Saturday, January 31, 2009

Obamas Stimulus Bill -

By Joel SkousenEditor - World Affairs Brief 1-30-9

...So, far the bailouts aren't working--unless you consider bailing out the nation's wealthiest and best connected insiders as the actual purpose of these programs. Each new bailout simply begets another round of bailouts as every sector of the economy takes its turn at the government trough.

No matter how many billions the PTB throw at the problem, each month the worsening figures accelerate. Even the appointment of Timothy Geithner to be Treasury Secretary is an affirmation of more of the same rather than change. As World Net Daily pointed out, Geithner, as head of the NY Federal Reserve bank, presided over all of the worst financial debacles of the last year. He was part of the problem.

Only Ron Paul of Texas has taken on the evils of Obama's stimulus package head on. He not only decries the entire bailout concept, but points out how the actual bill is full of bad provisions trying to hitch a ride on the stimulus wagon.

"This bill is just an escalation of a government-created economic mess. As before, a sense of urgency and impending doom is being used to extract mountains of money from Congress with minimal debate. So much for change. We are again being promised that its passage will help employment, help homeowners, help the environment, etc. These promises are worthless. This time around especially, Congress should know better than to pass anything of this magnitude without first reading the fine print."...
THE RON PAUL SOLUTION:
Nothing in this bill stimulates the freedom and prosperity of the American people. Politician-directed spending is never as successful as market-driven investment. Instead of passing this bill, Congress should get out of the way by cutting taxes, cutting spending, and reining in the reckless monetary policy of the Federal Reserve."...
..."This approach to the economic crisis stands in marked contrast with the approach of the gangsters running US economic policy. The gangsters are using the crisis as an opportunity to steal from taxpayers and to finance their misdeeds and exorbitant salaries with Federal Reserve loans. Their shills among economists and the financial press tell the people that the solution is to fatten up the banks with funds so they will resume lending to an over-indebted public that will then return to the shopping malls.
This unrealistic approach to a serious crisis indicates a leadership crisis on top of an economic crisis." It's not a leadership crisis in terms of lack of understanding or lack of competence. This is a conspiracy of greed and power. A little review of the nature of this conspiracy is in order.



Read more


Obamas Stimulus Bill - The Fine Print


Cite source as Joel Skousen's World Affairs Brief http://www.worldaffairsbrief.com/


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WHO IS ALINSKY?

Alinsky dedicated Rules for Radicals:

"... to the very first radical . . . who rebelled against the establishment and did it so effectively that he at least won his own kingdom - Lucifer."

If that doesn't send a shiver down your back, you haven't been paying attention.
Barack Obama and Alinsky's Rules for Psychopaths
by James Lewis

Driver's licenses let applicants pick gender

State allows men to identify themselves as women
Posted: January 31, 200912:00 am Eastern
By Bob Unruh© 2009 WorldNetDaily

The state of Massachusetts, which has been at the forefront of normalizing homosexual relationships in law, has taken a bold new step to allow applicants for drivers licenses to select their gender on officials documents.

The decision by Rachel Kaprielian became public when an organization promoting family values obtained a copy of a letter she dispatched to a homosexual lobbying organization.

The letter to Marc Solomon of MassEquality said the state Registry of Motor Vehicles "has amended its policy to enable transgendered individuals to more easily change the gender designation on their licenses and identity cards."

(Story continues below)
Driver's license applicants can choose their own gender
--WND Exclusive--

Friday, January 30, 2009

Britain faces worst year since 1930s, warns IMF


Larry Elliott in Davos, Ian Traynor in Brussels and Patrick Wintour
The International Monetary Fund added to Gordon Brown's woes last night when it warned Britain will be at the bottom of the league table of major developed countries this year, in the weakest year for the global economy since the second world war...

After seeing activity collapse in every continent over the past three months, the Washington-based fund said it expected the UK economy to contract by 2.8% this year – its worst single-year performance since the Great Depression of the 1930s...
Brown was forced to admit for the first time yesterday that the UK is in "a deep recession", sounding a very different note from his claims in the autumn that Britain was better prepared than other countries to resist the downturn...

The forecasts from the two organisations came as business leaders gathered in sombre mood for the annual meeting of the World Economic Forum in Davos...

News International chief Rupert ­Murdoch told delegates the crisis was getting worse: "It's going to take drastic action to turn it around, if it can be turned around quickly. I believe it will take some time. We've been living in the western world way above our means. We've been on a great binge and it's come to an end; and we have to live though the correction."

Howard Davies, director of the London School of Economics, said: "People in the UK and the US are going to get poorer. They will have to spend less than their income for a while."
Read entire article: Britain Faces Worst Year Since 1930s


And more: George Soros Selling Off Sterling
...Mr Soros also warned that the scale of the current economic crisis was now potentially even worse than the Great Depression in the 1930s and urged Western nations to set up "bad banks" to absorb their toxic assets.






Private equity investors and professionals are pulling their money out of Banks


By Bob Chapman The International Forecaster1-29-9
The following are some snippets from the most recent issue of the International Forecaster. For the full 37 page issue, please see subscription information below. US MARKETS ... We are not going to belabor this point but it is deadly important. Private equity investors and professionals are pulling their money out of banks. A professional run on banks has begun. If you have CDs or funds in banks that exceed six months of operating expenses remove them immediately. Your alternative is gold and silver related assets or Swiss franc Treasuries. If you need help email me or call 1-800-375-4188.

Our Treasury is going to have to raise over $2 trillion to fund fiscal needs in the next six months, which will be no easy feat. Will foreigners continue to fund such massive reckless spending? We do not know. We do not believe they want too, but do they have much choice? They are holding 64.5% of their foreign reserves in US dollars.

The US Treasury's needs for funds are enormous and fulfilling those needs will be very difficult. Are US Treasuries still the world's safest investment? We do not believe they are. Today this is a false perception, as it has been several times in our history. History is replete with other major nations defaulting on their bonds and arbitrarily devaluing their currencies in the last 150 years. The bottom line is there are no safe bonds or currency from any nation. Gold always has been and always will be the only safe option.

Today we have zero interest rates or for that matter negative rates if you consider the loss via real inflation. Owners of US debt are losing at least 10% annually on their investment. Our unprecedented expansionary monetary policy can only end in disaster via hyperinflation and default and devaluation. Even a 10% yield in today's market cannot compensate for the loss in buying power.

The creation of American debt is totally out of control and there will come a time when foreigners will be forced to say no - no more. They will be under enormous pressure from their own constituents. Besides, who is capable of funding such debt? China and Japan are loaded up. Oil producers are in a bind. England is on the edge of bankruptcy, as are Ireland and Spain. Perhaps Germany and France can help. We do not know who'll attempt to help, but more than $2 trillion in a year is a lot of money. We do not think it can be done and that means the Fed buys the Treasury's bonds, bills and notes by creating more fiat money monetizing the debt and sending inflation straight into the stratosphere. That means much higher gold prices are in our future.

There is no flight to the dollar. There has been a flight from other currencies to the dollar for several reasons and those reasons are now history. We could see the dollar again test the upper limits on the USDX at about 88, but that should be it. We expect the dollar to firmly put in a double top. In fact, we may well never get to 88, which often happens in situations like this. The dollar has gone up as much as it is going too.

Can you imagine what a dollar at this level will do to exports? It will probably cut GDP % to 1%, and at this stage that would be most unwelcome. The dollar is going lower versus other major currencies, which have all just fallen versus the dollar over the past five months. Next all the currencies will take a bath versus gold.

As an aside, events in Europe are horrible. England and Europe are trapped in depression and England is bankrupt. In Greece and in the Baltics and South Balkans they are having the worst riots in almost 20 years. S&P has cut Greek debt to near junk and the bonds of Italy, Spain, Portugal and Ireland are on negative watch.

As we told you before this is a worldwide catastrophe. There will be no decoupling. Ireland has nationalized the Anglo Irish Bank, the biggest bank in the country. The social fabric is being torn as it soon also will be in the US and other countries. The entire world is entrapped in a web created to bring about world government...
Read more: Professional Run On Banks Has Begun - Chapman

Wednesday, January 28, 2009

My Predictions for the New Obama “Presidency”.

Predicting Obama’s Presidency
Now that America has shown us all that affirmative action even works in politics, I’ve compiled a list of things that you can probably expect to happen. These predictions are 80% gleaned from information all of us have access to, and 15% gut instinct based on many years of research, historical study, and being glued to current affairs. The other 5% is just anger at my countrymen’s stupidity–I admit it.

- Israel will understand this election was the end of any type of assistance, military or otherwise, from the U.S., and will stop holding back their defense at the request of the American administration. Look for a first strike on Iran soon, as well as increased activity by the Israeli military in general. Israel is on her own now, and God help us all because of it.
- Websites and mass emails offering “free grants,” courtesy of the government and “Obama’s wealth redistribution.” Actually, this one’s a freebie, because I have an email with a date and timestamp of literally minutes after Obama was declared the winner, offering exactly that.

- Look for Iranian retaliation–against American targets. That goes doubly for other terrorist organizations. We just elected a man with the full endorsement of every major terrorist group in the world as leader of the free world. It’s the political equivalent of hiring a child molester to babysit your kids while you leave for the weekend. Not only is HE going to have fun with your child, but he’ll probably sit and watch while his friends come over and do it too.

- Look for far-left justices appointed to the Supreme Court, effectively tying up the entire government in a trifecta of liberal humanism, the buzzwords of which remain empty platitudes like “hope and change,” and the ultimate goal of which is socialism–and soon, sharia law.

- Military cases of troops being tried and convicted for killing the enemy in combat will continue to rise–and the conviction/plea-bargain rate will stay at nearly 100%, as the government seeks to use the best men and women this country has to offer as sacrificial lambs on the altar of global appeasement. Those brave and honorable men who currently reside in prison cells across the country, stripped of their rank, their careers, families, and their good name, will not taste free air again for many years. Their sacrifices and their stories will be forgotten by the general public, remembered only by those of us who continue to fight for them.

- Look for the slow but steady erosion of rights you have enjoyed for your entire lives–all the while being told it’s “for your own good.” Restrictions on gun ownership, home schooling, encouraged dependence on the ever-growing federal government. More nanny-state provisions will be put into place to protect the “disadvantaged” and the “poor,” (read: lazy, uneducated, unwilling to better themselves) even while groups like the unborn, the mentally handicapped, elderly, and terminally ill are slowly pushed toward euthanasia. Of course, this will be done with feel-good phrases like “death with dignity,” “not wanting to be a burden,” and “merciful release from suffering,” all of which ignore the basic fact that we are killing people without their consent for the “good of the people.” Before you tell me I’m crazy, let’s just remember that Barack Obama was the ONLY senator in the Illinois state senate to vote against providing medical care for babies who were inconsiderate enough to survive an abortion.. Also, look for taxes to go up. Yes, they’ll go up.
- You think the economy is bad now? Just wait. You’ll have the most expensive “free” health care ever. Bread lines aren’t just for Russians anymore. We have traded experience for color, freedom for slavery–and the irony is that the average American sheeple thinks their vote somehow righted an ancient wrong, somehow ENDED the spectre of slavery and ushered in some beautiful era of liberty. In reality, we are about to be less free than you ever thought possible.

I watched the faces of those crowded into the mob (excuse the pun) in Chicago. They stared at Obama like he was a god, an idol, a panacea to their every want and need. We have truly failed as a nation if we are at the point where we feel we must look to one man to take care of us all, to be our father figure and our sugar daddy. We have lost not only the “can-do” attitude of past generations, but the “MUST-do” attitude of our forefathers. We have allowed ourselves to become reduced from Patrick Henry’s proud cry of “liberty or death” to the sniveling, whining idea that we are owed something. We have gone from being the honorable defenders of freedom to being told we are the problem.

The eyes of Obama and McCain were also telling. McCain acted with class and grace in his concession speech, offering the most honorable response I’ve seen yet. I don’t agree with all of McCain’s positions, but it cannot be denied that the man has served his nation–at permanent and severe detriment to himself–for half a century. His eyes were clear and sincere, honest. His speech underlined the very reasons why, of the two men offered, he was hands down the better choice.

On the other hand, Obama’s eyes were cold, calculating. His manner was smug and still carried the arrogance he has always had. His facial expression was one of barely disguised disdain for everything people like me believe in. His body language was smooth, polished–too much so. He talked of patriotism as though it is a value he is familiar with–and yet, his horrifying attitude toward the country he now leads is as well-documented as his friendships with those who seek its demise. He is charismatic to those who don’t know what to look for, and he is inspiring to those who cannot or will not think for themselves. However, too many who voted for him are guilty of the most dangerous kind of hypocrisy. You see, we are told daily that we must not see color, just mankind. (We are all family, you know–or so we’re told.) And yet Barack Obama was handed the White House on a silver platter by a fawning media, a bevy of foreign donors (who, to this day and in violation of U.S. election laws, remain nameless and unaccounted for), and a populace who voted based on color instead of right and wrong–even in the face of the most damning evidence against a Presidential candidate in many years, perhaps ever.
It is said that the people receive the government they deserve. Sadly, I fear that’s correct. We have become complacent, unwilling to see the writing on the wall, content to frolic in the warm water without bearing to notice that it’s been getting hotter by the minute. We are two seconds from a rolling boil–and perhaps it is already too late.

So, liberals, enjoy your victory. Jump around. Have a party, file for your free grants. Scream “Gimme my handout!” and make fun of those of us who fought to make sure your “messiah” didn’t get access to the most powerful position in the world. Just remember when it all comes crashing down: You own the White House, the Congress, and soon the Supreme Court. You have no one to blame but yourselves for the mess you just created.
That is, those who voted for him. Interesting commentary. Time will tell.

Kit Lange is an Air Force veteran and military writer. Her blog, EuphoricReality.com, was named as one of the top 10 milblogs of the year.

Monday, January 26, 2009

Hyperinflation Will begin In China And It Will Destroy The Dollar

Every economic factor in China suggests an enormous wave of hyperinflation will begin early this year.
While I have written about the threats facing the dollar, this will be the event that finally ends the US's borrowing binge and destroys our currency.
Hyperinflation in China will be a monumental event
Because China makes most of the world cheap consumer goods, it will export its hyperinflation around the world. This means that no fiat/paper currencies will survive this with its purchasing power intact. Some will lose all value (dollar) while others will survive while experiencing a loss of purchasing power (yuan, euro, yen, etc...).
The only money that will retain its full value in the face of Chinese hyperinflation is gold.
China will sink the dollar to save the yuan...
Read more: Hyperinflation Will Begin In China - Doom Dollar
Eric deCarbonnel www.marketskeptics.com

Sunday, January 25, 2009

Britain on the brink of an economic depression, say experts

Britain is heading for economic depression for the first time since the 1930s, economists have warned...
By Edmund Conway, Economics Editor
Last Updated: 8:22AM GMT 24 Jan 2009
Read more: Britain On Brink Of Depression

Sunday, January 11, 2009

Rise in US jobless raises spectre of Great Depression

Gary Duncan, Economics Editor

Fears that the world is sliding into the worst global recession since the Great Depression multiplied yesterday as figures showed the steepest jump in American unemployment since the Second World War and a slump in manufacturing across Europe.


Economists on both sides of the Atlantic were startled by the severity of the latest indications of global economic slump, which further stoked pressure for radical action to stave off economic calamity.


A further surge in US joblessness led the litany of bleak developments yesterday. Official figures confirmed that more Americans lost their jobs last year than in any year since 1945, and that unemployment is soaring at the fastest pace seen since then.


A total of 524,000 Americans were made redundant by US employers last month alone, the latest official payroll figures showed. The mounting toll of job losses drove the unemployment rate in the world's largest economy up to a 15-year peak of 7.2 per cent, sharply higher than November's 6.8 per cent, amid predictions that it will leap to 9.5 per cent or more by the second half of next year.


“The jobs situation is ugly and it is going to get uglier,” Richard Yamarone, chief economist at Argus Research in New York, said. “There's no reason to expect hiring any time in the next three to six months.
Read entire article US Jobless Figures Point To Great Depression
Read also Meltdown In UK And US and Global Outlook Worsens For Output And Jobs
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Monday, January 5, 2009

Ten Major Threats Facing the U.S. Dollar in 2009

Currencies / US Dollar Jan 02, 2009 - 06:41 AM
By: Eric_deCarbonnel

1) Foreign central banks selling US assets
Most of the nations which have been financing the US's massive current account deficits in recent years have either begun to sell their dollar reserves last year or are planning on selling them this year in order to support their currencies. These nations generally fall into three categories:..

2) The worsening US Trade deficit
The US Trade deficit is worsening because, while imports to the US are falling, exports are falling even faster....

3) Treasuries

It is extremely important to understand that treasuries are the modern day equivalent of money under the mattress, and that, when a crisis confidence hits the dollar, treasuries will be redeemed for printed cash from the fed...

4) Gold Rising

demand for physical gold is a threat to the dollar because it signals a growing loss of confidence in the paper currency. It is also key to understand that gold prices aren't rising because of the changing fundamentals of gold, but because of the changing fundamentals of the dollar. In other words, gold isn't rallying, THE DOLLAR IS FALLING...

5) China and the yuan

China is in a different situation that most other nations as it has a growing trade surplus, which stood at $40 billion as of November. As a result of disappearing Asian demand for luxury items and commodity prices plunging, imports to China crashed 17.9 percent in November while its exports only fell 2.2 percent. This leaves China with a problem the US could only dream of: huge, unsustainable upward pressure on its undervalued currency. In order to maintain the dollar peg, China would need to fund not only a large part of the US's gigantic trade deficits, but also the trade deficits of those nations around the world which are selling their dollar reserves. If imports keep falling at their current pace, China will have to buy close to 1 trillion dollars this year alone, which leads to yet another problem: right now, China is not interested In any kind of risky US assets , and what "safe" assets does the US have to sell?... , and China knows this, which is why you have Chinese central bankers on record as saying that, "The US dollar is unlikely to be stable next year"...

6) Never ending bailouts
Although many Americans such as myself are growing tired of America's never ending bailouts, it is important to brace yourself because there are a lot more on the way. Here are a few of the bailouts we will be seeing this year which haven't gotten much media coverage. A) State government bailouts State budget troubles are worsening ...are running out of money ...

7) US budget deficits and (lack of) Tax revenues

The federal government is a facing record breaking budget deficit in 2009. According to the latest government figures, the deficit currently is expected to be $438 billion...

8) The "flight to quality" During the second half of 2008, a "flight to quality" began as hedge funds sold foreign assets to meet redemptions requests. These forced repatriations by hedge funds combined with dollar's outdated reputation as a safe haven produced a record breaking rally in the treasury markets. This "flight to quality" is not something that hasn't seen before. The phenomenon of investors blindly piling into an asset class while ignoring all warnings about the horrible fundamentals and deteriorating outlook has been so common lately that I am growing tired of seeing it. They are called bubbles, and the pattern is always the same:...

9) A loss of confidence

Confidence is the single biggest factor in determining a currency's value, and periods of deflation, such as America has been experiencing these last few months, tend to undermine that confidence and create hyperinflation ...

10) The dollar's former self

The US dollar in 1944 Following the end of World War II, the United States was a global powerhouse whose domestic industries were producing half of the world's manufactured goods. At this time, the US was also creditor nation and held over half the world's foreign reserves. As the US was running a huge balance of trade surplus, these immense foreign reserves were growing fast...

In additions to foreign currencies, the United States also held $26 billion in gold reserves, approximately 60 percent of the world's estimated $40 billion. Finally, the dollar was the only post-war currency fully backed by gold. The strength of the US economy, the fixed relationship of the dollar to gold at $35 an ounce, and the dollar's full convertibility into gold at that price made the dollar as good as gold. In fact, the dollar was better than gold:.. it earned interest and was more flexible than gold. It was under these strong fundamentals that, in 1944, the Bretton Woods agreement was signed and the dollar became the world's reserve currency ...

Today's dollar

The fundamentals backing today are just as amazing as they were back in 1944, except in a negative sense. The US has managed to outsourced its industry to the point of total dependency on foreign imports for its basic consumer goods, energy, and, to an extent, even food. The US can today claim the exalted status of the most indebted nation in human history, with every level of society (individuals, corporations, local/state/federal governments, etc) owing an unpayably large amount of money...

The US capital markets have been tarnish by widespread financial failures, haphazard bailouts, and blatant corporate corruption, the latest being the Madoff's ponzi scheme...

There are also growing doubts about how much gold, if any, are left in our reserves. Perhaps the most damning Indictment of our currency comes from this contrast between its past and current self. How can today's dollar be anything but a joke when compared to its former greatness?

The dollar's status as the world's reserve currency

The dollar became the world's reserve currency through its strong fundamental and by having the longest reliable history of increasing purchasing power. Today's dollar has long since lost both those qualities . Those pointing to the dollar's special status and expecting a new dollar bull market should realize that not everything about being the favored international reserve currency is positive. The downside of being the world's reserve is that everyone is sitting on a great pile of your money, which they could decide to dump back into circulation.

MUST Read entire article: Ten Major Threats Facing Dollar In 2009

http://www.marketskeptics.com/
Read
also:
US Asks Arab States For $300B To Save Economy
The US and Britain in Prophecy (see Bible Prophecy List)

Thursday, January 1, 2009

Mideast Can't Achieve Peace Without EU Involvement: Expert

As Israel continued to bombard the Hamas-governed Gaza Strip for a third day, Jochen Hippler, a German expert on the Middle East, told DW-WORLD.De the European Union bears some of the blame for the situation.

Jochen Hippler, a researcher and expert on the Middle East at the University of Duisburg-Essen's Institute for Development and Peace (INEF), told DW-WORLD.De in an interview that the current escalation in violence in Gaza would not help to bring about peace.

“We have a situation where one side is retaliating against the other and vice versa. The Palestinians will retaliate against Israeli violence and we have to solve this problem," he said.
Hippler said the longer that the violence continues, the more difficult it will be to come to a peaceful solution.

The European Union -- which has been the biggest sponsor of development projects within the Palestinian Authority, but has not wielded the political clout of the United States -- needs to step up to the plate when it comes to negotiating a workable initiative for peace, according to the Middle East expert.

“Europe has made a couple of mistakes in the last couple of years,” Hippler said. “Instead of respecting the elections (that brought Hamas to power) and dealing with someone they don't like, they've helped to trigger a kind of civil war among Palestinians. And you can't have peace with an opponent that is at war with itself.”

The EU's decision to upgrade bilateral relations between Israel and European Union member states in June has also stirred anger in the Arab world.

Hippler said finding a peaceful solution would have been easier 10 to 15 years ago. “The main challenge we face now is finding a permanent political solution. But there is no political will to do it.”

The EU, he said, could resolve help to reduce tensions by bringing Hamas to the table. “We have seen examples where negotiating with Hamas has been successful. But to achieve a ceasefire, the only way is to agree to a mutual ceasefire.”

Legitimate goal of peace will not be achieved. In any case, Hippler said, the official goals of Israel's military action -- to stop the rocket attacks --will not be met.

“It's a legitimate goal. The people of Israel have every right to live in peace as the Palestinians do. The problem is that this war will not change those attacks. The long-range effects will just be to start a new round of suffering, especially in the Gaza Strip and will motivate some militant people within Palestine to try and hit Israel any way they can.”

Mideast Can't Achieve Peace Without EU Involvement: Expert
Courtney Tenz
Related articles: EU, Arab nations call for end on Gaza crisis
EU calls for permanent ceasefire in Gaza Strip