Category U. S. Politics

Jan 23 2022

Medical Freedom Has Been Hijacked


Armstrong Economics Blog/Corruption Re-Posted Jan 23, 2022 by Martin Armstrong

Dr. Mary Bowden was suspended from Houston Methodist Hospital after sharing her views on COVID-19. Bowden is now speaking out and taking legal action against Houston Methodist Hospital.

Dr. Bowden has successfully treated patients using ivermectin, vitamin c, and other non-profitable treatments. Methodist Hospital is required to release its data and provide transparency to providers. Dr. Bowden noted that the hospital grossed $4 billion in assets before COVID, but would like to know how much their executives have profited since then and whether or not they have made deals with pharmaceutical companies.

She questioned the vaccines directly, as it is suspicious that the hospital will not release the data. How many people have had adverse reactions to the vaccines and what were they? She would also like to know how many people admitted for COVID were fully vaccinated, and even more damning, how many people died because they were refused early treatment.

We must question the narrative in order to change the narrative. The UK recently discarded useless restrictions, and we can hope that the COVID power grab will begin to fade as more people speak out without fear of retribution.

Jan 23 2022

Professional Leftists Begin Trying to Retreat from the Consequences of Their COVID Nonsense


Posted originally on the conservative tree house on January 22, 2022 | sundance | 549 Comments

The professional political leftists are starting to rebrand themselves as having fallen victim to the “bureaucracy of COVID”, and according to those high-minded people who think very highly of themselves, we are supposed to embrace this new enlightenment from the same people who were demanding our acquiescence to their dictates.

This example of “THE AWAKENING” from an uber-progressive, Ms. Bari Weiss, on a television show, is supposed to be something I am told to appreciate.  WATCH:

I/We are expected to appreciate the same people who demanded our acquiescence to every policy that was created by their ridiculous fear, simply because they now admit ‘oops, my bad‘?   Sorry, not happening.

For two years they shoved their intolerant fingers in our faces, destroyed lives and livelihoods, made ridiculous demands in order to sustain their own fear, threatened our children, destroyed the economy, used COVID as an excuse to destroy families and steal an election, attempted to force us to kneel at the altar of their mask wearing and never-ending vaccine crap… and we’re just supposed to what, forgive them?

Fat chance.  That sound you heard was millions of us locking the door, turning around to face them, and now the reckoning is about to begin.

(more…)

Jan 23 2022

A Note About the DC Metro Area Food Store Shortages That Must Be Emphasized


Posted originally on the conservative tree house on January 22, 2022 | sundance | 264 Comments

I know most CTH readers are aware of the issue – the action and consequence side of things.  However, the current conditions in/around our nation’s capitol deserve to be emphasized in order to share with those who are not connecting the dots.

The shortage of food products, in/around the metro-DC area, is a direct consequence of that same area demanding Vaccination Passports to enter any venue providing “food away from home.”

The vaccine passport mandate blocks people from restaurants, dining, bars and other sources of food.  The process forces people into grocery stores where they are encountering shortages.

In essence, what we are seeing in the DC-Metro area is a microcosm of what previously happened nationally with shortages in food supplies and basic essentials.  The retail food delivery system in our nation is not designed or prepared to shift large numbers of people out of the “food away from home” lane and into the “food prepared at home lane.”  It really is that simple.

Even small percentages of demand shift in a very detailed and complex supply chain -already operating at maximum capacity- can have massive consequences.   One fractured gear tooth in a system of thousands of interconnected gears can bring the entire machine to a halt.

The DC outcome is an excellent example of bureaucracy and political policy being dictated by ‘elites’, out of touch leftists and governing officials, who do not have the skills to follow their policies to their natural conclusion.   This is also an example of private sector experts who are kowtowed and fearful of telling those government officials they are wrong.

There are people who have been saying for two years these supply chain issues will come to an uncomfortable reality if the policies are not reversed.  These are major socioeconomic outcomes that are downstream from dictates and fiats.  Reasonable and prudent voices have been downplayed, denied, cast aside and ignored while these insane leftist governmental policies have been executed.

Effective immediately, or at least as soon as possible, every venue that can provide food on a commercial basis must be removed from all COVID regulations, including vaccine passports.

Restaurants, school lunchrooms, cafeterias, industrial kitchens, hotels, bars, food trucks and every possible venue for the delivery of freshly cooked meals must immediately be reactivated, and all terms and conditions for visiting those venues, like “vaccine passports”, must be cancelled quickly.

If they are not, and worse, if the market restrictions are expanded beyond current status (example truck driver vaccine mandates), there is going to be a worsening retail food crisis as the total food supply chain begins to collapse even further.

If you want to learn more, or you need to share with family – REVIST THIS OUTLINE. 

If all governing officials in/around North America do not quickly reverse their position, things will get worse.

Hope is not a strategy.  Act, or be acted upon.

Jan 23 2022

DC Mayor Muriel Bowser Asks Residents to Begin Voluntary Rationing of Food at Grocery Stores


Posted originally on the conservative tree house on January 22, 2022 | sundance | 391 Comments

For those of you who have prepared it is wise to remember the advice that always accompanies the final stages of preparation.  Once you are prepared, shut up, zip it, run silent and run deep.

The reason is simple comrades, when the “voluntary rationing” phase concludes, those who have prepared are quickly cast as ‘hoarders” and targeted by those who created the desperation.  It has always been thus.

DC Mayor and COVID Compliance Minister, Muriel Bowser, asks residents in/around her region to enter a phase of voluntary rationing.  What comes after the voluntary phase is the part many have been studiously preparing to avoid.

In the bigger picture… I find it rather revealing that only when leftist policies are followed to their natural conclusion do you see officials in the leftist economic system they created, a system not coincidentally always based on the outcome of scarcity, asking people not to engage in economic activity.

Chasing socialism always creates an outcome where the expressed intent from government is NOT to buy stuff, rationing.  Socialism, or leftism in its modern form, always creates scarcity; it is the diametrically opposite outcome of a free capitalistic society.

Jan 22 2022

Woke M&Ms and Marketing Gimmicks


Armstrong Economics Blog/Humor Re-Posted Jan 22, 2022 by Martin Armstrong

Have you ever looked at an M&M advertisement and felt underrepresented, or are you in good mental health? Mars Incorporated announced plans to redesign their M&M mascots to be more “inclusive.” These are colorful cartoon candies we are discussing. “M&M’S promises to use the power of fun to include everyone with a goal of increasing the sense of belonging for 10 million people around the world by 2025,” Mars Incorporated stated.

This is yet another example of woke marketing and pandering to the far-left who believes individuality is immoral. Mars Incorporated knows that this publicity stunt will have people talking about their candy, and in that sense it is effective. Yet, their idea for rebranding their M&M characters is so completely absurd and a sad reminder that we live in a clown world.

The sassy green M&M will swap her heels for a pair of sneakers, as being feminine is not woke unless you were born with a Y chromosome. The brown M&M, the only other female, has had her “sex appeal toned down” as well. Jane Hwang, M&M Global Vice President, has said that the orange M&M will work on his anxiety issues and learn to “embrace his true self, worries and all.” Is there something in the water at the Mars Inc. headquarters? I can only imagine the boardroom meetings over this topic.

Where is the white conservative M&M sitting in front of their computer for 12 hours with 50 tabs open? I want to feel seen (obvious sarcasm).

Woke marketing is a pathetic attempt to increase sales through division and fake empathy. There is true inclusivity and loving thy neighbor, and then there is pretending a piece of chocolate is a strong single mom (they/them) self-identifying as a non-binary pansexual whose child calls them by their first name.

Jan 22 2022

Biden Administration Confirms Canadian and Mexican Truck Drivers Must Show Vaccination Passport Beginning Tomorrow


Posted originally on the conservative tree house on January 21, 2022 | Sundance | 348 Comments

The preparation window has closed.

Given the destabilized and tenuous nature of the current supply chain, many people wondered if the Biden administration would actually be stupid enough to follow through with a truck driver vaccination mandate.  The answer is yes.  Please conduct yourselves accordingly.

The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) updated their guidance yesterday [LINK HERE] and put a hard date of tomorrow, January 22nd, for the trucker vaccine mandate at all border crossings and ferry terminals.   Canada put the vaccine mandate into effect last week, January 15th.

[Dept. of Homeland Security] – [..]  “Starting on January 22, 2022, the Department of Homeland Security will require that non-U.S. individuals entering the United States via land ports of entry or ferry terminals along our Northern and Southern borders be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 and be prepared to show related proof of vaccination,” said Secretary Alejandro N. Mayorkas. “These updated travel requirements reflect the Biden-Harris Administration’s commitment to protecting public health while safely facilitating the cross-border trade and travel that is critical to our economy.”

These changes – which were first announced in October 2021 and made in consultation with the White House and several federal agencies, including the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) – will align public health measures that govern land travel with those that govern incoming international air travel.

Non-U.S. individuals traveling to the United States via land ports of entry or ferry terminals, whether for essential or non-essential reasons, must:

  • verbally attest to their COVID-19 vaccination status;
  • provide proof of a CDC-approved COVID-19 vaccination, as outlined on the CDC website;
  • present a valid Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative (WHTI)-compliant document, such as a valid passport, Trusted Traveler Program card, or Enhanced Tribal Card; and,
  • be prepared to present any other relevant documents requested by a U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officer during a border inspection.

COVID-19 testing is not required for entry via a land port of entry or ferry terminal.

Although these new vaccination requirements do not apply to U.S. citizens, Lawful Permanent Residents, or U.S. nationals, all travelers are reminded to bring a WHTI-compliant document when re-entering the United States.  (more)

Approximately 50% of U.S. Truck Drivers are unvaccinated, they can no longer enter Canada.  Starting tomorrow, Canadian and Mexican truck drivers must be vaccinated, or they will not be able to enter the U.S.

Land shipments of fresh fruits and vegetables into Canada are immediately impacted.  Land shipments of fresh fruits and vegetables into the U.S. from Mexico are impacted starting tomorrow.  In addition to agriculture, lumber and auto-parts are likely to face significant impact.

CANADA – […] Alberta Premier Jason Kenney, at a news conference in Calgary, urged the government to extend an exemption that had been in place for truckers since the start of the pandemic.

Kenney made his request on the same day the United States confirmed its own vaccine border mandate for truckers would start on Saturday. Canada’s has been in place since Jan. 15.

“Common sense tells us that we are at the peak of supply chain constraints across North America, around the world, huge inflation,” Kenney said.

This is not the moment “to lose potentially thousands of truckers on our roads, bringing groceries up from the US and who knows maybe (COVID) rapid test kits as well,” he said.

As many as 32,000, or 20 per cent, of the 160,000 Canadian and American cross-border truck drivers may be taken off the roads by the mandate, the Canadian Trucking Alliance (CTA) estimates. The industry was short some 18,000 drivers even before the mandate, CTA said. (read more)

The bottom line is both shortages and higher prices.  Canada will feel it the worst; however, U.S. stores will feel it also.  The inflation this will drive will be on top of existing price pressure.  We have been warning since October, prices will increase, and shortages will be impactful.

The retail food stores have been reflecting the majority of the price increase from government COVID policy.  This vaccine mandate will make those price increases more as transportation costs will increase again.   However, the second route for fresh food delivery, “food away from home“, will suffer the majority of this price increase.  Restaurants, hotels, cafeterias, bars and institutional settings (hospitals, nursing homes, etc.) will see significant increases in their food costs.

A perfect storm has been created by policy.

Energy policy has driven up oil, fuel, packaging and gas prices.  Transportation costs have skyrocketed. Emission regulations have driven up port costs and delayed transportation fracturing the supply chain.  Vaccine mandates have hit the manufacturing and processing sectors.  Legislative policy and COVID spending have artificially inflated the economy.  Monetary policy has devalued the dollar and driven even higher inflation.

A tenuous economy cannot take these self-inflicted wounds…. and it’s about to get worse.

Into this hurricane of stagflation, the fed is going to raise interest rates.  The stock market could lose half its inflated value.  The NASDAQ is already responding to the storm clouds.  Employment is going to start getting really sketchy.  Congress will eventually announce their remedy, which will be more spending – and the dollar gets worse.

All of this was avoidable.

None of this is caused by COVID-19.

All of this is caused by Joe Biden’s economic, financial, monetary and legislative policy.

The people behind Joe Biden are laughing….

…Biden has no idea.

Jan 22 2022

CDC Director States Change to Definition of Fully Vaccinated Likely to Change Soon, Must Be Boosted


Posted originally on the conservative tree house on January 21, 2022 | Sundance | 217 Comments

The White House COVID manipulation team held a presser today [Full Video Here] highlighting the current situation with COVID-19 and their political perspectives on the Omicron variant.

Within the discussion, CDC Director Rochelle Walensky noted the CDC is about to change the definition of “fully vaccinated” to include a mandated booster shot.  WATCH:

Jan 22 2022

Judge Enjoins SCOTUS Decision, Issues Nationwide Injunction Against Vaccine Mandate for Federal Workers and Contractors


Posted originally on the conservative tree house on January 21, 2022 | Sundance | 230 Comments

Earlier today a federal judge enjoined the Supreme Court decision against a federal mandate for private companies and expanded a nationwide injunction against the federal mandate for federal employees and contractors.

WASHINGTON (AP) — A U.S. judge in Texas issued a nationwide injunction on Friday barring the federal government from enforcing President Joe Biden’s requirement that federal workers without qualifying medical or religious exemptions be vaccinated for COVID-19.

Judge Jeffrey Brown, who was appointed to the District Court for the Southern District of Texas by then-President Donald Trump, ruled that opponents of Biden’s vaccination mandate for federal employees were likely to succeed at trial and blocked the government from enforcing the requirement.

Biden announced in September that more than 3.5 million federal workers were required to undergo vaccination, with no option to get regularly tested instead, unless they secured approved medical or religious exemptions. The requirement kicked in this past November, and White House press secretary Jen Psaki said Friday that 98% of federal workers are vaccinated.

“We are confident in our legal authority here,” she added.

Those out of compliance with the policy were referred to counseling and could be terminated under an executive order signed by Biden.

Brown wrote that at issue was whether the president “can, with the stroke of a pen and without the input of Congress, require millions of federal employees to undergo a medical procedure as a condition of their employment.” He added, “That, under the current state of the law as just recently expressed by the Supreme Court, is a bridge too far.”

The Justice Department said it would appeal the ruling. (more)

Jan 22 2022

New York Governor Kathy Hochul Equates Masks in School to Children Wearing Shoes, They’ll Get Used to It


Posted originally on the conservative tree house on January 21, 2022 | Sundance | 267 Comments

New York Governor Kathy Hochul is a state leader with few redeeming qualities.  A detached elitist-minded governor who is very easy to dislike.

During her press conference today, Governor Hochul was questioned repeatedly about the state mask mandate for kids in school.  After several justifications, she encapsulated her refusal to remove the mask mandate by saying her own kids didn’t like wearing sneakers at first, but they got used to it.  Ergo, New York students will get used to wearing masks.  WATCH (Prompted):

Anyone who doesn’t realize the massive impact on students and kids created by this ridiculous COVID fear and mandates is, at this point in history, oblivious to the outcomes.  Government officials, state officials, education officials, teachers’ unions and the medical establishment have destroyed the lives of young people.  Key word “DESTROYED”.

It is going to take a long time, if ever, for our young people to recover from the selfish and insufferable damage put upon them by dictators like Governor Kathy Hochul of New York.  An eloquent and heartbreaking counterpoint is provided below.

Jan 21 2022

IRS: Expect Tax Delays This Year


Armstrong Economics Blog/The Hunt for Taxes Re-Posted Jan 21, 2022 by Martin Armstrong

The Treasury Department has warned that the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) may face “enormous challenges” processing returns this year. The IRS usually enters tax season with one million outstanding returns from the year prior, according to the Washington Post. However, the IRS currently has 6 million outstanding individual returns and 2 million unprocessed amended returns from 2020. Numerous social programs and tax credits provided to millions of Americans during the pandemic only exacerbated the problem.

Adding to the problem is the labor shortage and budget cuts as the agency has lost 25% of its workforce. “By definition, no matter how much more efficient you are, you can’t lose 25 percent of the workforce and assume you can do the same volume of work. It’s a problem across the board — information technology; revenue agents; people answering the phones,” said John Koskinen, former commissioner of the IRS under presidents Barack Obama and Donald Trump.

Worsening matters, as government agencies tend to do, the IRS will begin requiring photo identification to process taxes beginning in the summer of 2022. You don’t need an ID to vote, but you certainly need one for the government to track the money it believes you owe. The IRS website previously only required users to make a simple name and password. Beginning in the summer, users will need to upload a government ID and take a video selfie.  “Tax payments can be made from a bank account, by credit card or by other means without the use of facial recognition technology or registering for an account,” the IRS stated. However, people will be unable to use certain features without uploading a video selfie. How are the elderly going to use this feature? Will those living in poverty face consequences for not having a smartphone or computer? This seems like another great way for the government to compile our personal data and develop better facial recognition software.

Despite the drastic backlog, there will be no extension for taxpayers; the government wants their money by April 18. As I have always said in the past, receiving a refund is not a gift from the government. The government preys on the poorest people in society by holding onto their funds for a year and preventing them from investing. They expect the people to provide them with an interest-free loan every year, and in exchange, they will dissect each tax return for errors and ask for more money.