Illinois Comptroller warns of State’s “dire fiscal straits” https://illinoiscomptroller.gov/news-portal/comptroller-mendoza-reaches-out-to-state-leadership/#.WUrBbsaZMXt Like Chicago’s, which I covered here: ... https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xJQ4_jxQu_U

Will there be War in Ukraine? Will we join the fight? Could be imminent. Ron Paul tells me President Biden’s Ukraine policy is “garbage.” He says it creates “more danger to the American people.” I agree. That's part of my hour long interview coming soon with Dr. Paul. ... https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R3uYJui1mLE

Florida man may lose home because he didn’t cut his grass. --------- Don't miss a single video from Stossel TV, sign up here: https://johnstossel.activehosted.com/f/1 --------- Jim Ficken left his home to take care of his recently deceased mother's estate. While away, the man he paid to cut his lawn died. The grass in Ficken's yard grew more than 10 inches long. The city of Dunedin has an ordinance against long grass. City officials fined Ficken $500 a day. Over time the fines added up to almost $30,000. "I was shocked," Ficken tells John Stossel, "It was just amazing that they would fine me that much." Ficken doesn't have $30,000, and now the city wants to foreclose on his home. Ficken's Lawyer, Ari Bargil of the Institute for Justice, points out that the city had other options: "Hire a lawn service to come out and mow the grass, and send Jim a bill for 150 bucks, but they didn't do that." The reason, says Bargil, is that the city "wants the money. Code enforcement is a major cash cow for the city." Dunedin collected $34,000 in fines in 2007. Last year, the fines ballooned to $1.3 million. "That's an almost 4,000% increase," Bargil tells Stossel, adding the city attorney "has called their code enforcement body a 'well-oiled machine.'" The city released a statement, saying they "have come under recent unfair criticism." They argue that Ficken is a "repeat offender" and has a "chronic history" of not maintaining his property. Stossel confronts Ficken, "The town says you're kind of a public nuisance." Ficken admits he is a "bit of a slob" but adds "I got everything taken care of when they notified me." Bargil argues Dunedin's big fines violate the 8th Amendment. It not only protects us from cruel and unusual punishment but also from "excessive fines." Stossel agrees: what's more excessive than politicians taking your home because you didn't cut your grass? ... https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MjV2autXVTc

The massive, deadly wildfires in America's West are caused by climate change,” smirks California governor Gavin Newsom. In reality, bad forest management and excessive regulation are bigger causes. ---- Don't miss a single video from Stossel TV. Sign up here: https://johnstossel.activehosted.com/f/1 ---- "All of this catastrophizing around climate change is a huge distraction,” says Mike Shellenberger, an environmentalist once named a "Hero of the Environment" by Time Magazine. "Climate change is real," he says, but "it's not the end of the world. It's not our most serious environmental problem." California warmed 3 degrees over the last half-century, but Shellenberger notes: "You could’ve had this amount of warming and not had these fires. The reason we know that is because the forests that were well-managed have survived the megafires." Well managed forests like the one at Shaver Lake, California, maintained by Southern California Edison, have survived the blazes. In that forest, the utility company conducted "prescribed burns" to get rid of tinder that creates big out-of-control fires, and they created "fire breaks" -- swaths of forest that are made sparse, so big fires die off when they hit them. See here for more: https://www.forbes.com/sites/michaelshellenberger/2020/09/13/forests-that-survive-megafires-prove-good-management-trumps-climate-change/#586807281305 The Forest Service says: "frequent fire is a must if we’re going to maintain biodiversity and plant life." But California ignored that lesson. Zealots fought to protect every tree. Now they're paying the price, and politicians deflect responsibility by blaming "climate change." In one tragic case, the town of Berry Creek tried to get permits to appropriately clear their forest. After two years of pleading with regulators, they got approval -- but when they finally got it this year, a fire hit and destroyed the town. The video above explains more about how out-of-control forest fires can be prevented. ... https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N-xvc2o4ezk