A SingleCare Team study revealed the majority of the US population takes some form of a prescription pill. The insurance agency found that the number of people reliant on prescriptions significantly rose after the pandemic.In fact, medications for mental health issues are on the rise. The company reported a 70% increase in prescriptions for the antidepressant Lexapro, a 31% increase in Zoloft, a 21% increase in Trazadone, a 20% increase in Prozac, and a 16% increase in Adderall. The agency noted that the American Psychological Association reported an uptick in individuals self-medicating illegally with opioids as well.
Currently, around 66% of adults in the US are reliant on Big Pharma. Canada is in a similar situation, albeit with lower prescription costs, with 65% of their adult population on prescription medicine. In contrast, only 26% of adults in the UK and 35% of adults in Australia are reliant on medications.
Why are people in the US and Canada more likely to take prescription medication? One could argue the US population is not as healthy as other nations due to obesity and limited walkable cities, but that does not account for the large disparity. One big reason is marketing – but that does not apply in Canada. Only in the US do you see commercials and billboards promising a pill to cure the woes of life. It is not common practice in other countries for people to ask their doctor for a specific medicine.
This all comes down to business and corporate profits. The average American takes FOUR different pills each day. So over 131 million Americans are reliant on at least one medication. Citizens in the US spend more than any nation on prescription drugs, with the average consumer spending $1,229. Canadians spend around $879.
In addition to the billions Big Pharma made on COVID-related drugs and vaccines, they have also profited from COVID restrictions deteriorating the public’s mental health. In mid-June 2020, when many restrictions began to ease, SingleCare reported a 50% increase in antidepressant medication. The same increase was reported during the third week of March when lockdowns began. “Between the concern over job loss, isolation, and general anxiety, this growing trend in antidepressants over the past few months may well be due to the pandemic’s impact on mental health,” Ramzi Yacoub, Pharm.D., the chief pharmacy officer at SingleCare stated. Insurance and pharmaceutical companies believe the need for prescription drugs will only continue. Thanks to COVID, antidepressants are now the most prescribed medication in the US and the second-most prescribed medication in Canada.
Former Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation Andrei Kozyrev served under Putin’s predecessor Boris Yeltsin in the 1990s. From his former position within the Russian Federation, Kozyrev believes Putin would only use nuclear weapons in “very specific situations.” Namely, if NATO became involved and Russia was backed into a corner from which there was no escape. “If Russia or one of those countries really threatened in their hearts – existentially, that is … if NATO troops come to Moscow, then probably they will resort to nuclear weapons,” Kozyrev told reporters.
Ukraine’s Zelensky has been touting that Russia is close to using chemical and nuclear weapons against Ukraine. “Not only me — all of the world, all of the countries have to be worried because it can be not real information, but it can be truth,” Zelensky said to CNN reporters, strategically in English. Zelensky stated that all nations should be concerned about Russia’s nuclear capabilities, but Putin is not that ignorant. The goal is to secure land that is believed to belong to the Russian people, not to create a nuclear world war. Putin believes he is winning the global battle financially by saying Russian sanctions have led to a “deterioration of the economy in the West.”
Similar to North Korea launching missile exercises to remind the world not to invade, Russia is touting its nuclear capabilities as a scare tactic to prevent the NATO alliance from decimating their country.
Once upon a time, I use to respect The Economist. I even took the back cover in July 1985 to announce that the Economic Confidence Model was beginning a new 51.6-year Cycle that was a Private Wave that would ultimately peak in 2032. I boldly announced the bottom in gold and the peak in the dollar taking the back cover every week in July 1985.
The Economist just released its cover article sadly demonstrating that the publication remains in the Dark Age of economics. They began:
“Central Banks are supposed to inspire confidence in the economy by keeping inflation low and stable. America’s Federal Reserve has suffered a hair-raising loss of control. In March consumer prices were 8.5% higher than a year earlier, the fastest annual rise since 1981. … It is the Fed, however, that had the tools to stop inflation and failed to use them in time.”
To say I am shocked at their reporting that is no better than a first-semester student in Economics 101. It reflects a complete lack of comprehension of how the economy even functions and adopts the politician view that they are NEVER responsible for inflation – it is always the central bank.
Clearly, they have not bothered to take notice that something major took place with the fall of Bretton Woods in 1971. Previously, the theory was if you borrowed, that was less inflationary rather than printing more money. Of course, that was a throwback to the days of Gresham’s Law when currencies traded in Amsterdam were based not on political-military power, but on the pure metal content. The debasement of the coinage by Henry VIII led to (1) the higher-based coinage being hoarded and (2) the decline in the value of English coinage trading in Amsterdam.
That theory became the Quantity of Money Theory which today is totally obsolete yet that is what we hear all the time when the Fed increased its balance sheet and therefore it should have been inflationary following 2008 but the Fed and other central banks could not create 2% inflation. That even led to some claiming MMT (Modern Monetary Theory) proves that the creation of money is NOT inflationary.
It was barely two months after we announced the beginning of a Private Wave in the Economist in July 1985 that in September 1985, the central banks were all called together and formed the G5 and then proclaimed that they wanted the dollar lower by 40%. This was James Baker’s brainchild that manipulating the dollar lower would reduce the US trade deficit and create jobs.
I was summoned to be among the global experts who solicit advice but never listen. It is always a dog & pony show so they can pretend they summoned the top experts in the world and then announce what they intended to do anyhow. Of course, it is always pretended to be based on independent advice. However, that is just not how Washington or any government functions. So I wrote to President Reagan and warned that devaluing the dollar to reverse the trade deficit would lead to a crash.
The present ordered Beryl Sprinkel who was the 14th Chariman of the Economic Advisers to the President (1985-1989) to respond. It had been the rise in interest rates to 14% under Paul Volcker to reduce inflation that led to the Deflation. Capital poured into the dollar for the high-interest rates which peaked precisely with the previous ECM wave in March 1981. Thereafter, the dollar soared driving the British pound down to $1.03 in 1985.
Clearly, the entire theory that the Economist is still clinging to currently is unsupported by the historical evidence. The raising of interest rates to stop inflation led to the explosion of the national debt thanks to the servicing costs. In 1980, the national debt stood at $907.7 billion. By 1989, the debt reached $2.857 trillion. The raising of interest rates created deflation near-term but expanded the inflation longer-term.
The Plaza Accord set in motion the 1987 Crash. They failed to understand that lowering the value of the dollar may have made US goods appear cheaper overseas to reduce the trade deficit, but at the same time, it also devalues all the US assets in the eyes of foreign investors. After selling more than one-third of the US national debt to the Japanese, the lowering of the dollar by 40% would mean a 40% loss on their holding of US debt.
As the dollar began a free-fall, the central banks began to realize this was a mistake. The Louvre Accord was an agreement, signed on February 22, 1987, in Paris, that aimed to stabilize the international currency markets and halt the continued decline of the US Dollar caused by the PlazaAccord. The agreement was signed by France, West Germany, Japan, Canada, the United States, and the United Kingdom. Italy declined to sign the agreement. The Group of 5 became the Group of 7 – G7 (now G20).
The G7 meeting of central bankers and finance ministers in Paris announced that the dollar was now “consistent with economic fundamentals.” They announced that they would only intervene when required to ensure foreign exchange stability. The objective was then to manage the floating currency system.
Democrats gained control of Congress in 1986 and immediately called for protectionist measures. The dollar depreciation agreed to in 1985 at the Plaza Accord, failed to really improve the trade perspective. In 1986, the trade deficit actually rose to approximately $166 billion with exports at about $370 billion and imports at about $520 billion. The object of manipulating currency to try to create jobs and alter trade flows proved to be completely false.
My concerns warning the White House that volatility would increase made back in 1985 were materializing. What they did not understand was that lowering the dollar in value also led to a shift in capital flows and the selling of US assets. Foreigners were suffering losses by financing U.S. trade by purchasing United States Treasury bonds in an attempt to ease the trade deficit criticism. We were advising the Japanese to buy gold on the New York COMEX, export it, and then resell which would also make it appear that the US exports were increasing. However, the lower dollar was then resulting in the importation of inflation into their own nations.
The press back then never understood the crash. I was called in by the Brady Commission charged with investigating the causes of the Crash. Of course, they would not blame the government. The best I could do was to prevent a witch-hunt on Wall Street and the final report casually mentioned that they believed foreign exchange had something to do with it.
There is probably nobody else who has dealt with more central banks than me from China to Switzerland and into the Middle East. To read this cover story by the Economist was indeed shocking. They are obviously still under the impression that inflation is the result of the rise and fall of the money supply that dates back to the days of Henry VIII. I dare say, things have changed slightly.
Today, governments have borrowed relentlessly. But the debt is acceptable now as collateral so national debts are simply money that pays interest. That is completely out of the scope of the central bank so it DOES NOT have the tools to prevent or create inflation. The politicians always want to spend whatever it takes to win the next election and then blame the central bank if it resulted in inflation. It is a sad day that the Economist is so out of touch its rambling and that of someone serious out of touch with reality.
Posted originally on the conservative tree house on April 26, 2022 | Sundance
Perhaps no media paragraph more perfectly encapsulates the issues around the Twitter debate than this one from New York Times writer Shira Ovide:
…”The 2016 U.S. presidential election and the Brexit vote that same year gave Silicon Valley executives, U.S. elected officials and the public a peek into what can go wrong when social media companies opt not to wade too deeply into what people say on their sites.”… (link)
In essence, that would be the quiet part said out loud and matter-of-factly. If people are allowed freedom of communication, they end up doing things without our approval.
That paragraph perfectly encapsulates the reason why so many media and leftists are having mental breakdowns.
Elon Musk has the audacity to purchase one, just one, social media platform with the intent to allow Americans the freedom to speak to each other freely, without limit and control. That is the expressed risk the Democrats, media and leftists in every institution are enraged about.
As Fox News highlighted, “several Twitter employees expressed serious concerns and fear over Musk’s $44 billion acquisition of the company including a prominent worry that Musk would undo censorship mechanisms they had worked to implement over the years.” It’s all about control. We are living in a cyber version of Poland circa early 1980’s.
The solidarity movement results in millions of Polish citizens taking to the streets, looking around and suddenly realizing there are more of us than them. That is what the collective left is now desperate to avoid, and they will do anything to stop people from seeing the scope of the control effort they have deployed in order to carry out their agenda. Those are the stakes at play.
During yesterday’s phone call between Twitter executives and employees at the company, the leaders within the company talked about the issues at hand. A leaked copy a short segment of the discussion was made available by Project Veritas today. WATCH:
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All of this collective apoplexy and anxiety is a reflection of fear. The need for control is a reaction to deep internal fear.
Notice they keep using the words “safety”, as if being exposed to alternate perspectives is something that threatens safety.
Elon Musk is correct, “the extreme antibody reaction from those who fear free speech says it all.”
Posted originally on the conservative tree house on April 26, 2022 | Sundance
Goya Foods CEO Bob Unanu appeared on Fox Business earlier today in order to give a bigger picture review of the current status of food production. Unanu does a good job outlining how the interconnected systems from field to fork impact consumers. The Goya CEO appropriately outlines what is happening and what the consequences are from Biden energy policy. It’s a good interview.
Unanu does not push food alarmism and accurately states the U.S. food production system will ensure that food is available for U.S. consumers to purchase, albeit at higher prices. The people most at risk from food insecurity are developing countries who rely on exports of food products generated by efficient, productive and exceptional farming operations in North America that feed the world.
For U.S. consumers it is the massive increases in energy and transportation costs that are driving up food prices, putting the issue of food insecurity into the correct context of food affordability. WATCH:
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Consumers can offset the price impacts by shopping closer to the field, the origin of the food purchases needed. Shopping for fresh food products at farmers markets avoids feeling the impact of shipping and transportation costs, and it helps the local economy. If you are near areas with farm production in the United States consider the financial value of skipping the convenience of the supermarket in favor of shopping closer to the field.
In the field to fork food supply and distribution system, the closer you can get to the field for purchases the less costs you will encounter. Obviously, for many people this may not be possible. However, for others it might be time to evaluate the cost of convenience.
Posted originally on the conservative tree house on April 26, 2022 | Sundance
Another item in the long list of ‘thanks Joe Biden‘ stuff. Shortages in natural gas in windmill chasing Europe have driven up the prices significantly. The conflict between NATO and their targeted villain in Russia is only making matters worse.
As the EU prices jump to $33/$34 per million British thermal units (BTU’s), the U.S. natural gas selling at $6 per million BTU’s is an absolute bargain.
Liquify that stuff and send it across the pond says any smart energy capitalist.
However, that comes with a problem for us. Our supplies of natural gas are depleting quickly, our exports are now almost three times more than our production.
LONDON, April 8 (Reuters) – U.S. gas prices have climbed to their highest level in more than a decade as strong demand from overseas has emptied storage and left inventories well below average for the time of year despite a mild winter.
Front-month futures for gas delivered at Henry Hub in Louisiana have risen to $6.40 per million British thermal units, the highest in real terms since 2010. Wholesale prices in the United States are still far below those prevailing in Northeast Asia ($33 per million British thermal units) and Northwest Europe ($34).
[…] U.S. LNG exports rose 13% in the three months from November to January compared with the same period a year earlier, while gas production was up by less than 5%.
[…] Working stocks in underground storage were 316 billion cubic feet (19%) below the pre-pandemic five-year seasonal average for 2015-2019.
Because of strong exports, inventories depleted more than usual despite high prices and winter heating demand that was 8% below the long-term average.
Reflecting the low level of stocks, futures prices have moved into a strong backwardation, with nearby prices rising to reduce consumption and exports and encourage more production. (read more)
But hey, relax…. Biden is only destroying our food, fuel and energy…. I mean, it could be worse right?
Governor Greg Abbott of Texas has sent at least 10 buses of migrants to the nation’s capital. Abbott has long criticized President Biden for failing to secure the border. “By busing migrants to Washington, D.C., the Biden Administration will be able to more immediately meet the needs of the people they are allowing to cross our border,” Abbott said. “Texas should not have to bear the burden of the Biden Administration’s failure to secure our border.”
A growing number of Republican lawmakers are urging Abbott to declare an “invasion” of Texas as border security and law enforcement simply cannot manage the inflow of illegal aliens. Texas could declare an invasion by invoking Article IV, Section 4, and Article I, Section 10, of the Constitution. National troops and Department of Public Safety officers would be sent to immediately secure the US border.
Since the Biden Administration is openly allowing migrants to cross the border, declining to provide bordering states with assistance, other heads of state such as Governor Doug Ducey of Arizona and DeSantis of Florida have threatened to declare invasions as well. Both Abbott and Governor DeSantis have threatened to send migrants back to Biden’s home state of Delaware. No one knows how to handle the large influx of undocumented people.
Abbott worries federal prosecutors will hunt down state law enforcement if an invasion is formally declared. Additionally, many already have some form of documentation to enter America. “These are people who already have papers to roam freely into the United States,” Abbott said. “As soon as we drop them off across the border, they would just come right back across the border. And so all we would be doing is creating a revolving door.” Biden’s desperate attempt to gain Democratic votes by allowing illegal immigrants into the country is creating a crisis.
Find a way into America, vote for me, and I will allow you to stay!
Elon Musk destroyed Bill Gates over the weekend after texts between the two were leaked to the press. This may be the first time someone has put Bill Gates in his place and publicly shamed him for his hypocrisy. Per usual, Gates had his hand out looking to “discuss philanthropy possibilities” with a fellow billionaire. “Cool.” Musk replied. “Do you still have a half billion dollar short position against Tesla?”
Gates said he simply forgot to close his position out, and then mentioned “philanthropy possibilities” again. Musk told him to kick rocks. “Sorry, but I cannot take your philanthropy on climate change seriously when you have a massive, short position against Tesla, the company doing the most to solve climate change.”
Doubling down on his anger toward Gates for a multitude of reasons, Musk began tweeting comedic representations of untouchable Bill. An unapologetic Musk compared an image of the Microsoft founder with the new Apple emoji of a pregnant man. The insult was a subtle nod to the insanity of woke culture that Gates is supporting through funding. From the vaccines to unexplainable meetings with Jeffrey Epstein followed by an immediate divorce, Bill Gates is rapidly losing his good-guy image.
QUESTION: Mr. Armstrong. I am confused because you have stated many times that we are approaching the end of globalization, while at the same time saying the Great Reset, which is full globalization, is coming. Please explain. Thanks for your blog.
JS
ANSWER: Schwab’s Great Reset is the ATTEMPT to create a one-world government. Nonetheless, this will fail. These idiots actually thought that they could force regime change in both Russia and China and then they would open their arms and embrace this one-world government dream of Schwab.
The reality is that capital investing internationally is now at risk from both illegal assets seizures as the West has done to people who are just Russian as well as currency fluctuations due to geopolitical posturing. What the West has done to Russians has crossed the line. Now any other country that simply disagrees with a country can point to this precedent and seize all the assets of private citizens. On top of that, SWIFT abandoned its integrity and has shown the world it is simply a political tool. This has set China in full steam ahead mode to replace SWIFT thereby ENDING the Globalization of the world financial markets.
QUESTION: Marty, your forecast for the collapse of the British pound is looking more and more on target. I cannot believe that Johnson has sent special forces into Ukraine and even threatened to use nuclear weapons against Russia as a rogue state outside of NATO. Putin’s response that London will be the first to go in a nuclear war is actually understandable since Johnson has committed British special forces to war in Ukraine. What’s the timing on the fate of the UK?
SG
ANSWER: Nothing indicates that London will be nuked in the near term. Johnson has totally lost his mind. Russia would now be completely justified in assuming Britain has just declared war on Russia and as such seize all British assets in Russia. The failure of the FTSE to exceed the 2018 high warns that the decline is in motion but the low may not be until 2032. There is clearly a rise in volatility and a Directional Change next year. As far as the pound is concerned, this year was a Directional change and it has broken last year’s low. A break of the par level opens the dollar to a collapse down to the mid 80 cent level. This most likely reflects the prospect of a European war.
QUESTION: Dear Martin, as the disaster in Europe is unfolding I would like to ask what Socrates is predicting for Switzerland and the Swiss Franc. Could Switzerland be a place to hide? And could the Swiss Franc serve as a hedge against the fall of the Euro? Could you please share your insights with us? We the normal people in Germany are really desperate for help! And time is running out! Best LL
ANSWER: Here is a chart of the Swiss franc long-term. The dollar is pushing higher and it will rise to test the 12300 level. Exceed that area will also war which is confirming we are looking at a European war. The Swiss will NOT be the hedge it once was. The New York Times just reported: “Switzerland, a favorite destination for Russian oligarchs and their money, announced on Monday that it would freeze Russian financial assets in the country, setting aside a deeply rooted tradition of neutrality to join the European Union and a growing number of nations seeking to penalize Russia for the invasion of Ukraine.”
It is just amazing to me that no matter what country we look at, we have the absolute most braindead leaders ever to claim office in human history. I know people hate the dollar, but we will see the dollar RISE initially in this confrontation. Eventually, the collapse in world currencies and the rise in the dollar will be the catalyst to seize all capital and force it into a digital currency.
When we look at the currencies around the globe, they are all confirming that war lies on the horizon. I hate this forecast, but this is not my personal opinion. This is when we need Will Smith to bitch-slap all the leaders. Honestly, there is not a single one who is competent. They are all just carrying out the advice of those behind the curtain who simply want war.
QUESTION: Marty,
Have you by chance retrospectively looked back at all the currency changes that have been made concerning the acceptance of other currencies in place of the dollar from the ECM turning point? All the deals that have been cut……
If I am not mistaken there are quite a few significant changes that have been made in the past month+ to circumvent the dollar’s hegemony in global trade….and If my memory serves, there was a BIG event that day or 1 day before or after that started the ball rolling
Can you by chance put together a list? It would be very helpful to see it in date order in black and white.
I think this was the MAJOR TURNING POINT that Socrates picked up…and will become more noticeable with each passing month
RW
ANSWER: There was a major shift in the trend for the dollar despite the fact that people thought it would crash based on shifts in trade to the Yuan. When we look at most, we see this shift in trend took place the week of the ECM turning point of March 14th. The Euro bounced and that was the highest weekly closing because it turned back down.
When we turn to the Yuan, despite the rhetoric, the dollar has risen even with the deals surrounding the yuan being priced in oil and some central banks adding it to their reserves. One would expect the dollar to decline, not rally. However, the markets are showing something else ios at foot.
Now if you really want your mind twisted, here is the chart of the Russian Ruble. The week of March 14th saw a reversal in trend, but it was not the crash of the Ruble, but the dollar.
All the markets we look at are lining up for what appears to be a war on the horizon. Look at gold. Here too we see the week of March 14th marked the shift in trend to the downside.
The markets are defying those who keep preaching the dollars down. It seems no matter what they say, they just end up being wrong again. The only possible way to see the trend is through the global eyes of Socrates without personal biases and assumed economic relationships.
Posted originally on the conservative tree house on April 25, 2022 | sundance
The government of Ukraine is asking western nations to fund their budget. Volodymyr Zelenskyy has asked for $7 billion per month in financial assistance to retain their government obligations. Yesterday, Ukraine Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal reiterated that demand saying, “the cash, in sense of our budget, is very important for social and humanitarian responsibilities of our state to our people.”
l am not wanting to belabor a point that many have discussed here, but there really does come a time when the American people must draw a red line and ask, ‘to what end?‘ The United States government, both the white house and congress, have already pledged $14 billion dollars to Ukraine without a single representative asking the American people if they support it.
Certainly, there is an argument to be made that Ukraine needs the support of the world as they struggle with a conflict in their nation. However, charity begins at home, and for too long our national leadership has been willing to use our income taxes as tools for their own political agenda. The brazen expectation by leaders of Ukraine for the United States citizens to finance their government is, in my opinion, the last straw of a series of straws.
The issue would not be so significant if that request was not also accompanied by the visibility of western European nations, supposedly NATO allies, barely spending any money of their own wealth to assist their direct neighbor. The U.S. financial support is ridiculous when compared to how Europe is responding to the Ukraine crisis.
Compounding this issue is our own American economy and the serious pain being felt by American workers and taxpayers as the spending creates even more massive inflation that we have to cope with. We gained national independence around the premise of taxation without representation from England, and yet here we are again sending scarce income, without consultation or representation, to DC elites who send that money overseas.
(CBS) – […] MARGARET BRENNAN: But, specifically, is it medical supplies you need most? Is it heavy weapons? Is it just cash?
PRIME MINISTER DENYS SHMYHAL: We need weapon, medical support. But many countries support us because they take our injured soldiers. The cash, in sense of our budget, is very important for social and humanitarian responsibilities of our state to our people.
MARGARET BRENNAN: And that’s $4 billion to $5 billion a month Ukraine needs?
Where is the social and humanitarian consideration for our own people. The American people?
The Ukraine government request/demand is just so matter-of-factly stated as if it’s just another day in the life of a group of people who have no concept they are discussing the distribution of your earnings. They don’t even have the mental association or reference point for who and what the golden goose is that creates the baseline for them to even talk about it.
The American taxpayer is reduced to some weird, disconnected entity that was scraped from their loafer as they entered the boardroom.
At gas stations across the nation, people in real economic pain, psychologically draining and worrying anxiety, are pulling out thirty bucks to put a few gallons of gas to get them to their job where what?….
…Where they are expected to use their calloused hands to generate the payments for Ukrainian government officials to spend on their “social responsibilities of the state?”… Think about that the next time we set down the hamburger meat at the supermarket because it costs too much, or we try and figure out how to make the kids shoes last just a few months longer.
The level of rage this geopolitical disconnect is creating is entirely unsustainable.
Americans generally do not like being angry, we are the most charitable and kind people in the history of all assembled nations on this planet, but this level of being taken for granted needs to come to an end, AND SOON.
I don’t know about everyone who reads this, but the people around me are more than a little sick of this nonsense.
I have created this site to help people have fun in the kitchen. I write about enjoying life both in and out of my kitchen. Life is short! Make the most of it and enjoy!
This is a library of News Events not reported by the Main Stream Media documenting & connecting the dots on How the Obama Marxist Liberal agenda is destroying America
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