The Wake Up Call

A full account of what this monstrosity means to you. Created in absolute secrecy (like the hated Patriot Act), Congress will in all probability never see the text before being expected to vote via the Fast-Track route (again, just like the Patriot Act). You need to know what this is and you need to put pressure on your Congressman/woman to vote it down but you can only do this from a position of knowledge which, hopefully, my talk to day will give you. Why there can/will be no economic recovery. Earnings and demographics is the key here. A new study shows that having plenty of money is the most effective sleep remedy. Surprised? Education elsewhere is sometimes even worse than in the United States (if you can believe it!)

Mortgage bankers are ‘stepping up to the plate’ as Washington considers how to replace Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae. The history of the SLs which provided the backdrop to the sub-prime loans, the financial crisis and today’s continuation along with CMOs and CDOs. Obama’s observation about ‘bubbles’ shows his crass ignorance. Why the rest of the year will be an economic disaster. Even the IMF is now admitting that the U.S. is in terrible fiscal trouble. Empty promises and absurd statements from the World Bank and the IMF. Microsoft’s Ballmer is retiring (resigning?) The story of how Microsoft needlessly fell behind. MEP Daniel Hannan puts the U.K. Prime Minister in his place, showing the power of the Internet. A close read of the 300-page Obamacare bill shows that it was never about health care. It was about control, pure and simple. Yet another bailout for Greece. A saga without end

An account of why productivity has slowed to a crawl and will probably never regain its erstwhile velocity. Briefly: the important inventions that make the basics of existence tolerable have already been invented and produced and can never be replicated. We don’t recognize this because of the hubris that insists that today’s “breakthroughs” and “inventions” are far superior to anything that came before. We study the history of industrial development since 1870 and this leads to some very interesting conclusions. Some grim and revealing statistics proving beyond any credible doubt that there has been no ‘economic recovery’, despite what you are told. The new and scary U.S. passport application form. The frenzy of new I.P.O.s indicating a high likelihood of a definitive stock market top. A brief history of empires that came to ruin, following the same mistaken policies as the United States today

These people are impostors, irresponsible and totally incompetent. They have now openly admitted that “QE” didn’t work. But the damage is done. It’s too late to save the day. I cannot even begin to envisage the way in which the economic and financial horror will unfold. There is no historical parallel for reference. And yet… the Fed continues to print… and print… and print. Can nobody stop these monsters? A clip of Thomas Andrews Drake, senior executive of the NSA – and whistleblower. The debt spiral in Japan is careening out of control. Promises of a “second-half recovery” each year since 2009 have never materialized. Yet they continue, this year with the excuse that the sequester ‘cuts’ will ‘wear off’. Uh huh… A brief word on the housing market and why it will not recover. A book recommendation: ‘A Government of Wolves: The Emerging Police State’, by John Whitehead. A quick comment on the stock market

An account of the novel, 1984 and how it applies to today’s America. Quite unnerving, really. It’s probably time for a reread (for those of you who’ve already read it). A retired Marine colonel expounds on his disgust at how the U.S. police force has become militarized. The problem for the housing market is the sharp decline in mortgage applications, occasioned by higher housing prices and sharply higher interest rates. Why money-printing has failed – and could never have worked despite Bernanke’s assurances to the contrary. Why I believe there to be a 100% chance of a catastrophic meltdown ahead. Hint: bubbles… Wal-Mart’s bad earnings results just published show an economy in decline. The latest Administration scandal involving Eric Holder and mortgage fraud. Healthcare in Singapore. The folly of buying “risk-free” Russian railway bonds before the Russian Revolution

We turn our attention today to the state of domestic policing in America and it’s not a pretty picture. Despite murder at its lowest rate in over a century, the paramilitary police are ramping up their guerilla-style raids incomprehensibly. Plenty of statistics for you. We hear from a criminal attorney talking about police searches and what to do – or rather what not to do – if you are confronted by the goons. More on the NSA scandal. The absurdity of slavish acceptance of the tenets of advertising – even to the severe detriment of one’s own children. A suspicious shortage of ammunition in the United States. Where is it all going? An update on Cyprus. Incredibly as it must seem, sub-prime mortgage lending is ramping up again

Serious inroads are being made in the systematic shredding of the U.S. Constitution. I mention a number of examples of this. America seems entirely unconcerned. Snowden’s revelations will have no effect. The fascist leaders simply move on apace. There is nobody to defend the interests of the common man. People may now be held without trial and then ultimately convicted based on secret testimony by unnamed persons. Deconstructing the unemployment figures to prove that there is no economic recovery. Yes, it can be done! Some comparisons between Russia and the United States. Sit up and take notice… The out-of-control bureaucracy that bedevils small business in the United States – replete with the story of a rabbit

The opposing view – as espoused by me! I will not rehearse the arguments here. You’ll have to listen to the show for that. Just let it be said that overall the planet has not become any warmer since 1998. There was a very slight warming trend between 1976 and 1998. Before that people thought we were headed towards a new ice age! For the ultimate absurdity, please go to Bloomberg.com and type in: ‘Our hotter, wetter, more violent future’, read the article and weep… More on why it is NOT time to buy a house. Redefault rates from the HAMP program are at a staggering 46%. I truly wonder how long we must wait until the mainstream media describe our current situation for what it is: a depression. Spain is taxing sunlight – those who place solar power systems on their rooftops. America certainly doesn’t have a monopoly on stupidity

Will we see a repeat of the Dark Ages when there were centuries of no growth? There is precedent for this. Robert Gordon believes that all the significant attributes to life have already been created and produced. Social transformations such as the Internet and computers cannot match those early inventions we simply cannot do without. In fact, we may be going the other way with robots and mechanized technology (driverless cars…). How will society cope with the increased unemployment? More debt consumption. Many are about to lose their employer-funded health insurance with no replacement. Mike Huckabee discusses police brutality. Congress votes in favor of the government’s ability to collect innocent Americans’ communications records. Frank Church predicted the current erosions of freedom in 1975

A no-holds-barred account of the insanity in which America finds itself today. The misplaced belief in its exceptionalism along with generalized crass ignorance and stupidity have allowed the rich and powerful to rape and pillage the country. The frenzied printing of money has ruined the country and continues to do so. It seems nothing can stop the madman at the helm from ramming his ship into iceberg after iceberg in his absurd quest for intellectual vindication. A brief explanation as to why there is no growth in the economy. Increased Mexican border protection is just an excuse for preparations to defend the state against future internal civil unrest. (Immigration from Mexico has been declining since 2000). Teaching English in Brazil: much easier than you might think.

The pathetic spectacle of a local judge trying to stay the bankruptcy – like trying to outlaw death itself. A ghastly moment in American history. How did a country let an entire industry of which it was the undisputed leader slip through its fingers? Calling it stupidity hardly does justice to the word. It will take decades to pick up the pieces. Detroit is a wake-up call for the entire nation. Some historical background. The world debt crisis in perspective. Economic chaos is in our future. An interview with someone who agrees that GDP is an absurd measure of growth (or lack thereof). Uncanny parallels with 2008 before the melt-down

More and more sectors of the economy are dominated by cartel and/or state partnerships that are forged and enforced in obscure legislation written by lobbyists. Cheating, scamming, gaming have all become the order-of-the-day. This will inevitably lead to the breakdown of law and order. The consequences of a bond bear market. Liquidity traps: what they are and how the Federal Reserve has got caught in one. The Fed is trying to “stimulate” its way out. The DISA scandal of spending resources just to keep the money coming. Why “QE” doesn’t – and can’t – work. Why buying a house remains an undertaking fraught with danger. More on the government spying scandal

Exactly what can happen (excluding a nuclear conflict) to render life intolerable in the United States. The example of Argentina. Even John McCain is says, “The battlefield is the United States of America”. Governments in trouble ALWAYS resort to strong-arm tactics to disguise their inability to govern competently. The example of Germany in the 1930s. Despite assurances to the contrary, the U.S. economy is rapidly barreling downhill. Plenty of statistics here in support of this. Karl Denninger talking about the economy. Says the coming crash will be worse than 1929. (He’s right). Unemployment gathering momentum worldwide. The situation is very grave

The June 27 Senate bill provides for a dramatic ramping up of materiel available to the forces of “law-and-order”. The pretext is border control but that is just an excuse to spread this equipment nationwide, as Tech Park CEO Bruce Wright admits. The list of materiel is breathtaking. Where does the money come from to pay for it all? The Department of Homeland Security since 2001 has already spent more than the cost of the entire New Deal. Congress was warned in a petition signed by several thousand appraisers about the existence of fraudulent appraisals for seven years… and did nothing. Doug Casey talks about the need to emigrate away from the United States. Youth unemployment is a breeding ground for violent unrest. This has happened in Portugal, Greece, Spain and Italy. America may not be far behind

People still don’t appreciate that debt is in no way synonymous with wealth. The purpose of debt should not be to feed consumption: it should feed production. But it doesn’t work that way in today’s upside-down society. Spending more than you earn is going to have dire consequences very soon. A short discussion by three professionals about the extinction of the middle class in America. A quick overview of how much Americans earn. The pundits, of course, include debt in the earnings figures. Spending is/has been rising again. Total debt is now over three times GDP. The Fed continues unabatedly printing money from nothing. An update on Greece’s problems. A current assessment of the U.S. economy. Japan’s own trap. Potential problems with bank deposits