email Congress & W.H.: http://capwiz.com/congressorgfb/issues/alert/?alertid=41045506
government contacts: http://harrold.org/rfhextra/contact_the_us_government.html
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Showing posts with label o'bamanomics. Show all posts
Showing posts with label o'bamanomics. Show all posts
Wednesday, August 24, 2011
How poor is poor in America? (video 8m53s, PJTV.com) [Take time to view before you decide on who to vote for in 2012 & why.]
video source: http://youtu.be/OkebmhTQN-4
Sunday, August 14, 2011
Prepare - "Britain is a Riot." (Pat Condell, video 4m44s)
From: baja Sent: Friday, August 12, 2011 Subject: English Riots
video source: http://youtu.be/9pAC0YSmK0gFriday, August 12, 2011
Prepare - "The Natives Are Restless" (under-reported news)
"It is precisely this clinging to victimhood as a means of demonstrating one’s virtue and advancing one’s well-being that has led us into a society in which welfare and quotas are "civil rights," government handouts are "entitlements," and payment to girls having babies out of wedlock are "compassionate," while hard-working, ambitious people are "greedy," punishment of crime is "oppression," and an independent thinker who stands for courage and self-reliance is dismissed as an "Uncle Tom."
-- J. Tucker Alford Source: Heroics, Letter to The American Spectator, P. 72, February, 1996.
http://quotes.liberty-tree.ca/quote_blog/J..Tucker.Alford.Quote.D203
http://quotes.liberty-tree.ca/quote_blog/J..Tucker.Alford.Quote.D203
From: Lee Bellinger Sent: Friday, August 12, 2011 Subject: I'm ratcheting up to help you get ready for anything...
Recent Events Have Sharply Refocused My Attention
Urgent Dispatch from Lee Bellinger
Urgent Dispatch from Lee Bellinger
This time it's personal. Let me explain what recently transpired just steps from my own front door... why this incident has raised my level of concern about your personal security as well as my own... and how this and similar events have led me to today's SPECIAL ANNOUNCEMENT.
I am blessed to live in the beautiful southern city of Charlotte, North Carolina. Life is good here. The weather is temperate, and the city has just the right balance of cosmopolitan flair and true southern charm.
But what happened here in the Queen City just weeks ago, on an early summer weekend, came at me like a cold slap in the face.
Charlotte police in riot gear had to quell a disturbance of hundreds of violent party crashers – leaving some 70 arrested and one dead. Our fair city awoke the next morning to entire blocks roped off by yellow police-line tape as detectives worked to determine who spoiled our downtown family-friendly event and turned it into a crime scene of mayhem and death.
"Chronic unemployment is spilling over into civil unrest..."
But I don't need to see the police blotter to understand the forces at work here. Chronic unemployment is spilling over into civil unrest, as idled workers team with those who are simply too lazy to work and act out in rage and anger against those they perceive as privileged.
As this latest incident of social unraveling played out right here at my own doorstep, I found my attention very sharply refocused. When it happens in your own town, you realize that yes, the you-know-what has officially hit the fan! The need for preparedness – for having a personal "Plan B" is now a matter of urgency.
Eerily similar scenes of rioting and violence occurred throughout the Eastern Seaboard that same weekend, from Long Beach, NY to Nashville, TN. It's a warning sign of pent-up rage as a disturbing sense of entitlement and permanently high unemployment sinks in. Consider:
I am blessed to live in the beautiful southern city of Charlotte, North Carolina. Life is good here. The weather is temperate, and the city has just the right balance of cosmopolitan flair and true southern charm.
But what happened here in the Queen City just weeks ago, on an early summer weekend, came at me like a cold slap in the face.
Charlotte police in riot gear had to quell a disturbance of hundreds of violent party crashers – leaving some 70 arrested and one dead. Our fair city awoke the next morning to entire blocks roped off by yellow police-line tape as detectives worked to determine who spoiled our downtown family-friendly event and turned it into a crime scene of mayhem and death.
"Chronic unemployment is spilling over into civil unrest..."
But I don't need to see the police blotter to understand the forces at work here. Chronic unemployment is spilling over into civil unrest, as idled workers team with those who are simply too lazy to work and act out in rage and anger against those they perceive as privileged.
As this latest incident of social unraveling played out right here at my own doorstep, I found my attention very sharply refocused. When it happens in your own town, you realize that yes, the you-know-what has officially hit the fan! The need for preparedness – for having a personal "Plan B" is now a matter of urgency.
Eerily similar scenes of rioting and violence occurred throughout the Eastern Seaboard that same weekend, from Long Beach, NY to Nashville, TN. It's a warning sign of pent-up rage as a disturbing sense of entitlement and permanently high unemployment sinks in. Consider:
- In South Beach, Miami, permanent residents who dared to object to widespread vandalism and violence from the annual "Urban Weekend" crowd are being vilified as racists, not victims.
- In Myrtle Beach, another absolutely charming town here in the Carolinas, the annual Black Bike Week gathering led to 8 hours of violence, including multiple robberies and stabbings. Objections by locals who had the courage to complain about bloodshed in their streets have not only fallen on deaf ears, but have been dismissed as bigotry.
- In Nashville, special police units had to break up violent, unruly crowds who had taken over a local water park, Wave Country.
How many times have we all tuned into a news report covering the latest disaster or brutal crime spree only to hear victims, neighbors, and bystanders say:
- "I never imagined it could happen here."
- "I thought these things only happened to someone else."
- "Who dreamed this could happen in my own back yard?"
You know, I've been observing and writing about news and current events in this country for a quarter of a century now. And, as deadly serious as things have become in our beloved nation in just the last two or three years, I like to think that I've just about seen and heard it all – that nothing is going to actually rattle me. Then BOOM – it happened virtually in front of my very own doorstop.
"Greater self-reliance and being ready for anything is a new skill set that smart Americans must tackle and master."
Such disturbances by themselves mean little – until you actually do the work to connect the dots. Which is probably why the stodgy national media largely ignored these "local" news stories. Yet for those of us with our eyes open, there are ample warnings out there that America's social fabric is coming undone. Greater self-reliance and being ready for anything is a new skill set that smart Americans must tackle and master.
The Age of Preparedness is at Hand
In the wake of the recent street riot here in Charlotte, I've already redoubled my own personal preparedness efforts. I'll tell you more about my own personal preparations in an upcoming issue. And because I don't want to keep you waiting for your first "official" issue of my Ready-for-Anything Report, let me spell out some simple steps you can and must begin to take now to protect your interests and those of your family:
Stash some cash: Keep at least $1,000 in small denominations around the house or other secure location. Small bills are preferable.
Stash some silver: I strongly recommend you obtain a stash of one-ounce silver rounds or pre-1965 dimes, quarters, or half dollars from a reputable bullion dealer. Our sister company, Independent Living Bullion (1-800-800-1865), has great products and very competitive prices. If you don't want to obtain them from my in-house service, that's okay by me! Any reputable bullion dealer who does not try to upsell you on overpriced "collectibles" is fine. What matters is that you take action, not from whom you buy them.
Stash some food: I recently produced a FREE report on how Independent Living subscribers can SAVE UP TO 40% on their food bills! If you are not following these simple steps, you are not only leaving big money on the table, you are leaving yourself at the mercy of the vulnerable food supply chain which stocks your local grocery store. You can access this great free report right here.
Install an alarm system in your home: Home break-ins and home invasions are on the rise. An alarm system will encourage thieves to look elsewhere for their next score.
"What you don't want to have to do is fight crowds to get to your pharmacy, or get groceries, or get water."
Get a gun for home defense: I realize that not everyone is comfortable with a gun in the house. My suggestion is to get this essential component of home defense anyway. The National Rifle Association offers great safety courses for beginners. And if your state has a concealed carry law, get a permit. Pepper spray isn't a bad idea to have in a home, car, and purse.
Load up on ammunition: The Obama Administration has taken steps to limit the public's access to ammunition. There have been shortages as more and more people are stocking up. I suggest you even consider obtaining an ammo reload kit.
Establish an emergency escape plan: Don't wait for an actual emergency before you work out the details of leaving your home in a hurry. Make a checklist of travel essentials, place them in a duffel bag, and place it in a closet for immediate departure. This can also save your life if you decide to stay home and ride it all out. What you don't want to have to do is fight crowds to get to your pharmacy, or get groceries, or get water. Establish an emergency meeting place for your family to regroup, and put the written plan as well as the routes in the glove box of every family car.
The Bottom Line: I Will Help You Get Ready for Anything
Personal preparedness is the wave of the future. Being ready for anything liberates you from the herd. You will not only sleep better at night, you will in fact be safer.
"Being ready for anything liberates you from the herd."
Yours in Savvy Preparedness, Lee Bellinger, Publisher: Independent Living and Money, Metals, and Mining
It's against this backdrop that I've decided to launch a brand new service – Lee Bellinger's Ready-for-Anything Report. As a subscriber to Lee Bellinger's Executive Bulletin, you're automatically being granted Charter Subscriber status, so you don't have to do a thing to sign up for it. Initially, I plan to send you a new issue once a week. As I mentioned, this new email letter is totally free, from me to you. The Charter Issue of Lee Bellinger's Ready-for-Anything Report will land in your email in-box this week. Please watch for it. You'll find news, views, and, from time to time, product reviews – all around the topic of understanding the threats that are out there. These include weird weather (which itself is more than enough reason for any clear thinking individual to make themselves ready for anything), man-made disasters, social chaos – any of which could require you to "bug out" of your home in five minutes flat or to "shelter in place" until the threat blows over. The Charter Issue of Lee Bellinger's Ready-for-Anything Report will be deployed any day now... likely in the next 48 hours. We'll cover everything from civil unrest to public infrastructure failures, from natural disasters to weird weather events. Please watch for your Premiere Issue, and accept your Charter Subscription as my free gift to you for being a loyal reader and for being with me in the cause of taking care of ourselves and our loved ones and truly being ready for anything.
© 2009-2011 Lee Bellinger's Executive Bulletin, a free supplemental email newsletter to Independent Living.
377 Rubin Center Drive • Suite 203 • Fort Mill, SC • 29708 • (877) 371-1807
377 Rubin Center Drive • Suite 203 • Fort Mill, SC • 29708 • (877) 371-1807
Wednesday, August 10, 2011
Newsbusted Tu.9Aug11 & Fr.5Aug11 (2 videos)
NewsBusters: http://newsbusters.org
| video source: http://youtu.be/Dsn25aQgAw0 (9Aug11) | video source: http://youtu.be/Xlk0eRUQNI0 (5Aug11) |
Tuesday, July 12, 2011
o'redistribute - Entitlements?
From: bham Sent: Sunday, July 10, 2011 Subject: Entitlement??
Entitlement my backside. I paid cash for my social security insurance! Just because they borrowed the money, doesn't make my benefits some kind of charity or handout!! Congressional benefits, aka. free healthcare, outrageous retirement packages, 67 paid holidays, three weeks paid vacation, unlimited paid sick days, now that's welfare, and they have the nerve to call my retirement entitlements!
..... scroll down............
Someone please tell me what's wrong with all the people that run this country! We're "broke" & can't help our own Seniors, Veterans, Orphans, Homeless etc?
In the last months we have provided aid to Haiti, Chile, and Turkey. And now Pakistan ... home of bin Laden. Literally, BILLIONS of DOLLARS!!!
Our retired seniors living on a 'fixed income' receive no aid nor do they get any breaks while our government and religious organizations pour Hundreds of Billions of $$$$$$'s and Tons of Food to Foreign Countries!
They call Social Security and Medicare an entitlement even though most of us have been paying for it all our working lives and now when its time for us to collect, the government is running out of money. Why did the government borrow from it in the first place?
We have hundreds of adoptable children who are shoved aside to make room for the adoption of foreign orphans.
We have hundreds of adoptable children who are shoved aside to make room for the adoption of foreign orphans.
AMERICA: a country where we have homeless without shelter, children going to bed hungry, elderly going without 'needed' meds, and mentally ill without treatment -etc,etc.
YET... They have a 'Benefit' for the people of Haiti on 12 TV stations, ships and planes lining up with food, water, tents clothes, bedding, doctors and medical supplies.
Imagine if the *GOVERNMENT* gave 'US' the same support they give to other countries.
Sad isn't it?
Monday, July 11, 2011
o'quantitative - Why QE2 Failed: "The Money All Went Offshore" (Ellen Brown, GR)
From: kd Sent: Monday, July 11, 2011 Subject: Ellen Brown: Why QE2 Failed - The Money All Went Offshore
We all knew we had been had but what could we have done about it?
Remember when we next vote out every rat incumbant. ...KD
Why QE2 Failed: The Money All Went Offshore
By Ellen Brown, Global Research, July 9, 2011
On June 30, QE2 ended with a whimper. The Fed's second round of "quantitative easing" involved $600 billion created with a computer keystroke for the purchase of long-term government bonds. But the government never actually got the money, which went straight into the reserve accounts of banks, where it still sits today. Worse, it went into the reserve accounts of FOREIGN banks, on which the Federal Reserve is now paying 0.25% interest.
Before QE2 there was QE1, in which the Fed bought $1.25 trillion in mortgage-backed securities from the banks. This money too remains in bank reserve accounts collecting interest and dust. The Fed reports that the accumulated excess reserves of depository institutions now total nearly $1.6 trillion.
Interestingly, $1.6 trillion is also the size of the federal deficit – a deficit so large that some members of Congress are threatening to force a default on the national debt if it isn't corrected soon.
So here we have the anomalous situation of a $1.6 trillion hole in the federal budget, and $1.6 trillion created by the Fed that is now sitting idle in bank reserve accounts. If the intent of "quantitative easing" was to stimulate the economy, it might have worked better if the money earmarked for the purchase of Treasuries had been delivered directly to the Treasury. That was actually how it was done before 1935, when the law was changed to require private bond dealers to be cut into the deal.
The one thing QE2 did for the taxpayers was to reduce the interest tab on the federal debt. The long-term bonds the Fed bought on the open market are now effectively interest-free to the government, since the Fed rebates its profits to the Treasury after deducting its costs.
But QE2 has not helped the anemic local credit market, on which smaller businesses rely; and it is these businesses that are largely responsible for creating new jobs. In a June 30 article in the Wall Street Journal titled "Smaller Businesses Seeking Loans Still Come Up Empty," Emily Maltby reported that business owners rank access to capital as the most important issue facing them today; and only 17% of smaller businesses said they were able to land needed bank financing.
How QE2 Wound Up in Foreign Banks
Before the Banking Act of 1935, the government was able to borrow directly from its own central bank. Other countries followed that policy as well, including Canada, Australia, and New Zealand; and they prospered as a result. After 1935, however, if the U.S. central bank wanted to buy government securities, it had to purchase them from private banks on the "open market." Former Fed Chairman Marinner Eccles wrote in support of an act to remove that requirement that it was intended to keep politicians from spending too much. But all the law succeeded in doing was to give the bond-dealer banks a cut as middlemen.
Worse, it caused the Fed to lose control of where the money went. Rather than buying more bonds from the Treasury, the banks that got the cash could just sit on it or use it for their own purposes; and that is apparently what is happening today.
In carrying out its QE2 purchases, the Fed had to follow standard operating procedure for "open market operations": it took secret bids from the 20 "primary dealers" authorized to sell securities to the Fed and accepted the best offers. The problem was that 12 of these dealers – or over half -- are U.S.-based branches of foreign banks (including BNP Paribas, Barclays, Credit Suisse, Deutsche Bank, HSBC, UBS and others); and they evidently won the bids.
The fact that foreign banks got the money was established in a June 12 post on Zero Hedge by Tyler Durden (a pseudonym), who compared two charts: the total cash holdings of foreign-related banks in the U.S., using weekly Federal Reserve data; and the total reserve balances held at Federal Reserve banks, from the Fed's statement ending the week of June 1. The charts showed that after November 3, 2010, when QE2 operations began, total bank reserves increased by $610 billion. Foreign bank cash reserves increased in lock step, by $630 billion -- or more than the entire QE2.
In a June 27 blog, John Mason, Professor of Finance at Penn State University and a former senior economist at the Federal Reserve, wrote:
In essence, it appears as if much of the monetary stimulus generated by the Federal Reserve System went into the Eurodollar market. This is all part of the "Carry Trade" as foreign branches of an American bank could borrow dollars from the "home" bank creating a Eurodollar deposit. . . .
Cash assets at the smaller [U.S.] banks remained relatively flat . . . . Thus, the reserves the Fed was pumping into the banking system were not going into the smaller banks. . . .
[B]usiness loans continue to "tank" at the smaller banking institutions. . . .
The real lending by commercial banks is not taking place in the United States. The lending is taking place off-shore, underwritten by the Federal Reserve System and this is doing little or nothing to help the American economy grow.
Tyler Durden concluded:
. . . [T]he only beneficiary of the reserves generated were US-based branches of foreign banks (which in turn turned around and funnelled the cash back to their domestic branches), a shocking finding which explains . . . why US banks have been unwilling and, far more importantly, unable to lend out these reserves . . . .
. . . [T]he data above proves beyond a reasonable doubt why there has been no excess lending by US banks to US borrowers: none of the cash ever even made it to US banks! . . . This also resolves the mystery of the broken money multiplier and why the velocity of money has imploded.
Well, not exactly. The fact that the QE2 money all wound up in foreign banks is a shocking finding, but it doesn't seem to be the reason banks aren't lending. There were already $1 trillion in excess reserves sitting idle in U.S. reserve accounts, not counting the $600 billion from QE2.
According to Scott Fullwiler, Associate Professor of Economics at Wartburg College, the money multiplier model is not just broken but is obsolete. Banks do not lend based on what they have in reserve. They can borrow reserves as needed after making loans. Whether banks will lend depends rather on (a) whether they have creditworthy borrowers, (b) whether they have sufficient capital to satisfy the capital requirement, and (c) the cost of funds – meaning the cost to the bank of borrowing to meet the reserve requirement, either from depositors or from other banks or from the Federal Reserve.
Setting Things Right
Whatever is responsible for causing the local credit crunch, trillions of dollars thrown at Wall Street by Congress and the Fed haven't fixed the problem. It may be time for local governments to take matters into their own hands. While we wait for federal lawmakers to get it right, local credit markets can be revitalized by establishing state-owned banks, on the model of the Bank of North Dakota (BND). The BND services the liquidity needs of local banks and keeps credit flowing in the state. For more information, see here and here.
Concerning the gaping federal deficit, Congressman Ron Paul has an excellent idea: have the Fed simply write off the federal securities purchased with funds created in its quantitative easing programs. No creditors would be harmed, since the money was generated out of thin air with a computer keystroke in the first place. The government would just be canceling a debt to itself and saving the interest.
As for "quantitative easing," if the intent is to stimulate the economy, the money needs to go directly into the purchase of goods and services, stimulating "demand." If it goes onto the balance sheets of banks, it may stop there or go into speculation rather than local lending -- as is happening now. Money that goes directly to the government, on the other hand, will be spent on goods and services in the real economy, creating much-needed jobs, generating demand, and rebuilding the tax base. To make sure the money gets there, the 1935 law forbidding the Fed to buy Treasuries directly from the Treasury needs to be repealed.
Ellen Brown is an attorney and president of the Public Banking Institute, http://PublicBankingInstitute.org. In Web of Debt, her latest of eleven books, she shows how the power to create money has been usurped from the people, and how we can get it back. Her websites are http://webofdebt.com and http://ellenbrown.com. Please support Global Research -- Global Research relies on the financial support of its readers. Your endorsement is greatly appreciated -- Subscribe to the Global Research e-newsletter
bcc'd "red diaper babies"
