Category Destruction of World Food Supply

Oct 6 2022

Poland Goes Nuclear as NATO Breaks Past Promises


Armstrong Economics Blog/War Re-Posted Oct 6, 2022 by Martin Armstrong

The war in Ukraine escalated as a direct result of NATO’s interference. Russia felt backed into a corner, on the defensive, and felt it had no choice but to invade Ukraine in response to heightened tensions with NATO. Even the pope came out and said that NATO was antagonizing Russia by “barking at the Gates of Russia.”

The North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) originally wanted Russia to join after the Soviet Union was dissolved. Although Russia did not join, relations with NATO were strong. In 1997, NATO reported that they planned to build “lasting and inclusive peace in the Euro-Atlantic area on the principles of democracy and cooperative security” with Russia. NATO also claimed that it would not deploy nuclear measures against Russia.

"The member States of NATO reiterate that they have no intention, no plan and no reason to deploy nuclear weapons on the territory of new members, nor any need to change any aspect of NATO's nuclear posture or nuclear policy - and do not foresee any future need to do so. This subsumes the fact that NATO has decided that it has no intention, no plan, and no reason to establish nuclear weapon storage sites on the territory of those members, whether through the construction of new nuclear storage facilities or the adaptation of old nuclear storage facilities. Nuclear storage sites are understood to be facilities specifically designed for the stationing of nuclear weapons, and include all types of hardened above or below ground facilities (storage bunkers or vaults) designed for storing nuclear weapons."

If peace in the euro area was of top importance, this situation would have de-escalated back in February. Now, bordering countries are increasing their nuclear capabilities. Poland has announced that they are willing to host nuclear weapons provided by the US. The head of the ruling Law and Justice (PiS) party, Jarosław Kaczyński, “fully supports” the proposition. However, Poland is freeing itself of any responsibility. Duda said that the weapons of mass destruction “would not be a nuclear weapon under the control of Poland. Participation in nuclear sharing does not imply having your own nuclear weapon.”

France, the United Kingdom, and America are the only three NATO members with their own nuclear weapons. Yet, they store nuclear weapons in strategic places such as Italy, the Netherlands, Turkey, and Belgium. These countries will be able to strengthen their national security while alleviating the full burden of being in control of nuclear weapons.

Oct 6 2022

The Advisory Committee on Racial Equity


Armstrong Economics Blog/Politics Re-Posted Oct 6, 2022 by Martin Armstrong

ALL AMERICANS ARE HURTING FINANCIALLY. But the Treasury Department plans to prioritize people based on the color of their skin. Secretary of the Treasury Janet Yellen announced the first “Treasury Advisory Committee on Racial Equity.”

From the Treasury’s website:

“[T]he Committee will identify, monitor, and review aspects of the domestic economy that have directly and indirectly resulted in unfavorable conditions for communities of color. The Committee plans to address topics including but not limited to: financial inclusion, access to capital, housing stability, federal supplier diversity, and economic development.”

The 25 inaugural members are completely unqualified as many have no experience in finance. Former mayor of Philadelphia Michael Nutter will act as chairman. He was unable to manage his home city, let alone work for the Treasury. Vice chair Felicia Wong said they will make “racial equity central to the Treasury Department’s mission.” Wong has strong ties to George Soros.

Wong is part of the liberal megadonor foundation, Democracy Alliance. Wong argues that every policy has “racialized effects” and believes capitalism strengthens the patriarchy and white supremacy. Wong, the CEO of the Roosevelt Institute, penned many articles noting her radicalized view of the world with no basis in economics or logic.

“True equity means equity of outcome, and not accepting the promise of ‘opportunity’ within a system that continues to systematically exclude,” Wong wrote. “It demands redistribution of resources—especially when wealth for some has been extracted from many—and a redistribution of decision-making power.”

This is an absolute disaster as we are putting socialists in charge of a department of our Treasury. The Roosevelt Institute wants to “reimagine” capitalism and views everything as a form of racial inequality. Naturally, the Democrats are appointing this useless agency as a desperate attempt for votes. Discrimination is now legal against the majority.

Oct 6 2022

Transpacific Shipping Drops 75% During Peak Season as Joe Biden Energy Inflation Bites and Consumer Spending Collapses


Posted originally on the conservative tree house on October 5, 2022 | Sundance 

The economic data coming in the past week is in alignment with prior forecasts.  Bottom line, energy driven inflation has collapsed consumer spending, inventories climbing, vendors are cancelling orders, and this is peak season for transpacific shipping- which has now recorded the most rapid drop in history.

A single transpacific container shipment cost $19,000 in 2021, then $14,500 in 2022 as the intentional slowdown began.  Now it’s only $3,900 as entire fleets of cargo shipments are cancelled due to lack of demand by U.S. purchasers.

Folks, get ready…. because it’s not going to get better.  Prior farm costs, an outcome of energy price increases, are now reaching the supply chain. Food costs will continue increasing throughout the holiday season.

(Wall Street Journal) […] Trans-Pacific shipping rates have plummeted roughly 75% from year-ago levels. The transportation industry is grappling with weaker demand as big retailers cancel orders with vendors and step up efforts to cut inventories. FedEx Corp. recently said it would cancel flights and park cargo planes because of a sharp drop in shipping volumes. On Thursday, Nike Inc. said it was sitting on 65% more inventory in North America than a year earlier and would resort to markdowns.

[…] One response to the melting demand has been to reduce sailing trips. In September, container capacity offered by ship operators in the Pacific was down 13%, dropping the equivalent of 21 ships that can each move 8,000 containers in a single voyage, from a year earlier, according to shipping-data providers Xeneta and Sea-Intelligence.

For the two weeks starting Oct. 3, a total of about 40 scheduled sailings to the U.S. West Coast from Asia and 21 sailings to the East Coast from Asia have been scrapped, according to the data companies as well as customer advisories viewed by The Wall Street Journal. Typically at this time of year, an average of two to four sailings a week are blanked, the industry’s term for canceled sailings.

[…] “In the first week of October, one-third of previously announced capacity will be blanked and for the second week, it will be around half,” said Peter Sand, chief analyst at Xeneta. “The downturn pace in recent weeks has been very fast and it looks like carriers misread the low volumes of a nonexistent peak season.”

The period between late summer and early fall typically is the busiest time of year for the largest carriers, as retailers and other importers build inventories ahead of the holiday shopping season. (more)

All of this has to do with the intentional destruction of the oil, coal and gas industry.  Western national economic collapse is a feature of the Build Back Better agenda.  The economy will continue to be lowered until it small enough to be replaced by “climate friendly” energy resources, windmills and solar farms.

The more consumers demand to keep their standard of living, the harder the central banks will squeeze to inflict the pain.  The western leaders and their banking benefactors do not want us owning things that require energy resources.  The economic pain will continue (in western nations) until citizens acquiesce to eating bugs and sustainable algae cakes, while taking mass transportation instead of personal vehicles.