Category Green Energy Not Reliable

Apr 11 2023

Yellen Admits Truth Behind the Inflation Reduction Act


Armstrong Economics Blog/Corruption Re-Posted Apr 11, 2023 by Martin Armstrong

The Inflation Reduction Act has only increased inflation. Secretary of the Treasury Janet L. Yellen came out and admitted the truth – the act’s entire premise is to push the climate change agenda forward. “The Inflation Reduction Act is, at its core, about turning the climate crisis into an economic opportunity,” Yellen admitted.

It provided the government with an opportunity to eliminate our energy independence. We did not have an energy crisis before Joe Biden took office. He killed the Keystone deal on his very first day in office and has been promoting the larger WEF Build Back Better plan at the expense of the nation. Biden implemented policies that worsened inflation and then convinced mindless politicians, who never read the large bills put forward, to vote for a $369 billion act under the premise of fixing a problem he created.

Now Joe Manchin, who brokered the deal with Biden, claims he was duped into believing the act was actually designed to reduce inflation. In an op-ed published in the Wall Street Journal, Manchin criticized the need to raise the debt ceiling as a “needless emergency.” Manchin wrote:

“America is fast approaching another needless emergency—the raising of the national debt ceiling. This impending crisis isn’t an accident but a result of the inaction of various actors who refuse to confront fiscal reality, sit down, negotiate and make hard decisions for the sake of our nation’s future. While all parties have a responsibility to negotiate in good faith, recent actions make clear to me that the Biden administration is determined to pursue an ideological agenda rather than confront the clear and present danger that debts and deficits pose to our nation.”

He goes on to state that the national debt is nearly $31.5 trillion, “or close to $95,000 for every man, woman, and child, and represents 120% of our gross domestic product.” He proposes negotiating the debt ceiling and is pleading with “Mr. Biden to instruct his administration to implement the Inflation Reduction Act as written and stop redefining its credits and other subsidies.”

The Senator from West Virginia stated that Americans will pay the price for generations if Biden fails to act, but Yellen has now admitted that the goal of the IRA has been achieved. As Trump said, if you put the worst five presidents in American history together, they’ve done less damage to the nation than Biden in under three years.

Mar 31 2023

Earn Six Figures Without Working


Armstrong Economics Blog/Politics Re-Posted Mar 31, 2023 by Martin Armstrong

The US government has been on a spending spree over the past few years and there is absolutely no way they can ever pay the bill. Federal spending hit $4.45 trillion in 2019 in the wake of the pandemic, according to the Congressional Budget Office (CBO). That figure hit $6.21 trillion as of the latest report, marking a 40% uptick in four years. What has changed?  

 This goes far beyond the Ukraine fiasco. While defense spending rose 18% over the past four years, nondefense spending shot up 43% to $941 billion. Spending on Social Security and retirement increased 33% from 2019 to 2023 as the Baby Boomer generation began to exit the workforce. Retirement has become a luxury with the current cost of living and many are opting to continue working rather than retire. Yet, the mentality of hard work paying off is dwindling. The effects of the pandemic can still be felt as the workforce dynamic has changed. The supplemental unemployment income distributed freely during the pandemic has had disastrous consequences. 

Spending on food stamps has increased by 102% from $63 billion in 2019 to $127 billion in 2023. Welfare support rose 50% as well from $32 billion to $48 billion. Unemployment costs have increased 32% over the past four years, despite the record-low unemployment rate. The US spent $53 billion on educational pandemic aid and $71 billion to help failing PBGC plans. The CBO now foresees a federal budget deficit of $1.4 trillion in 2023, and this number is expected to rise. 

Biden’s Build Back Better Act pushed for the largest welfare spending in US history. It pays NOT to work in Biden’s America. According to the Heritage Foundation: 

"Total government spending on the average poor family will rise from $65,200 per year to more than $76,400. When limited private earnings are added to this massive government spending, combined total resources will reach nearly $94,600 per year for the average poor family."

Biden repealed some of the reforms issued by the Clintons to boost reliance on government aid. People who choose not to work are eligible for unconditional cash grants funded by working taxpaying citizens. “Taxpayers would be required to pay larger sums to support welfare recipients, but recipients would have no reciprocal obligations,” the Heritage Foundation continued. Those who decide to marry receive less funding. Mothers who have children by multiple fathers receive more funding. Traditional values are punished. Why rely on family when you have the government? 

Some states pay six figures to “low-income” families through benefits and subsidiaries. A family earning nearly a quarter million per year could still qualify for ObamaCare subsidies, and in some states, families earning $300,000 annually still qualify. Unemployment benefits plus ObamaCare subsidies for a family of four are equivalent to the national median income in 24 states. Some states offer more than others. In New Jersey, a family of four can receive benefits up to $108,000 even if no one is working.  

Welfare was supposed to be a tool to help people during times of need. It should incentivize people to get back to work. Biden is giving your money to foreign countries. He is giving your money to US citizens who chose not to work. This is clearly socialism at play, as it does not pay to work in Biden’s crumbling America. 

Mar 24 2023

Things Are Getting Spicy in France as Mass Protests Turn Violent in Some Areas – Macron Declares This Is France’s January 6th Insurrection Moment


Posted originally on the CTH on March 23, 2023 | Sundance

History tells us the French ‘do revolution’ quite well, the current status of the protests against President Macron’s unilateral pension reform cuts are no exception.

Worker strikes have hampered France for over a week in protest to: (1) the pension reform; and (2) the undemocratic way it was enacted via unilateral fiat by the French President, Emmanuel Macron.

Today the worker strike turned to massive protests in the streets throughout several regions.

As the day wound down, those protests then turned violent as the ultra-left-wing “Black Bloc” anarchists began attacking police.

(Reuters) – PARIS, March 23 – Police fired tear gas and fought with violent black-clad anarchists in Paris and across France on Thursday as hundreds of thousands of protesters marched against President Emmanuel Macron’s plan to raise the pension age.

The ninth day of nationwide protests, mostly peaceful, disrupted train and air travel. Teachers were among many professions to walk off the job, days after the government pushed through legislation to raise the retirement age by two years to 64.

Demonstrations in central Paris were generally peaceful, but groups of “Black Bloc” anarchists smashed shop windows, demolished street furniture and ransacked a McDonald’s restaurant. Clashes ensued as riot police drove back the anarchists with tear gas and stun grenades.

Interior Minister Gerald Darmanin said 149 police officers were injured and 172 people were arrested across the country. Dozens of protesters were also injured, including a woman who lost a thumb in the Normandy town of Rouen.

[…] Police had also fired tear gas at some protesters in several other cities, including Nantes, and Lorient in the west, Lille in the north, and used water cannon against others in Rennes in the northwest. Labour unions fear protests could turn more violent if the government does not heed mounting popular anger over pension curbs.

Unions called for regional action over the weekend and new nationwide strikes and protests on March 28, the day Britain’s King Charles is due to travel to Bordeaux from Paris by train.

The main entrance of the Bordeaux town hall was set ablaze on Thursday, days before the monarch was due to walk through on his visit to the southwestern city.

On Wednesday, Macron broke weeks of silence on the new policy, insisting the law would come into force by year end. He compared protests to the Jan. 6, 2021, storming of the U.S. Capitol.

[…] The French Interior Ministry said 1.089 million protested across the country, including 119,000 in the capital which was a record since protests started in January. The CGT union said 3.5 million people marched in the country, equalling a previous high on March 7.

“I came here because I oppose this reform and I really oppose the fact that democracy no longer means anything,” Sophie Mendy, an administrative medical worker, told Reuters at the Paris rally. “We’re not being represented, and so we’re fed up.” (read more)

World War III may break out against Russia in/around Moldova.  However, another more widespread war may break out even sooner that has nothing to do with nation states.

Mar 21 2023

South Africa’s Power Grid is Failing


Armstrong Economics Blog/Africa Re-Posted Mar 21, 2023 by Martin Armstrong

South Africa is desperate for allies, economic allies. The country is failing and the people are suffering. There is international outrage right now misdirected at South Africa for its desire to host the Bric summit with Russia, China, Brazil, and India. The International Criminal Court (ICC) wants to arrest Putin for his war crimes, and President Cyril Ramaphosa is defending his position to invite Putin before the invitations for the event have even gone out. I warned that countries who were previously banned from discussions at the big table would turn to China and Russia for support since the West has abandoned them. “What about Ukraine!” the media cries. Well, what about South Africa? No one comments that the conditions in South Africa are WORSE than in Ukraine during an active war.

South Africa was in a bad spot economically long before COVID. GDP grew by a mere 1% between 2012 and 2021, according to the World Bank. The nation’s entire infrastructure is crumbling, and the power grid is on the verge of complete failure. Blackouts are common, and many blame state-owned power plant Eskom which routinely cuts off the power grid to produce “rolling blackouts” to conserve power. These “rolling blackouts” can last over 12 hours. This affects fuel availability, phone and internet coverage, traffic lights, power to hospitals, etc. It also limits the availability of food and water. Crime is more prevalent during blackouts as there are no cameras or security systems. Rape and crimes against women are disgustingly common. Civil unrest is so prevalent that the president issued a “state of disaster” warning on February 9, long after the situation became irreparable.

(click on the image for higher resolution)

Statistics vary but there are about 82 murders per day in South Africa. The South African Police Service reported 7,555 murders from October to December 2022. As you can see from the chart above, crime is rapidly escalating. People are murdering farmers and anyone with a surplus of food. “Most murders take place in a public place, such as a street or an open field or a parking area – or at the residence of the victim (including places known to the victim or perpetrator),” Business Tech reported. “The Purge” is essentially taking place in South Africa right now.

So what is the world police doing about this situation since they care so much about helpless nations? Nothing. The US government issued a warning that Eskom’s power grid will collapse. They are warning that there will be no water, sewage pumps, or fuel, and the nation will effectively come to a standstill. Eskom said that in the “best case scenario,” it would take 6 to 14 days to restart the power grid. Experts believe it will take longer if they can manage to restore the power at all. “What’s left after a blackout would be what was left after a civil war,” an anonymous source said.

Poverty and the ongoing conflict have destroyed South Africa. The media would like people to believe that the nation is an enemy of the West because it is remaining neutral in the Russia-Ukraine conflict. How exactly is it supposed to offer any aid when its own people are starving? The West even had the audacity to ask South Africa to support the climate change agenda, as if they have access to stable energy. One can only hope that the Bric summit is permitted this year and Xi and Putin can offer aid to South Africa’s people.

Mar 1 2023

Stacy Abrams in Nigeria to Assist U.S. “Election Efforts” in Oil Rich African Country Amid Election Turmoil


Posted originally on the CTH on February 28, 2023 | Sundance

Everything about the progressive worldview of control is connected; the trick is to identify the priority that forms the motive of the connection.  In the example of U.S. involvement in assisting the control efforts of Nigerian progressives, the priority is energy and the climate change agenda.

Georgia’s twice-failed leftist gubernatorial candidate, Stacy Abrams, joins the globalist cause in seeking to “assist election efforts” in Africa’s oil rich nation of Nigeria.

If you have followed the geopolitical bouncing ball, you will likely have context for the priorities of western political leadership as it pertains to controlling African democracies.

[A cliff notes summary HERE]

The larger picture is the World Economic Forum and the Western Leadership alignment to control energy development in the African continent.  In addition to vast mineral deposits, there are oil and natural gas interests.

You might remember last year when the G7 were debating geopolitical policy. Some in the EU and western alliance said let the brown people die, climate is more important. Others were saying, if they allow mass starvation just to retain the WEF climate ideology, they may lose influence in the world.

The debate was raging, as noted by Reuters: “the European Union is divided on how to help poorer nations fight a growing food crisis and address shortages of fertilizers caused by the war in Ukraine, with some fearing a plan to invest in plants in Africa would clash with EU green goals.”  As the argument unfolded, “the EU Commission explicitly opposed” any effort to enhance African fertilizer development, “warning that supporting fertilizer production in developing nations would be inconsistent with the EU energy and environment policies.” {link}

ABUJA (Reuters) -Nigeria’s ruling party candidate Bola Tinubu has an unassailable lead in a disputed presidential election held over the weekend, a Reuters tally of provisional results from all 36 states and the federal capital Abuja showed on Tuesday.

Tinubu of the governing All Progressives Congress (APC) of outgoing president Muhammadu Buhari got about 35% of the vote, or 8.2 million votes, followed by Atiku Abubakar of the main opposition People’s Democratic Party (PDP), who took a 30% share, or 6.9 million votes.

Peter Obi of the Labour Party [the Nigerian Trump], an outsider popular with the youth and educated voters, got 26% of the vote, or about 6.1 million votes.

Nigerian electoral law says a candidate can win just by getting more votes than their rivals, provided they get 25% of the vote in at least two-thirds of the 36 states and Abuja, which Tinubu also managed to do.

Tinubu’s potential victory extends the APC’s grip on power in Africa’s top oil producer and most populous nation, though he inherits a litany of problems from Buhari.

Nigeria is struggling with Islamist insurgencies in the northeast, armed attacks, killings and kidnappings, conflict between livestock herders and farmers, cash, fuel and power shortages and perennial corruption that opponents say Buhari’s party has failed to stamp out, despite promises to do so.

Opposition parties rejected the results as the product of a flawed process, which suffered multiple technical difficulties owing to the introduction of new technology by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) and on Tuesday called on its chairman Mahmood Yakubu to resign.

Tinubu asked voters to elect him on his track record during his two terms as Lagos state governor at the turn of the century, during which he managed to reduce violent crime, improve the city’s traffic jams and clean up rubbish.

The 70-year-old has, however, sometimes appeared frail in public, slurring his speech and answering questions with platitudes, and skipping several campaign events, leaving some to doubt how effective he would be.

Obi’s campaign attracted young people and urban, more educated voters fed up with corrupt politics of the past, the two parties that have represented it since the end of military rule in 1999 and old men who have tended to dominate them.

OPPOSITION CRIES FOUL

Both the PDP and the Labour Party as well as the smaller opposition ADC rejected the results.

“The results being declared at the National Collation centre have been heavily doctored and manipulated and do not reflect the wishes of Nigerians expressed at the polls,” they said in a joint statement. (read more)

Ultimately, from the position of the western alliance, it’s all about control. Domestically, or extended into U. S foreign policy, the outlook is exactly the same, “CONTROL.”  Controlling elections, ultimately controlling who is installed such that globalist policy is maintained, the western alliance and WEF priority.

Stacy Abrams in Nigeria or Jeff Flake in Zimbabwe, the intentions are exactly the same.  Globalists must be installed, and economic nationalists must not hold power.