Category George Orwell’s 1984

Jan 11 2024

The Real Horror of Labor Statistics


Posted originally on Jan 11, 2024 By Martin Armstrong 

1 Martin Armstrong

Let me explain about labor statistics. Back in the ’90s, one staff member was in charge of verifying all government statistics worldwide. That project produced some really eye-opening facts. We discovered that in GDP, the government counts total government spending and total personal income (private & public). We could not find where they were backing out of the government payroll. I called the head of the BLS and said that this mistake was so egregious that they had to be backing it out somewhere. I was told they would get back to me. After some time passed, I called and said, hey, I don’t remember you getting back to me. The response was – NO COMMENT.

This means when Biden hires 87,000 IRS agents to harass small businesses, from a statistical basis, it is the economic function in GDP or creating 174,000 jobs. Every small business must now reveal who is the beneficial owner and they must report to the government where they live and if they dare to change residence. Failure to do so is prison time. This is why the Founding Fathers outlawed any direct taxation. They knew people would then be accountable to the government for absolutely everything they do. If you own a small business, it reminds me of what I saw behind the Berlin Wall. You were not allowed to move without the permission of the government. Oh, how power always consumes everything.

1984 George Orwell

In high school, I had to read George Orwell’s 1984. That would probably be on the disinformation list along with Atlas Shrugged today and banned in most schools. Nevertheless, the one line that stuck with me was none other than:

“Who controls the past controls the future. Who controls the present controls the past.”

Jan 9 2024

The Year from Political Hell


Posted originally on Jan 8, 2024 By Martin Armstrong 

Political Hell

QUESTION: Can you elaborate on 2024 being the year from hell with elections everywhere? We all know about Trump and Putin. Is the rest of the world going nuts as well?

Jeff

Pakistan_ex_PM_Imran_Khan_moved_to_another_jail

ANSWER: Oh, I would say that is a fair statement about the entire world. Pakistan is perhaps the role model for Biden. The general election has been postponed until February – or perhaps later. Imran Khan, a former president they put in prison, has warned that the election risk there is just another political farce. Of course, the champion of freedom fighting for Democracy, the totally corrupt President Volodymyr Zelensky of Ukraine, was trying to imprison his opponent and his predecessor, Petro O. Poroshenko, and had the ultimate excuse – postponing all elections until he defeated Russia, which is not even possible.

viktor orban

It will be interesting to see if the EU starts to collapse. European Council President Charles Michel will run as a candidate for the European election in 2024. This will present a bit of  CRISIS to fill a top diplomatic position. EU leaders must then quickly appoint a successor for his vacated Council post or face a dilemma. Hungary takes over the rotating presidency of the Council in July. Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban has been fighting against creating World War III and this endless support of Ukraine, which is losing badly. Orban could fulfill the role of Council president if EU members do not quickly agree on a candidate. Given the conflict they have with Hungary, this is going to be a real test of the EU. February has been showing as a Panic Cycle, and May remains the big target.  This may be the real conflict for the EU.

Bangladesh is going through its tyranny as well. The voting took place amid a boycott by the main opposition. When we look at the country, the same tyranny is unfolding. Bangladesh is becoming a one-party state dominated by Sheikh Hasina for the 5th term. They are starting to call her the Iron Lady.

aiwan_Taiwanese_Stock_Index Array Y 1 7 24

One of the key elections will be in Taiwan. Beware, January 13th could prove to be an unlucky day for an election that could impact the world. Lai Ching-te is the deputy to President Tsai Ing-wen and a fellow member of the independence-minded Democratic Progressive Party. He is leading in the polls right now. Lai is the candidate most likely to provoke tension with China, and the people seem to think the US will send troops to defend them at all costs. Indeed, China has named him the “destroyer of peace.” Looking at the Array, we had a double-Directional Change for 2024, and it appears to be a reversal of the uptrend into 2026.

South_Africa_FTSE Y Array 1 7 24

In South Africa, the African National Congress will most likely lose its majority for the first time since apartheid ended. There have been rolling blackouts since 2007, which has increased ever since 2020.  This has boosted support for various movements proposing Cape independence since 2009.

Download List of Elections Worldwide

The 2024 Elections Appendix

Jun 12 2023

The True Story of Hyperinflation


Amstrong Economics Blog/Cryptocurrency Re-Posted Jun 12, 2023 by Martin Armstrong

QUESTION: Dear Mr. Armstrong,
could you please explain what happens in technical terms from a capital flow perspective, when confidence is lost and hyperinflation starts to begin?
For example Turkey. When Erdogan was elected i think you wrote that ever since the lira started dropping. So confidence in politics is key. Do you think one day we will see hyperinflation in Turkey?
And another example, is Yugoslavia: what caused the hyperinflation (in technical terms/capital flow perspective)? Are foreign investors getting rid of the dinars? Too many dinars than suddenly rushed back into Yugoslavia causing hyperinflation?
Regards,
Magdalena Š.

ANSWER: The misnomer about hyperinflation is that it is caused by printing money. It is a RESPONSE to the collapse in the confidence of the government.  If we look at the 3rd century, this is where we find the greatest number of hoards of ancient coins. What began this was the capture of Valerian I by the Persians in 260AD.

Valerian was the first Roman Emperor to be captured and Rome was unable to recuse him. That shook the confidence of the Roman people, but it also was a signal to the barbarian tribes in the North that if the Persians could do it, they could as well. Within 10 years, Emperor Aurelian constructed the great wall around Rome. Never before did Romans have such a defensive wall. That had a powerful army.

There was a trend toward debasing the silver coinage which began with Nero to try to fund the rebuilding of Rome after the Great Fire. But that did not undermine the confidence in the Roman Monetary System any more than our perpetual deficit spending since World War II.

However, a spark is ignited and suddenly that trend turns into what I have called a Waterfall event in the purchasing power of the currency. Such an event has taken various forms. However, the end result is the collapse in the confidence of the government and as a result, that is when you get that waterfall event.

In the case of Germany, Yugoslavia, Hungary, etc, there was a 1918 Revolution where communists seized power and the emperor of Germany lost power. In that case, they actually asked Russia to take Germany after their revolution in 1917. This was the beginning of the Weimar Republic.

Germany was saddled with reparation payments demanded by France. First, you had a communist revolution and people with capital began to flee to other places in Europe or certainly move their money out of German banks. It was this drain of wealth that forced the Weimar Republic to print money to try to make their reparation payments. Then in December 1922, they seized 10% of everyone’s assets and handed them a bond.

Here you can see that after that December 1922 confiscation, hyperinflation simply took over. It was NOT the printing of money that caused the hyperinflation it was the collapse of confidence FIRST which then compels the government to expand the money supply lacking taxation revenues etc.

I suspect the spark this time may be the Digital Currency and the proposed cancellation of paper currency. This is why people are moving to anything tangible from real estate, gold, silver, ancient coins, and even equities. With DIGITAL CURRENCY they will have capital controls and prevent you from even moving money outside of your country.

The precise day of the ECM was the announcement of the IMF Digital Currency which they intend to replace the US dollar as the reserve currency. This may be timed with the turning point in 2024. It is unlikely that they would cancel paper currencies before the 2024 election. This is all being

May 18 2023

Durham Report Explained – Everything was a Lie


Armstrong Economics Blog/Corruption Re-Posted May 18, 2023 by Martin Armstrong

https://youtube.com/watch?v=M6evjq_73PI%3Ffeature%3Doembed

Special counsel John Durham revealed in his report that all American intelligence agencies knew the Trump-Russian collusion story was a lie. You can read the full 300-page report here. Hillary Clinton needed a way to take the heat off of her email scandal and was the mastermind behind this plot. The CIA and FBI knew without a shadow of a doubt that the Steele Dossier was a lie designed by Clinton to take down Trump. The FBI then leaked deliberate misinformation to the press to condemn Trump on behalf of Hillary and the Democrats.

Christopher Steele was bribed $1 million to write his fictional Steele Dossier. Igor Danchenko was known to be Russian intelligence. Intelligence agencies paid Danchecnko a quarter of a million USD to reveal classified information to back Steele’s claims. He could not provide any evidence since it did not exist, but he was paid anyway. Former intelligence chair Shiff said he saw first-hand evidence of Russian collusion — a complete lie.

Will anyone be held accountable for these extreme crimes? All Americans should be completely outraged that we were lied to by our intelligence agencies and media outlets in an attempt to alter our election. This is a direct attack on our freedom and electoral process. Hillary knows she is above the law and can commit crimes in the open without penalty or even criticism. Obama, Biden, the FBI, the CIA, and numerous politicians knew that everything regarding “Russian collusion” was a complete lie. Trump was correct — this has been one of the biggest witch hunts in American history.

Apr 25 2023

Thoughts on Tucker Carlson’s Firing


Posted originally on the CTH on April 24, 2023 | Sundance 

This is a context you won’t find elsewhere {smiles}. The phone has been blowing up….  Context and some details matter.

First, Carlson was being paid about $20 million a year by Murdoch.  He had about 3 years left on his contract and will be paid the full contract amount.  Carlson found out about 10 minutes before Fox Corp made the announcement.  They did not “part ways,” Tucker Carlson was fired.

(Via WSJ) – Mr. Carlson, whose contract was renewed in 2021, will be paid out for the rest of his contract, people familiar with the matter said. Mr. Carlson is paid about $20 million a year, one of the people said. Mr. Carlson found out he was being let go about 10 minutes before the network announced his departure, the people said. (link)

For financial context, remember Rupert Murdoch paid Megyn Kelly $15 million (Via Harper Collins) for the 2015/2016 operation against Donald Trump.  Paying $60 to $100 million to get rid of Carlson’s antagonistic voice is small money to Murdoch Inc. in the grand scheme of things. [Murdoch has also paid for Ron DeSantis to oppose Trump]

Carlson will not be asked to sign an NDA, is not bound by a “non-compete” clause following the contract nullification by Fox Corp, and will be free to do anything he wants in any venture.  Additionally, he will be free to say whatever he wants about the issues at Fox and speak freely, or not, without any legal or contractual constraints.  Keep all of that in mind.

Prior to 2021, Tucker Carlson was what you might call a Fox News loyalist.  He was very loyal to the organization.  During the COVID-19 era, Tucker Carlson moved his physical location away from Washington DC to his home in Maine.  Fox built him a studio, and Carlson manifest his own destiny free from most production constraints.

Over the past 18+/- months, viewers have watched Tucker Carlson essentially red pill himself each evening.  As he enjoyed the proximity freedom far away from the Eye of Sauron (DC’s control mechanism), Carlson’s eyes opened further to the reality of the situation that blankets our national consciousness.

Disconnected from the machine, free-range in his abilities, and with the intellectual curiosity of the average person, Tucker Carlson started to see the U.S. system as it is, not as media pretend it to be.  This is the increasing red pill absorption you have noted daily.  Along with that came a more pragmatic and brutally honest production quality to the content he shared.

Carlson’s influence grew as the audience grew; the more truth he spoke, the larger the audience.  That free-range influence became a liability to the system operators that hold power, including Rupert Murdoch who is a part of that control system.  In essence, and in the big picture, that’s what led to this event today.

Timing and Fox Digital.  Fox had just settled a lawsuit with Dominion Systems that has been widely reported.  The decision to fire Carlson had only one aspect connected to the Dominion settlement, financial timing.

Fox Corp is going to take a big hit in second quarter (Q2) earnings as part of the Dominion settlement.  If you are going to take a big financial hit, it’s better to go ahead and clear the decks of all financial hits at the same time.

Paying out Carlson simply gets all the big hits in the same quarter.

Digital is where the action is.  Digital subscriber services is where the future of all content is focused.   Understanding this reality gives you a scale of the darkness in the opposition elements facing our nation.  Fox News digital is Fox Nation.  Tucker Carlson and the show Tucker Carlson Today was the anchor of Fox Nation digital.

Fox Nation was struggling prior to Tucker Carlson’s long show broadcasts.  The entire Fox Corp digital streaming service, Fox Nation, was anchored around the Tucker Carlson Today digital streaming service.   Fox News has just torpedoed their anchor, shot their lead dog, destroyed the digital brand.  That gives you some scale and scope to how the elements viewed the threat of influence that Tucker Carlson had become.

Fox Corp, and Murdoch’s stenographers at the Wall Street Journal (SEE HERE), will try to frame the Carlson firing as something of a palate cleansing.  Claims of adversarial viewpoints, controversial views and conflicts with other Fox loyalists on the inside, will be used to frame the narrative.   However, all of those false frameworks are just that, false.  The source of the issue that led to the firing was 100% ideological.

During Tucker’s red pill absorption phase, he changed views on a variety of subjects from the FBI to the Fourth Branch of Government, to vaccination and COVID-19, to his views on Donald Trump as a disruption to an increasingly admitted corrupt political machine.

Context in the Tucker worldview expanded and he began to frame the conflict in a big picture of Good -vs- Evil.  Unfortunately for Carlson, this view was from inside a multinational corporate system spreading the darkness.   He had to be removed.

This is the reality of the situation as it unfolded.   Accept it or not, it matters not.  This is the Carlson reality.

Carlson was connecting the dots of manipulation beyond media, beyond social battles and constructs, and into the realm of finance, economics and ultimately behind the Potemkin Village of UniParty politics.  Blackrock has an increased stake in Fox Corp.

Talking about what happens behind the false front of the DC village is always a threat.   It is in the research and acceptance of the darkest pretending constructs that you realize how the illusions of choice are presented.

Tucker Carlson was no longer selling the illusions.

There are trillions at stake.

He was removed.

Tucker is free.

Welcome to the rebellion my friend!

Apr 25 2023

Payback For Backstabbing – Lee Zeldin Endorses President Donald Trump


Posted originally on the CTH on April 24, 2023 | Sundance 

A well-timed counterpunch against the duplicitous backstabbing by Ron DeSantis that took place in August of 2022 is delivered by former New York Congressman and former New York Governor candidate Lee Zeldin today.  Zeldin endorses Donald Trump for the 2024 GOP nomination:

[SOURCE]

If you have followed the deep weeds of GOP politics, you already knew this was likely.

At a key moment in the New York governor race, in late August of 2022, shortly after the Mar-a-Lago raid, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis was scheduled to be keynote speaker at a New York City Zeldin dinner/fundraiser.  Before the fundraiser, DeSantis went to pick up a six-figure donor check from Billionaire developer Joseph Cayre of Midtown Equities.

Cayre told DeSantis that he supported Zeldin’s Democrat opponent Kathy Hochul.  The contingency for the contribution appeared to be that DeSantis would cancel attendance of the dinner for Zeldin.  DeSantis took the Cayre donor check and at the last minute cancelled his attendance at the Zeldin dinner. {GO DEEP}

[…] While unable to attend the evening event, DeSantis was in Deal, New Jersey, earlier in the day at the home of Jay Cayre, head of Midtown Equities, sources told The Post. (link)

Team DeSantis tried to sell a story about an emergency funeral the following day for slain police officer Jose Perez as the reason for his cancellation.  However, we did a deep dive on the details and the timeline, and nothing matched the claims by DeSantis. {GO DEEP}

Officer Perez died on August 20th.  The funeral was announced by the family and FDLE on August 26th, to be held August 29th.

When DeSantis left Florida on August 28th to pick up the check from Cayre and then attend the dinner later that night, he was well aware of the Perez funeral the next day.  DeSantis took the time to pick up the check, then cancelled the evening dinner with Zeldin.

Two months later, long after the value of the fundraising would have been useful, on October 30, 2022, DeSantis made a return trip to New York to fulfill his obligation.

With only a week left before the 2022 mid-term election the value of the “fundraising window” had closed.  DeSantis made an innocuous speech about police officer support, and then left New York.  Essentially Zeldin was railroaded by the financial priority of the Florida Governor.

Actions create consequences.

Today, Lee Zeldin endorsed President Trump – who was very gracious in his appreciation and acceptance:

.

So, that’s how that happens….

Apr 14 2023

Credit Where Due, Glenn Greenwald Nails This Discussion of Media and the U.S. Intel Leaks


Posted originally on the CTH on April 14, 2023 | Sundance 

There are times when CTH and the perspective of Glenn Greenwald do not align. This is not one of those times. {Direct Rumble Link Here}

In this segment with Tucker Carlson, Glenn Greenwald nails the agenda, motives and outcomes of the U.S. media as they relate to the recent classified intelligence leaks. This is a solid three-minute encapsulation of the problem. WATCH:

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Apr 13 2023

The Dollar Sophistry


Armstrong Economics Blog/USD $ Re-P osted Apr 12, 2023 by Martin Armstrong

QUESTION #1: Dear Martin Armstrong,
Thank you for your unwavering support of humanity and truth. The question I have is about the growing number of countries seeking to divorce themselves from the USD in favor of the alternate BRICS system. Yet when I try to make sense of the current Secured Dollar Funding Complex involving Cash Lenders, Fixed Income and Repo Clearing Banks, Commercial Paper, CD’s, Syndicated and Interbank Loans, Wholesale, Retail and Corporate Deposits, Corporate & Sovereign Bonds, etc. How likely is the world to cleanly disconnect from this entangled web and over what anticipated time frame, rapidly or a long drawn out affair?
Sincerely,

Roy

QUESTION #2: Marty, is all this sudden talk about dethroning the US dollar coming just when April was a major target for the Euro bounce?

HJ

COMMENT #3: You have always said when China starts selling dollars, it is time for war. It looks like they are right on schedule.

Pete

ANSWER: All of this talk of dethroning the dollar is right on time. Yes, April was the target and we should be very careful here for this April/May period is critical on a global basis. As for the BRICS displacing the dollar in the trade as so many are saying, this only PROVES they are just putting out biased claims being anti-dollar with pure sophistry. This reveals that they do not understand anything about the economy, trade, or international finance.

Yes, the Euro elected a Monthly Bullish Reversal (Buy Signal). However, it MUST exceed 11100 on a monthly closing basis to suggest the euro can advance further on a sustained basis. If the Euro exceeds intraday the February high, then a monthly closing below 108 would warn we may be looking at the war and the flight to the dollar would unfold. I would expect that capital controls would be introduced by the end of the year.

First of all, the very reason they created the Euro was to end FX risk and to create a single market. If the BRICS create a competitive currency, then they are introducing FX Risk and that will REDUCE trade with the United States. If the dollar declines, then they will suffer a loss of trade. What makes the US dollar the reserve currency is the fact that the US is the largest consumer-based economy that everyone wants to sell to. I find it laughable how these people pretend to understand finance but are ignorant in reality offering nothing but sophistry.

They can create whatever currency they desire, but they cannot force the FX risk on their buyers. I helped to reorganize the Japanese auto industry where they priced their cars in dollars to the States and took back the FX Risk to be managed. They beat the Germans who were pricing their cars in DMarks during the 70s and soon their sales were declining to the Japanese. I was then later called in by German companies to teach them about FX Risk. and market share. Creating some new reserve currency is pointless if they put the FX risk on their customers.

As far as China, I cannot believe how the bias has skewed the analysis. People are actually saying they are selling dollars because the dollar will be dethroned. China has been dependent on the US economy to make money. They would NEVER sell dollars to simply dethrone the reserve status of the dollar. They are selling dollars because YOU DO NOT FUND your enemy. We are headed into war. They know that. This is all geopolitical and those who just hate the dollar are going to get sucker punched because they are missing what is really going on here.

They have been buying gold NOT because they are bullish – but because they must sell US bonds for in times of war the US will just default on all bonds held by China. I think it is time to get your head out of the sand and open your eyes. This is not about dollars and gold. This is about preparing for World War III.

Apr 10 2023

Poor Kids (documentary)


Armstrong Economics Blog/North America Re-Posted Apr 10, 2023 by Martin Armstrong

This documentary is extremely hard to watch but accurately depicts the hardships millions face in the modern industrialized world. We cannot turn a blind eye to the pain and suffering that poverty creates. This is happening today in the wealthiest country in the world.

Below is an update from the documentary that aired in 2012. There was a slight glimpse of hope when Obama left office and the economy improved under Trump. Still, the funds we send overseas are needed at home. Those with the least suffer the most when the economy turns down.

This a raw reminder to count your blessing on this Easter Monday.

Apr 8 2023

“Indicted We Stand” Rap Song


Armstrong Economics Blog/Politics Re-Posted Apr 8, 2023 by Martin Armstrong

https://youtube.com/watch?v=69hLgtktVBs%3Ffeature%3Doembed

Above is an “extreme MAGA terrorist” rapping about the largest witchhunt in US political history. Americans from all walks of life are disgusted with our political system. “After Trump, I believe they’re after us all.”