EVERYTHING IS GOING SWIMMINGLY: Why downsizing will cost homeowners MORE: Soaring house prices and elevated mortgage rates mean retirees can no longer afford to move.

Downsizing has traditionally made sense for retirees looking to settle down and shore up their nest eggs for their later years.

But moving to a smaller home may no longer be a way for Americans to save money in the current market, experts warn.

The average 30-year fixed-rate mortgage has soared to 7.49 percent, according to latest data from lender Freddie Mac, while many homeowners are locked into much cheaper 2 or 3 percent deals on their current homes.

Meanwhile the number of smaller houses for sale has diminished in recent years, according to listing website Realtor.com – pushing up the price of the limited inventory on the market.

The number of properties for sale that measure 750 to 1,750 square feet – the size range people who are downsizing tend to purchase – has dropped by more than 50 percent since 2016, according to Realtor.com.
…
Downsizing is most expensive for those who are locked into historically low mortgage rates – and who would need to take out a loan on a smaller home.

They might not be able to afford to stay, either, as property taxes go nowhere but up on their appreciating homes.

HIGHER EDUCATION BUBBLE UPDATE: Exclusive Photos: These students ‘justified’ murder, rape of Jews. The event was promoted with an image honoring the paragliders who descended upon and attacked civilians at a music festival.

I remember when people justified higher education’s exalted place in our society on the ground that it made people better. The recent evidence suggests it is an incubator for hate.

DON SURBER: Palestine woke the world up: This is the worst week for anti-Semites since George Soros was a boy.

The Palestinian script was familiar. They attack, Israel stops them, they roll out fake footage of Israeli response and gain sympathy, demand a cease fire and get what they want. Propaganda blooms like dandelions in the spring.

There was the father who carried his “dead daughter” across the rubble in Gaza.

After that video was shot and posted on Twitter, she miraculously recovered and she began taking off her gray death makeup.

But the Pallywood propaganda did not work this time because people in the civilized world have had it — even in Massachusetts. RNC Research tweeted, “At a pro-Israel rally, Democrat Sen. Ed Markey calls for ‘de-escalation,’ even amid the unspeakable crimes committed against innocent Israelis by Hamas terrorists.

“The crowd immediately starts booing him.”

Pocahontas looked like she needed a tomahawk — the drink.

On the night of the attack, Ambassador Nikki Haley tweeted, “This is not just an attack on Israel — this was an attack on America.

“Finish them, Netanyahu.

“They should have hell to pay for what they have just done.”

CNN’s Jake Tapper said on the air, “These last few days have been a real eye-opening period for a lot of people — a lot of Democrats, a lot of progressives — in terms of antisemitism on the left.”

Bari Weiss explained the reaction to Palestinian terrorism. She said on MSNBC, “The Nazis tried to hide their war crimes. Hamas is livestreaming theirs.”

The anti-Semitic left is hiding in a cone of silence.

Related:

Rep. Rashida Tlaib is asked 10 times to condemn Hamas terrorism.

She refuses to speak. pic.twitter.com/JCXiaMTAc5

— End Wokeness (@EndWokeness) October 11, 2023

Lol – you showed who you really are. No backtracking now. https://t.co/TTfQ7GYX9l

— Catturd ™ (@catturd2) October 11, 2023

WHAT’S WRONG WITH “SMELLY CAT?” Phillies Fans Get Needlessly Worked up Over the Atlanta Braves Organist’s Music Choices.

K-12 IMPLOSION UPDATE: RealClearInvestigations: As Families Take to Charter Schools, Cities and Their Teacher Unions Throw Up Obstacles.

NEVER UNDERESTIMATE JOE’S ABILITY TO F*** THINGS UP: Biden’s depletion of emergency oil stocks comes back into focus amid Israel-Hamas war, price surge.

Background: Well, Biden Screwed Us Forever on Another Damn Thing.

KRUISER’S MORNING BRIEFING: Even Now, Democrats Are Having a Hard Time Breaking Up With Their Terrorist Pals. “There isn’t any ambiguity in what’s going on in Israel. It shouldn’t be difficult to come up with a variety of ways to disparage and condemn Hamas and anyone who supports them. Unless, of course, you too support evil.”

HIGHER EDUCATION BUBBLE UPDATE: Yale American Studies professor justifies Hamas attacks. We really need to think about all the ways that higher education has become a toxic industry, and about what to do about that.

“Every time you hear ‘decolonize,’ ‘diversity,’ or ‘systemic whatever,’ know that what they are saying is that they support revolutionary violence. That is literally what they mean.”

WHEN THEY TELL YOU WHO THEY ARE, BELIEVE THEM: Democrats walk out as North Carolina House votes for resolution urging Congress to support Israel.

Speaker Tim Moore, R-Cleveland, led the debate as the NC House voted unanimously Tuesday for House Resolution 897. It urges Congress to support Israel in response to unprovoked attacks from terrorist group Hamas.

However, a group of 12 House Democrats walked out of the chamber rather than vote on the resolution. It passed, 104-0.

The official House record records the following Democrats as “not voting”: Rep. John Autry of Mecklenburg County; Rep. Amber Baker, Forsyth; Rep. Gloristine Brown, Pitt; Rep. Kanika Brown, Forsyth; Rep. Maria Cervania, Wake; Rep. Terence Everitt, Wake; Rep. Pricey Harrison, Guilford; Rep. Nasif Majeed, Mecklenburg; Rep. Marcia Morey, Durham; Rep. Renee Price, Orange; Rep. Diamond Staton-Williams, Cabarrus; and Rep. Julie von Haefen, Wake.

Gestures matter and those 12 Democrats certainly made one.

Daily reminder …

The world has gone to hell under Joe Biden.

— Catturd ™ (@catturd2) October 10, 2023

TO BE FAIR, THE DANE KICKS BACK TEN PERCENT FOR THE BIG GUY: John Lucas: Appeasement in Real Time: Biden and Blinken pay the Dane-Geld.

A FRIEND WRITES FROM NEW YORK: “Columbia is restricting campus to active ID holders only as of tomorrow.”

The pro-Hamas sentiments haven’t worked out well for the universities.

KEEP YOUR POWDER DRY: Hamas Calls for Global Pro-Terrorism Rallies on Friday.

AMERICAN HIGHER EDUCATION IN A NUTSHELL: Harvard Student Leaves Lecture On Microaggressions To Attend ‘Kill The Jews’ Rally.

The University happily hosted the rally for mass murder and rape after being assured that no one would be misgendered. “Hate speech has no place here at Harvard,” assured President Claudine Gay. “We affirm everyone’s right, regardless of gender, to feel safe to express their deep hatred and longing to kill Jewish people. That’s why Harvard is more than a school – it’s a family.”

A group effort, the “Kill the Jews” rally was lovingly organized by the Palestine Solidarity Committee with help from the Nationalsozialistischer Deutscher Studentenbund. The rally’s aim is to spread awareness of the plight of the Palestinian people who currently have to live in a world where Jewish people are alive and breathing.

Is the Babylon Bee even a satire site anymore?

DEAL OF THE DAY: MARMOT Men’s Zeus Jacket, Down-Insulated, Water Resistant, Lightweight. #CommissionEarned

OUT NEXT WEEK FROM GREG LUKIANOFF: The Canceling of the American Mind: Cancel Culture Undermines Trust and Threatens Us All.

BUT THE CLASS OF 2023 LEADS IN PERSONAL PRONOUN USAGE AND IN HOURS SPENT WITH DRAG QUEENS: ACT test scores fall to lowest levels in 32 years. “It sunk slightly lower than the 2022 score of 19.8, which had been a 30-year low, as well… Average scores have been declining for six consecutive years, ACT CEO Janet Godwin said in a statement.”

In other words, the trendline sucks.

TEACH WOMEN NOT TO RAPE! (CONT’D): Social worker admitted having sex with 13-year-old boy she counseled: report. “She was charged with unlawful sexual conduct with a minor, according to WSYX, and is being held on $500,000 bond.”

LOL: “America does not deserve me.”

WATCH: Joe Biden Predicted His Failure in Afghanistan in 2007.

DON SURBER: Donald the Inevitable: Both Hamas and the Democrat Party went too far.

THE ENEMY WITHIN:

Rep. Rashida Tlaib is asked 10 times to condemn Hamas terrorism.

She refuses to speak. pic.twitter.com/JCXiaMTAc5

— End Wokeness (@EndWokeness) October 11, 2023

THE LEFT GETS A TASTE OF ITS OWN MEDICINE: Conservative group circles two trucks with photos, names of Pro-Palestinian Harvard students around Harvard Square.

Fallout from a controversial statement published and initially signed by about 30 student groups at Harvard University continued Wednesday as two trucks circled Harvard Square for much of the day, featuring the names and photos of students linked to the statement.

The billboard trucks, funded by the conservative news group Accuracy in Media, featured LED screens that changed throughout the day to feature at least a half dozen Harvard students under the words, “Harvard’s Leading Antisemites.” The trucks also linked to a website, HarvardHatesJews.com, which directs users to send messages to Harvard’s board of trustees.

“Tell them to take action against these despicable, hateful students,” the website reads. “Each and every one of these students should be expelled and their student organizations should be kicked off campus.”

Adam Guillette, president of Accuracy in Media, confirmed in an interview with the Boston Globe Wednesday evening that his organization sponsored the trucks.

“Our organization has sent two trucks to Harvard,” Guillette said. “They’ll be there for some time.”

I’m not in favor of cancel culture. On the other hand, I am a fan of irony and paybacks. And just a few years ago, all the best people were assuring me that it was laudable to punch Nazis. . . .

UPDATE: I think this stuff is getting their attention. Or at least that of Harvard president Claudine Gay. A Harvard friend writes: “Ha, I’ve got about 100 emails from Claudine Gay’s office.”

OPEN THREAD: Everything is going swimmingly.

HARVARD STUDENTS CANCEL THEMSELVES: A dozen CEOs back Bill Ackman’s call to not hire Harvard students who blamed Israel for Hamas attack.