I’m up here at a conference in Washington D.C. and met somebody from Raleigh who is a fan of Carolina Journal and he told me he liked the outrageous stories segment. It’s nice to hear from readers and I try to pick out content that has a broad appeal. Here are a few stories that caught my attention this week.

R.I. bill would impose fines and double the taxes of those who refuse COVID-19 vaccine

This bill proposes fines and doubling the state income tax for the unvaccinated in Rhode Island. It’s also another great ad campaign for not just government overreach but an informercial for voting with one’s feet and moving to states like Florida.

Man appears to threaten to pepper spray maskless Costco employees in absurd viral video

Treating people with respect and allowing them to make their own choices is still lost on the perpetually terrified. There is a lot of blame to go around for stirring up a culture of fear during COVID-19. Yet, Costco was one of the businesses that didn’t allow for any flexibility when it came to masks. One employee tried mightily to get my two-year-old son to mask up but in the end, his threats that the manager was going to come and force this on our boy never materialized. I wonder if Costco’s inflexibility attracted some of the crazies.

Number of US police officers murdered up by 59% – FBI

There are some bad apples in every profession but I believe the way that many in law enforcement have been maligned by some in the media and culture is shameful. Readers can go on social media and find people cheering this statistic. That’s messed up.

CBS abortion reporter joins Planned Parenthood

Of course. Why would anybody ever say the media is biased?

Biden’s net approval rating is underwater in 40 states

In the Scriptures, the number 40 denotes a lot. At least he’ll always have California.