zip code since 2020, while dozens more have closed in the surrounding area.” The same article sums up the causes, although it tries to downplay the horrors shoppers and workers experience when confronted by the euphemistically named “unhoused” population and soft-peddles retail theft:
The city’s working population has yet to return to the office at the same levels as other major cities, adding to a decline in foot traffic downtown. According to US Census estimates, many residents have left the city: San Francisco County’s population declined by more than 60,000 people, or more than 7%, from 2020 to 2022.
In addition, San Francisco’s downtown has experienced a rise in its unhoused population. Thirty percent of the nation’s homeless population live in California, and most attribute their situations to the high cost of housing in the state, according to the results of a University of California, San Francisco survey released in June. The median sale price of a home in San Francisco is currently $1.32 million, making it 214% more expensive than the national average, according to data from Redfin.
As San Francisco’s downtown area has emptied over the last three years, property crimes and retail thefts have risen, according to San Francisco Police Department data. Elon Musk, CEO of Tesla, whose corporate headquarters used to be in nearby Palo Alto, said in a recent tweet that San Francisco felt “post-apocalyptic.”
Violent crime in San Francisco has remained relatively low in recent years compared to other major cities in the United States, however.
Another problem, writes the article, is the drop in tourism dollars. CNN blames residual pandemic fear, but only lefties still care about it.
I sense that tourists don’t want to go to a city drowning in feces and one in which they may be mugged or have all their luggage stolen from their car within minutes of touching down in the city. Why bother? There are other beautiful places in America (I recommend Charleston, SC) that are both clean and relatively safe.
Just as Biden shows what leftism does to a nation, San Francisco reveals what it does to a local community: It’s lockdowns, drugs, crime, filth, hostility to business interests, crazy sex and nakedness in public, and everything that wears down a population, sends away money, and frightens tourists. With Ronna McDaniel finally leaving the RNC, maybe that organization will stop buying flowers for itself and start selling the “This is your nation on leftism” message to the American voter.
Image: Macy’s on Union Square montage made using photos by BrokenSphere (CC BY-SA 3.0); Marc Hogan (CC BY-SA 4.0); Binksternet (public domain); D’Arcy Norman (CC BY 2.0); and Another Believer (CC BY-SA 3.0).
Newsom: "Biden’s Presidency Is a ‘Masterclass’ in Leadership" --- GAVIN NEWSOM, CA IDIOT FOR HIRE!
62 Percent of Californians Expect Bad Times for the State, Survey Finds
A majority of Californians are pessimistic about the future of the state, according to a new survey by the independent, nonpartisan Public Policy Institute of California.
“It is noteworthy that optimism is down,” researchers wrote in the report.
The survey was conducted Feb. 6 through Feb. 13. This is the 26th year the policy group has questioned Californians about their opinion of the state.
Across the state, more than six in 10 respondents are expecting economic distress for California in the next year. That negative outlook has persisted since November 2021. Republicans are more likely to expect financial problems for the state, with 80 percent surveyed suggesting such is the case, while 68 percent of independents agree, and 45 percent of Democrats also concur.
And nearly six in 10 respondents said the Golden State is headed in the wrong direction.
“With a blundering economy, rampant homeless crisis, brazen crime, and failing schools, is anyone surprised?” Jessica Millan Patterson, California GOP chairwoman, posted Feb. 23 on X, in response to the survey.
Partisan differences exist, with 88 percent of Republicans, 68 percent of independents, and 33 percent of Democrats saying the state is misguided. The results hold true across regions and demographics, except African American respondents who disagree by a slim margin.
With the state facing a significant budget deficit estimated at $78 billion and growing, according to a recently released report from the nonpartisan Legislative Analyst’s Office, survey participants varied in their opinions on its implications. Nearly 90 percent of all respondents said it is a problem, and about half said it represents a “big problem.”
About half of those surveyed approve of the proposed budget put forth by Gov. Gavin Newsom in January—which includes a combination of spending cuts, deferrals, and borrowing but does not raise taxes—with differences in how to address the concern split by party lines. Democrats are more in favor of increasing taxes to fill the budget gap, while Republicans said spending cuts are the preferred course of action.
For the first time since 2019, fewer than half of Californians approve of Mr. Newsom’s overall performance—with 47 percent of those surveyed reporting they are in favor of the governor’s policy decisions. Democrats at 70 percent are more likely to approve, with 60 percent of independents and 84 percent of Republicans disapproving.
Across regions, those in the areas of San Francisco and Los Angeles approve of the governor by slight majorities at 52 percent and 53 percent, respectively.
Demographic groups also differed in their opinion of the governor’s performance, with 67 percent of African Americans and slightly more than half of Latinos approving, while Asian Americans were split at 48 percent and white respondents disapproved at a rate of 56 percent.
Even fewer are in favor of the Legislature’s decisions, with 54 percent disapproving overall. That represents a six-point decline in favorability compared with the same time last year. While Democrats approve by a rate of 64 percent, and African Americans at 57 percent, all other groups, parties, and regions disapprove.
The state government’s motives were also questioned, with 70 percent of respondents saying that a few big interests control the system for their own benefit.
And widespread doubt exists regarding the use of taxpayer money, with 91 percent of those surveyed believing funds are wasted.
Though most are pessimistic about the governor and the Legislature, 56 percent of respondents expect the state’s executive and legislative branches to work together and accomplish “a lot” over the next year.
Optimism has declined by 11 points since January 2019 but has remained relatively steady over recent years. Democrats are far more optimistic, with 74 percent expecting progress, while 47 percent of independents and 38 percent of Republicans are.
On the most important issues facing the state, respondents were split. A combined category of jobs, economy, and inflation were the top priority for 20 percent of respondents; homelessness placed second with 18 percent; housing costs and availability came in at 14 percent; 11 percent chose crime, gangs, and drugs; and immigration trailed at 10 percent.
Democrats believed homelessness was the most important at a 26 percent clip, 24 percent of Republicans chose immigration, and independents slimly chose jobs, economy, and inflation over housing costs and availability.
When asked to consider the only measure on the ballot during the March primary, 59 percent of likely voters said they would vote in favor of Proposition 1, which would approve a $6.38 billion bond to expand treatment facilities to address mental health, substance abuse, and homelessness. Other than Republicans, majorities existed across demographic groups and regions.
Answers via online and phone interviews were provided by 1,628 adults across the state, and researchers reported a 3.3 percent margin of error.
CALIFORNIA: THE OPEN BORDERS LA RAZA WELFARE STATE PERPETRATED BY THE DEMOCRAT PARTY
Migrant Men ARRESTED. Jacumba California.
Illegal Aliens Unleashed onto the Streets of San Diego by Border Patrol
The Border Patrol released more illegal aliens onto the streets of an already-overwhelmed San Diego, California on Friday, at the same time that a “welcome center” for immigrants was forced to shut down because it ran out of funding, due to the surge.
“The Border Patrol bus released approximately 200 migrants onto the streets in San Ysidro, where they were then handed over to a non-governmental organization for help,” Fox News reported Friday.
The release of illegal immigrants on Friday is the latest instance of ongoing Border Patrol releases into San Diego.
In just one five-week period late last year, nearly twenty thousand migrants were dropped off in San Diego, local station CBS 8 reported on October 18, 2023:
“Border Patrol has dropped off more than 18,500 migrants into San Diego over the past five weeks. More than 1,400 migrants have been dropped off in Oceanside and local nonprofits and city governments are stepping up to help.
“Last week, CBS 8 reported that Border Patrol had dropped 13,000 in one month's time, meaning there has been at least a 5,500 increase in just seven days.”
Indeed, illegal immigrants are increasingly flooding into San Diego, between official ports of entry. And, if apprehended, they’re overwhelming detention facilities.
Border Patrol encounters between ports of entry in San Diego Sector are up 73.8% through the first four months of the current fiscal year (Oct. 2023-Jan. 2024), surging to 120,124 from 69,117 in the same period last year. In each month, the number of encounters was at least sixty percent higher than the same month year-ago.
Similarly, encounters with illegal immigrants at the port of San Diego by U.S. Customs and Border Control’s Office of Field Operations are up 70%, from 36,834 in the first four months of FY2023 to 62,722 in FY2024 to-date.
Not all of the illegal immigrants released into San Diego stay there, or even remain in the state, however.
Since the Border Patrol drops them off at a bus station, they can simply hop onto another bus and head anywhere else in the U.S. Alternatively, local nonprofits are there to provide them with free transportation to airports and rail stations.
The illegal immigrants claiming to be asylum-seekers are on the honor system to report to a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement office once they settle in their new location. If they do, a court date will be set, where they can plead their case for asylum, if they show up.
What’s more, not all of San Diego’s illegal immigrants hail from Central or South America – some come from far-off, hostile regimes like China.
The influx of immigrants from hostile countries, who mix in with migrants from more friendly nations, poses a serious national security threat, as MRCTV’s Nick Kangadis reports:
“While the top nationality represented isn’t a complete surprise, with 28,000 criminal invaders from Colombia being encountered, coming in second are invaders from China, with 21,000 encounters in that sector alone since October. The rest of the top 10 includes, in order, Mexico, Brazil, Ecuador, Turkey, Guinea, India, Guatemala and Peru.”
….
“While some Chinese might actually be trying to flee the oppression of their communist government, you better believe that the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) would take advantage of such a situation and send in spies and other military-related individuals.”
New Discovery On The Us-Mexico Border Changes Everything
Newsom: Biden’s Presidency Is a ‘Masterclass’ in Leadership
Governor Gavin Newsom (D-CA) said Sunday on NBC’s “Meet The Press” that President Joe Biden’s presidency has been a “masterclass” in how to run the United States.
Anchor Kristen Welker said, “There are some pretty stark numbers you are facing. Seventy-six percent of voters say they have real concerns about President Biden’s ability to serve a second term. Do you think it is responsible for Democrats to put him at the top of the ticket given these concerns?”
Newsom said, “I mean, what he’s done in three years, it’s been a masterclass. Close to 15 million jobs, that’s eight times more than the last three Republican presidents combined. The economy is booming. Inflation is cooling. It’s .6% more than it was in the summer of 2020 at just 3.1%.”
He continued, “We have American manufacturing coming home, all because of Biden’s wisdom, his temperance, his capacity to lead in a bipartisan manner, which is an underrepresented point. And, so, I have great confidence moving forward. And so the answer is, absolutely all in, in terms of the next four years for Joe Biden.”
Welker said, “These voters, though, aren’t complaining about his record. They’re talking about concerns about his ability to beat Trump, who you’ve called lightning, a threat, essentially to democracy. We’ve heard a lot of his allies say publicly, in private, ‘He is strong, he’s in command, he’s forceful.’ Does he need to do more to show that?”
Newsom said, “I think he’s doing everything he needs to do. I mean, he’s got an extraordinary record. He’s doing everything he needs to do on Ukraine at the moment. He’s doing everything he needs to do to wrestle some common sense as it relates to a bipartisan approach to address the issue of the border when Republicans couldn’t take yes for an answer because they don’t want to make that a political issue. He is leading.”
He aded, “So, no, from my humble prospective, not only have the last three years been extraordinary, I’ve been out, as you know, on the campaign trail. I was just out in California. I’ve seen him up close, I’ve seen him from far. But here’s my point: it’s because of his age that he’s been so successful.”
Follow Pam Key on Twitter @pamkeyNEN
No comments:
Post a Comment