Category Corrupt Oligarchics

Sep 10 2022

Professor Alan Dershowitz Recommends a Retired Federal Judge Should Hold Special Master Appointment in Mar-a-Lago Raid Document Review


Posted originally on the conservative tree house on September 9, 2022

September 9, 2022 | Sundance | 1 Comment

The deadline for both the Trump Team and DOJ-NSD Team to submit their recommendations for a special master to review the Mar-a-Lago documents is tonight at midnight.

During an interview presented by Newsmax, Harvard Professor Emeritus and legal scholar Alan Dershowitz gives his impression on the appointment itself as well as the background issues surrounding the documents at the heart of the conflict.

Mr. Dershowitz recommends that a former federal judge would be the best candidate for the role of special master and supports the opinion with his viewpoint. WATCH:

https://youtube.com/watch?v=OaEAp4to3_0%3Ffeature%3Doembed

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Sep 10 2022

U.S. Household Net Worth Drops $6.1 Trillion in Second Quarter, Despite Home Values Increasing $1.5 Trillion


Posted originally on the conservative tree house on September 9, 2022 | Sundance

The U.S. Federal Reserve has published the second quarter 2022 balance sheet of U.S. total household wealth [DATA HERE].

In the second quarter (April, May, June) 2022, the total U.S. household wealth dropped $6.1 trillion, despite a calculated increase in home value of $1.5 trillion.  The majority of the loss is connected to a drop in Corporate Equity (stock market) and household investment in the stock market.

FED “The net worth of households and nonprofit organizations declined $6.1 trillion to $143.8 trillion in the second quarter. The value of stocks on the household balance sheet declined by $7.7 trillion, while the value of real estate increased by $1.5 trillion.”  Keep in mind this is backward looking data, and after a period of decelerating rates of growth, the overall real estate market is now in a period of decline as calculated for the most recent month of July [DATA].

The equity position of homeowners is now considerably less than the equity position when the feds calculated the second quarter household wealth (two months ago).  Part of the issue goes back to what we have been discussing with inflation and specifically energy driven increases in fuel and electricity.

Inflation sucks money out of the economy, making people less wealthy.  Energy inflation sucks money exponentially faster out of each household, potentially making the already working-class poor, much poorer.

The higher prices paid for housing, food, fuel and energy do not contribute to anything, the increased costs are just sucked out of the consumers’ pockets without generating any additional value.  It just costs more to live, and that reduces wealth.  Consider this the cost of going green.

Joe Biden and his economic team are introducing phrases like “a growth recession,” to explain a dynamic where earned wages are replaced by government subsidy.  You can no longer afford food, energy, housing etc, so the government steps in as the provider of subsidy based on income level to supplement the gap between wages and the new costs of products and services within the Biden created “green” economy.

However, in the bigger of big pictures, the government does not create wealth.  Wealth is created outside government by private activity.  Government income via taxation is lowered when the economic activity of the private sector drops.

There is currently a massive lag in recording dropped economic activity that is going to surface very soon.  The rate of energy price increase has been so large, so fast, the ability of producers to transfer the cost creates an economic lag.

Total product costs (except imports) are rising faster than finished good prices to consumers.  At the same time, consumer demand for goods has dropped dramatically due to the speed and rate of increased energy costs.  As a combined result, the equity market will likely continue to decline as each earnings report comes in lower than prior expectation.

Now, looking at wealth over time, what happens to the economic model of Biden when current housing value ($41.2 trillion) simply drops back to 2020 levels ($33.0 trillion a conservative real estate market correction)?

Continued higher prices to consumers, less money to government, less economic activity and lower household equity.   That’s trouble, big trouble.

Wave #3 of food inflation starts hitting hard next month as the increased costs at the field start to transfer through the supply chain from harvest to the fork.

WASHINGTON DC – […] The sour mood appears to stem from record food, energy and housing prices. Positive views of the grocery industry dropped 14 percentage points from last year, the biggest drop in the survey. The real estate industry dipped 9 points, the second-largest decline.

Just 22 percent of respondents reported having a positive view of the oil and gas industry, down from 28 percent last year. Twenty-nine percent reported having a positive view of electric and gas utilities, down from 36 percent last year. 

Grocery prices rose a stunning 13.1 percent over the last 12 months ending in July, the largest annual increase in more than four decades, according to Labor Department data. 

Housing affordability has fallen to its lowest level since the Great Recession, according to the National Association of Home Builders, with rents and home prices at record levels.

Gas prices reached an all-time high in June before falling slightly in recent months, while energy bills are also soaring amid huge demand for natural gas. (read more)

Meanwhile Biden’s economic team is bragging that Main Street is in better shape?

“The President’s first two years in office have been two of the most productive in American history, and as the Blueprint explains, these accomplishments are all part of one economic vision.”  (more)

Sep 8 2022

Is the US Sacrificing Europe to Maintain Global Dominance?


Armstrong Economics Blog/War Re-Posted Sep 8, 2022 by Martin Armstrong

Vladimir Putin believes that Washington is sacrificing Europe to maintain global dominance. The United States has always been the world police, and the top country that others turn to in times of crisis. America’s post-World War II status left it as the financial capital of the world, and the dollar has remained the world’s reserve currency. Nothing has topped the dollar.

Europe attempted to create the European Union in an effort to prevent European conflicts, but it also created the euro to compete against the dollar. I explained various times how their attempts have failed. However, the euro is now beneath the dollar and on the decline. Nations maintain diplomatic relations, but only Schwab wants a one-world government as everyone is competing for global dominance.

Putin claims that the West rushed to place sanctions on Russia. There was indeed a rush to place sanctions on Russia despite Joe Biden himself coming out and admitting sanctions never work. Peace talks were never an option. Returning land or promising to curtail NATO was never an option. Sanctions and threats were immediately imposed. Why?

“The pandemic has been replaced by new challenges of a global nature, carrying a threat to the whole world, I’m talking about the sanctions rush in the West and the West’s blatantly aggressive attempts to impose their modus vivendi on other countries, to take away their sovereignty, to submit them to their will,” Putin told delegates at Russia’s Eastern Economic Forum in the port city of Vladivostok on Russia’s Pacific coast, as reported by CNBC.

It is true that Europe is facing the brunt of these sanctions as they sacrificed their main supplier of energy to save a nation with a GDP of roughly only $200 billion. Europe did not want to allow Ukraine to join the euro, and they had no interest in the country prior to this conflict. The hatred for Russia runs deep in Europe, especially in Germany after Russia took hold of the east after the last World War. The politicians are certainly old enough to remember when Germany was split in two until 1989. There is a reason Russia’s integral support for the axis powers during World War II is diminished in Western history books.

Putin went on to say that the standard of living in Europe and overall social and economic stability was “being thrown onto the fire of sanctions.” The United States has been eager to sanction Russia since the war in Syria began. Obama tried but failed to kick Russia out of the SWIFT system in 2014, with Christine Lagarde offering her support. Zelensky, who rand the NYSE bell this week remotely, admitted that he needed America to place harsh sanctions on Russia to accelerate the war.

“So far, I think that the United States of America is the accelerator of the sanction policies and I think they do more than any other country. And this is the way it should be because they are the most powerful country right now. I see the same support with respect to sanctions from the United Kingdom,” Zelensky told reporters at Fox in May.

The dollar remains strong and is the last safe haven. The war in Ukraine has only promoted capital to rush into the dollar. So is Europe “being sacrificed in the name of preserving the US dictatorship in global affairs,” as Putin claims? Europe will suffer more than the United States due to these sanctions. In fact, had Biden not eliminated domestic oil production, the US would not be facing an energy crisis at all. One thing is clear – the support to Ukraine is not an act of kindness. The invisible hand is at play.

Sep 7 2022

Nancy Pelosi: Inside Trader of the Year


Armstrong Economics Blog/Corruption Re-Posted Sep 7, 2022 by Martin Armstrong

Pelosi knew when to sell! Paul Pelosi, Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s husband, sold off 25,000 shares of Nvidia. A month later, the US government banned Nvidia from selling chips to Russia and China to “address the risk that the covered products may be used in, or diverted to, a ‘military end use’ or ‘military end user.’” Nvidia also happens to produce the A100 GPU in Taiwan, where Nancy’s attention has been suddenly diverted.

The microchip ban for Russia and China could cost Nvidia $400,000,000. Yet, Paul Pelosi managed to save $600,000 by selling his stock off a month before the news broke. Paul claims he does not consult his wife about trades, but what married couple would not discuss millions being moved? This is no coincidence. Paul even knew when to buy as he purchased the stock back in June when his wife was pushing for a multi-billion dollar government grant for the domestic production of semiconductor chips.

The Pelosi family has earned millions through insider trading. In July, Paul earned $5,300,000 after exercising a call option to buy 4,000 Alphabet shares. Not so coincidentally, this occurred when the House Judiciary Committee cracked down on antitrust practices. There have been numerous instances of the Pelosi family earning money through trades that could have been exercised due to Nancy Pelosi’s political insights. This is insider trading, and it is illegal.

Insider trading is so blatant that even the Democrats want to end the practice. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez tweeted in December 2021: “There is no reason members of Congress should hold and trade individual stock when we write major policy and have access to sensitive information.” Even a broken clock is right twice a day. “It incentivizes this bad behavior,” she added in a separate tweet. So yes, US lawmakers are pushing legislation forward that directly benefits them. This is completely unethical and a threat to overall democracy.

Sep 7 2022

Ukrainian Parliament Lines Pockets with Western Aid


Armstrong Economics Blog/Corruption Re-Posted Sep 7, 2022 by Martin Armstrong

The pro-war People’s Deputies of Ukraine Party are using Western funding to line their pockets. It has been reported that the average paycheck went from 28,800 to 49,600 hryvnia, and taxpayers in other countries will pay for their raises.

This news came out shortly after CBS attempted to release a documentary that claimed weapon shipments from the US were frequently missing. CBS was forced to redact parts of the documentary, “Arming Ukraine,” after Ukraine’s government threatened them. The first report stated that 70% of the weapon purchases had gone missing, while another piece said only 30% of aid had arrived. “Since that time, Ohman says delivery has improved,” CBS backtracked. “We are updating our documentary to reflect this new information and air at a later date.”

“The weapons are stolen, the humanitarian aid is stolen, and we have no idea where the billions sent to this country have gone,” an anonymous veteran originally told reporters. He went on to claim that soldiers are receiving less pay while those at the top are lining their pockets. Zelensky continually claims that his country needs endless funds for the endless war. Where is this money going? Since WE are paying for the war, we deserve to know the truth.

https://rumble.com/embed/v1cekpj/?pub=4#?secret=N3Xrpl0SVY

Sep 6 2022

94% of Baby Food Contains Toxic Metals


Armstrong Economics Blog/Corruption Re-Posted Sep 6, 2022 by Martin Armstrong

The Food and Drug Administration does nothing to protect the American public. We have yet another revelation of products intended for infants containing toxic substances. Healthy Babies Bright Futures’ (HBBF) conducted a study of 288 products, including over 7,000 from other previously published studies. “We found no evidence to suggest that homemade purees and family brands are generally safer, with lower metal levels, than store-bought baby food,” HBBF warned.

Even WebMD is reporting on this crime. Around 94% of store and homemade baby foods contained at least one toxic heavy metal. The organization warns against consuming puffs, rice cakes, crisped rice cereal, and brown rice when cooked without additional water. These items have actual arsenic within them, and both children and adults are at risk. Yes, the FDA approved these items. In fact, arsenic was found in 68% of store-bought food and 72% of family homemade food. Lead was detected in 90% of store-bought food and 80% of family homemade purees.

This means that almost ALL available “food” for babies contains toxins.

The  American Academy of Pediatrics warned, “Toxic metal exposure can be harmful to the developing brain. It’s been linked with problems with learning, cognition, and behavior.” Perhaps this is a variable for why autism and other problems have spiked within the US.

The proposed solution:

"The FDA should establish and enforce protective limits for heavy metals in all foods consumed by babies and young children. Heavy metal contamination spans all the food aisles of the grocery store; FDA’s safety standards must as well. Standards extending beyond the baby food aisle would also encompass foods eaten during pregnancy , a crucial time for lowering toxic metal exposures."

I am sure many thought that the FDA was already protecting the American public against ingesting contaminated products. Everyone was so eager for the FDA to approve the COVID vaccines when, in reality, the organization is bought and paid for by lobbyists.

Sep 6 2022

My Son Hunter – Movie Trailer


Armstrong Economics Blog/Corruption Re-Posted Sep 6, 2022 by Martin Armstrong

https://youtube.com/watch?v=GCvb6TfBXFk%3Fcontrols%3D0

The left is seething at the upcoming release of “My Son Hunter,” detailing the corruption of Hunter Biden and his father, “the big guy.”

Director Robert Davi admitted that Hunter’s lawyers appeared on set in Serbia in an attempt to intimidate the film crew. Producing this film was a risky ordeal, as the producer noted that the Biden crime family went as far as sending spies to oversee production. As I know from filming “The Forecaster,” claims made in films must be verified and triple-checked to avoid legal implications. This movie will bring to light the extent to which Joe Biden has gone to corroborate with his son to line his pockets. Perhaps they will ban this movie in America as they did to mine.

The movie, set to premiere on September 7, will be a major punch for the Democrats before the mid-term elections. There are already reports of Russian media using this film to paint the first family in a bad light in an attempt to discredit the documentary. Yet, all of the claims are true. This is the factual information that they willingly hid from the public before the 2020 US Presidential Election.

Sep 6 2022

Taiwan Panders to US with “Democracy Chips”


Armstrong Economics Blog/World Trade Re-Posted Sep 6, 2022 by Martin Armstrong

Taiwan’s President Tsai Ing-wen is eager to strengthen relationships with the US by producing more semiconductor chips. The US recently set aside funds specifically to build up domestic manufacturing, but shortages remain a serious problem. Taiwan’s growing relationship with America has angered China, and Ing-wen’s words will certainly be a subtle elbow to the One China policy.

“In the face of authoritarian expansionism and the challenges of the post-pandemic era, Taiwan seeks to bolster cooperation with the United States in the semiconductor and other high-tech industries. “This will help build more secure and more resilient supply chains. We look forward to jointly producing democracy chips to safeguard the interests of our democratic partners and create greater prosperity,” the president stated.

Democracy is exactly what China does not want Taiwan to have. After Pelosi opened the door, every politician seems to want to make a statement by visiting Taipei now. Arizona Governor Doug Ducey made an appearance in Taipei to discuss the aforementioned democracy chip venture. They also discussed helping to make the Indo-Pacific a neutral zone, which is unrelated to trade. The US continues to all but outright state they fully support Taiwan’s independence and China is taking note

Sep 5 2022

Happy Marxist Day


Armstrong Economics Blog/Uncategorized Re-Posted Sep 5, 2022 by Martin Armstrong

On June 28th, 1882, President Grover Cleveland signed S. 730 law declaring Labor Day a national holiday. This was the era of Marxism as it was rising to become a popular theory.  Indeed, when the Panic of 1893 unfolded, there was a great uprising in Marxism as always blamed the capitalists for the depression. In 1848, Marx published his Manifest der Kommunistischen Partei originally in German in London. The first English-language edition was published in 1850. Since then, editions have been published in many languages worldwide. Ironically, it was one Pi Cycle from 1850 to 1882 to create Labor Day in the spirit of Marxism. The next Pi Cycle lines up with 2040.

So while Marxism was the dominant theory during the second half of the 19th century, our Wokeism and Cancel Culture have led to Juneteenth as a Holiday. Perhaps with every popular theory that emerges, we will get another Holliday. Curious to say the least.

Sep 5 2022

CBS Broadcasts Discussion with MAGA Republican Focus Group


Posted originally on the conservative tree house on September 4, 2022 | sundance

The Demoncrats have nothing positive to campaign about for the 2022 midterm election cycle, despite what they consider legislative agenda victories.  The biggest legislative ‘win’ per se’, was the passage of a smaller package Green New Deal climate change agenda, which is not popular overall because it is further driving up the cost of energy prices.

All of the polling and generic focus group support shows the policy side of the Democrat agenda is a net negative for the party.   Their energy and economic policies, in combination with the spending, has driven inflation through the roof.   Main Street voters of all persuasions are feeling the impact of Biden/democrat agenda items.  With no positive outcomes, the only thing left is to frame the opposition and give voters something to vote against.  That’s the motive behind the political attacks on MAGA.

CBS Major Garrett broadcasts a focus group interview with three MAGA supporters as part of the larger media alignment with Democrat midterm strategy.  It would be interesting to see the full unedited segment, because Mary, bottom right of screen has some great points that you can tell were cut out of the discussion.  WATCH:

https://youtube.com/watch?v=XgV6MCaABBE%3Ffeature%3Doembed

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Whenever I review a focus group interview, it is always interesting to align the nature of the points delivered against where the possible group member would be gathering their information.  Obviously, I have no idea, it’s just a fun exercise. In this group it would look something like this: (1) a potential reader of Gateway Pundit; (2) a person who listens to Fox News and Sean Hannity; and (3) a deeper researched argument, and understanding with historical context, like CTH.