Category U. S. Social change movement

Dec 23 2021

Rental Costs on the Rise Amid Diminished Supply


Armstrong Economics Blog/Real Estate Re-Posted Dec 23, 2021 by Martin Armstrong

Demand for rentals in the US is increasing at an alarming pace. Single-family rentals rose 10.9% in October year-over-year, according to a report by CoreLogic. There are simply not enough rental properties available to meet demand. Vacancy rates are at a 25-year low as those priced out of the buyer’s market search for housing.

Rentals in every price range are on the rise. The lower-priced homes that represent 75% or less the regional median rose 9.5%. Lower-middle priced homes that represent 75% to 100% of the regional median are up 10.1%. Higher-middle priced homes representing 100% to 125% of the regional median are up 11.3%, while the highest-priced homes (125%+) advanced 11.4%.

On a regional basis, Miami saw the largest spike with rentals increasing 29.7% in the past year. Phoenix (19.3%) and Las Vegas (16.5%) also experienced notable increases. Thanks to Lori Lightfoot, Chicago experienced the lowest annual growth among larger cities at 4.2%.

The National Association of Home Builders stated that housing starts specifically for rental units reached a high in Q3. However, there is simply not enough available housing to meet the growing demand. Additionally, numerous landlords are also now converting their spaces in desirable areas to Air BnBs and vacation rentals, further diminishing the supply. As remote work becomes prominent in American culture, people are flocking to the suburbs and areas that were not designed to host a growing population.

Dec 23 2021

Kamala Defensive as Approval Rating Declines


Armstrong Economics Blog/Politics Re-Posted Dec 23, 2021 by Martin Armstrong

Someone is not happy about Joe Manchin slapping down the Build Back Better agenda. Vice President Kamala Harris embarrassed herself while being interviewed by a popular radio personality who is known to push buttons. When asked whether Manchin or Biden was the real president, Harris lost her cool and began shouting that the host was “talking like a Republican.” Part of being in power is facing opposition. Imagine if Kamala became enraged while speaking with heads of state over extremely sensitive matters? This woman is not fit to be vice president.

It is no wonder that Kamala currently has a 52.7% disapproval rating, which is likely higher than what has been reported. Last month, some estimates had her approval rating as low as 28%. This means, at a minimum, over half of American voters do not want this woman representing them. Even the Washington Post reported that Harris “burns through seasoned staff members,” with numerous resignations this year alone. No one is allowed to criticize her without being accused of being racist or sexist.

This is not the first time that Kamala Harris has become overly defensive when criticized. President Biden put Kamala in charge of handling the US-Mexico border crisis. When popular journalist Lester Holt questioned why the VP had not even gone to visit the border, Kamala snapped back, “Well, I haven’t been to Europe.” Her team has limited her press interviews since that moment. Even in the video above, her team attempts to end the interview before Kamala shoots herself in the foot. Kamala has yet to do anything to address the border crisis. She is not fulfilling any of her campaign promises and is basically invisible in her position as vice president.

Dec 23 2021

Joe Biden Says 200 Million Americans Vaccinated, Amid U.S. Population of 350 Million


Posted originally on the conservative tree house on December 22, 2021 | Sundance | 138 Comments

I don’t mean kick up a cloud of dust here, but something is weird again.  Last week we spotlighted information provided by media about the U.S. vaccination rate being considerably overstated {Go Deep}.  In essence, the CDC data was being revised downward to correct prior rates of vaccination that were not accurate.

During an ABC interview today (segment below), Joe Biden told ABC News’ David Muir that as of right now, there are “200 million people fully vaccinated.”  WATCH (1 min):

Counting illegal aliens, there are roughly 350 million Americans right now [Census Data].  If 200 million Americans are vaccinated (60%), that means there are approximately 150 million Americans NOT vaccinated (40%).

During his speech yesterday, Joe Biden said: “Thanks to the progress on vaccinations this fall, we’ve gone from nearly 90 million adults in July who had not even started their vaccination process to fewer than 40 million today.” [LINK]

There’s a big difference between 150 million unvaccinated and “fewer than 40 million” unvaccinated.  Can you reconcile the difference?

As we noted last week, with the CDC adjusting the numbers downward […] this would align with several tangential datapoints which have always seemed to be in conflict with the preferred government narrative.  Additionally, there’s also an obvious motive on behalf of the government to overinflate vaccination in order to generate peer pressure and the self-fulfilling prophecy needed to garner vaccine acceptance.

As now noted by Bloomberg:

[…] “CDC data show 240 million people with at least one shot, or about 72.5% of the population. But the agency says only 203 million are fully vaccinated, or 61.3%, an 11-percentage-point difference that is far larger than in other developed countries.

State and local officials say it’s improbable that 37 million Americans got one shot without completing their inoculations. Instead, they say, the government has regularly and incorrectly counted booster shots and second doses as first doses.” (more)

Perhaps this disparity reconciles why many people look quizzically at the high vaccine data while not finding any correlation to their own community, friends or family.  Indeed, there has always been a disconnect between the number of people the government reports as having been vaccinated, when contrast against the open admissions of those who have not wanted to participate in this wide-scale vaccination program.

Biden’s statement today aligns with the adjusted statements from the CDC of 200 million Americans being fully vaccinated.   However, Biden’s statement today does not reconcile against his statement yesterday of “fewer than 40 million Americans” remain to be vaccinated.

If the 200 million vaccinated number is accurate, then 150 million Americans are not vaccinated.

Dec 23 2021

Supreme Court Accepts and Schedules Hearing on Biden Vaccine Mandate for January 7


Posted originally on the conservative tree house on December 22, 2021 | Sundance | 360 Comments

BREAKING TONIGHT – The Supreme Court has announced [LINK HERE and LINK HERE] it will hold a special hearing next month to consider challenges to the Biden administration’s vaccine mandate for large employers and a separate coronavirus vaccine mandate for health-care workers.

[Order 595 LINK]

Both vaccine mandates have been partially blocked from going into effect by lower courts after challenges from states, business and religious coalitions.

Justices Alito and Kavanaugh both received requests, both affirmed acceptance, and then both cases were consolidated by THE COURT.  The court will hear oral arguments for one hour on Friday January 7, 2022, just before the court begins regularly scheduled oral arguments. [SCOTUS Order Link]

Additionally, earlier today a Florida judge blocked the federal contractor mandate writing in part:

“The extent of any absenteeism attributable to COVID-19 among contractors and subcontractors is unexplained.  The frequency and duration of any procurement delay attributable to COVID-19 is unexplained. The extent of any cost increases attributable to COVID-19 is unexplained.”

“In other words, the extent of any procurement problem, past or future, attributable to COVID-19 is undemonstrated and is merely a hastily manufactured but unproven hypothesis about recent history and a contrived speculation about the future. Obviously, no massive extension and expansion of presidential power is necessary to cure a non-existent problem and certainly neither ‘good cause’ nor ‘urgent and compelling circumstances’ exists to justify summary disregard of the requirements of administrative law and rulemaking.”

~ U.S. District Judge Steven Merryday 12/22/21

U.S. District Judge Steven Merryday granted a motion filed by Florida Attorney General Ashley Moody for a preliminary injunction against the vaccine requirement for federal contractors in Florida.

Dec 23 2021

Biden Goes Back to The Stage Set to Participate in Supply Chain and Economic Propaganda Broadcast


Posted originally on the conservative tree house on December 22, 2021 | Sundance | 145 Comments

Joe Biden went back to the White House stage set today (always weird) to read from his script and hold a broadcast zoom meeting with the supply chain and inflation ‘task force’ led by Brian Deese.  [Read Transcript Here]

The occupant of the White House proclaimed that gas prices have dropped ten cents, the port container backlog was almost fixed, and all the retail sales shelves are stocked for Christmas purchasing.   Smiles everyone, smiles.  [Excerpt Below]

♦ A couple of overall notes.  Biden is proclaiming a massive improvement in the port backlog in California.  However, a more careful review of the specifics from the ports themselves, via John Porcari, reveals this nuance: “The percentage of — the number of long-dwelling containers — the ones that have been there eight days or more — has been cut in half.”  The percentage of, the number of, 8+ day delayed containers has been reduced by 50% in the past two months.

So, the container backlog problem is half as bad as the percentage of the problem was two months ago.  That’s some professional parseltongue right there.

Expanding, Porcari says, “Since mid-October, the dwell times for those containers has dropped from 12 days to 5 days; that’s 140 percent improvement.  And in Los Angeles, from nine days to four days — 125 percent improvement.”  LOL..

The 8+ day containers have dropped from 8 days + twelve (20 days) to 8 days + five (13 days), and that’s an improvement of 140%.   At that rate in two more months the 8+ day container backlog will be reduced to,… wait for it…. 8+ days.  Brilliant!  They will have achieved backlog statis!

Who wouldn’t love a job where the goal of your performance review is to get your horrible performance to the point of ordinary failure, instead of it being at a level of extraordinary failure, or failure+.

Seriously, these guys just crack me up.

On the gasoline side of things, I shall remember to use my correct thinking and thank Dear Leader for the new 10¢/gal savings on the gasoline that increased $1.50/gal this year.

#FJB

Dec 23 2021

Ted Cruz Predicts He Will Be the 2024 Republican Nominee for President


Posted originally on the conservative tree house on December 22, 2021 | Sundance | 467 Comments

Ha, ha, ha…  breathe… ha, ha, ha… yer killin’ me.

Lyin’ Ted Cruz, perhaps the most inauthentic intentional stutterer in politics, thinks he’s going to be the Republican presidential nominee in 2024 because he was the runner up in 2016.   No, seriously, he does. WATCH:

D’oh.  Grandma’s rule.

Dec 23 2021

The Economy is Doing So Well, the White House Extends Loan Repayment Freeze for 90 Days


Posted originally on the conservative tree house December 22, 2021 | Sundance | 132 Comments

The White House occupant cannot afford to lose the little support he has left from the fractured sheeple masses and special interest groups.

With polling collapsing Biden’s influence on an almost daily basis, Chief of Staff Ron Klain deployed the puppy strategy. Not surprisingly that fell flatter than curling ice, and making matters worse, people realized to the Biden family dogs are politically disposable tools for optics only.  Add on the rebuke of the Build Back Better spending boondoggle and, well, there’s panic in the corps.

According to the White House, the U.S. economy is doing great, things are perfect and getting better.  The economy is doing so well, students can’t afford or find jobs to pay back their loans.  Wait a min.., wha… huh?

WHITE HOUSE – […] “today my Administration is extending the pause on federal student loan repayments for an additional 90 days — through May 1, 2022 — as we manage the ongoing pandemic and further strengthen our economic recovery. Meanwhile, the Department of Education will continue working with borrowers to ensure they have the support they need to transition smoothly back into repayment and advance economic stability for their own households and for our nation.” (read more)

Pay no attention to the conflicted messaging.  You are not allowed to ask the question: if the economy is so great, then why do former college students need even more time to start paying back their loans?   Remember, in order for moonbat Democats to continue advancing their insane ideology, they must pretend not to know things.

We have another three months before we need to find a job, cool.

Dec 23 2021

Considering the COVID Rules, Vaccine Mandates and Censorship of Opinion…


Posted originally on the conservative tree house on December 22, 2021 | Sundance | 322 Comments

…Are we in an abusive relationship with our own government?

You decide.

Dec 22 2021

Military Thinning Due to Mandate


Armstrong Economics Blog/North America Re-Posted Dec 22, 2021 by Martin Armstrong

The Marine Corps reportedly discharged 103 Marines for not taking the mRNA vaccine. The highest refusal rate among the military branches, 10,000 Marines may now be discharged from the service. Around 5,700 Air Force and Space Force troops are not vaccinated.  Over 6,200 Army troops have received temporary exemptions, but 3,900 remain unvaccinated. The Navy and National Guard pushed back their vaccine mandates until June. Pentagon spokesman John Kirby said that there is still an opportunity for troops “to do the right thing.”

The Defense Department admittedly has no idea what impact this will have on the US military at large. Kirby admitted that they are simply hoping the men and women who risk dying for their country will “do the right thing” and put their lives at risk once again.  “I just don’t think we’re at a point now where we can draw a line and say, ‘OK, this is exactly what impact the separations are having on the force,’” Kirby said. “I just don’t know that we’re there yet because there are still opportunities here for people to do the right thing.”

Senator Jim Inhofe of Oklahoma has attempted to stop the vaccine mandate for troops. “I believe we should suspend the vaccine mandate until the Department of Defense can answer basic questions about the impact the mandate will have on the total force,” Senator Inhofe of Oklahoma stated to US News. “I have yet to receive a response.” The mandate is a potential risk to national security. The military elites know what will happen if they lose tens of thousands of troops but they’re willing to put the country at risk to promote the larger agenda.

Dec 22 2021

Populism/Democracy Must be Terminated!


Armstrong Economics Blog/Politics Re-Posted Dec 22, 2021 by Martin Armstrong

The LEFT knows it is in serious trouble. This is why Biden had his Democracy Summit, which was a joke. Biden’s polls have collapsed. California is in crisis mode. The LEFT has defunded police, and violent crimes have exploded. Stores are subjected to organized gang shoplifting. So now we find that the LEFT is crying democracy will end by 2024, and this is coming from Hillary Clinton, Adam Schiff, and other elite intellectuals on the LEFT, including the media. These dire predictions about democracy are in preparation for them declaring that the elections were rigged by Trump’s minions. Democracy is dead in Europe already. The people do not vote for the European Commission that makes the laws nor for the head of Europe. Nobody with power ever faces the people in an election. Europe is not even a Republic.

Back in 1985, when this Private Wave began at 1985.65, I warned that historically (1) the first time a non-career politician could win would be 31.4 years into this wave. That marked the very day that Trump was elected. Trump faced opposition from the LEFT, who were so angry their hair was on fire. But Trump’s most fierce opposition was from the career Republicans such a John McCain and others. As I have warned, after more than 40 years of advising governments, what became clear was that in Washington, they do not like anyone in the White House who is not from Washington. They were even upset when Ronald Reagan was elected because he was a governor and not a Washington insider.

Hillary Clinton has declared that if Trump wins in 2024, “Democracy as we know it will come to an end.” Adam Schiff claims that in the 2022 midterms, the Republican Party is out to turn America into an autocracy, which is a government by a single person having unlimited power; despotism. That is precisely what the Democrats are doing with Biden. He is not governing from the middle. He makes Obama look like a Republican. Biden is already preparing to push for COVID vaccines in 2022 for children under 5-years-old. All of this for a disease that is no more lethal than the flu to the same group of people.

I used to respect Brian Williams years ago, but that vanished. Despite claiming, “I am not a liberal or a conservative. I’m an institutionalist,” his slant became more and more to the LEFT, which is not what this country was founded upon.  Williams continued: “I believe in this place and in my love of country I yield to no one. But the darkness on the edge of town has spread to the main roads and highways and neighborhoods. It is now at the local bar and the bowling alley, at the school board and the grocery store. And it must be acknowledged and answered for.”

This entire investigation into January 6th and calling it an “insurrection” is political posturing to use this to claim that a Republican victory in 2022 will be rigged. It will be the Democrats who will advocate violence, for it is their way or no way. Videos clearly show there were other people in there who were not the protesters. There are videos claiming a pipe bomb was left, yet the person who planted it was never found. This is all political posturing to force their LEFT agenda and to overthrow the Constitution.

From the moment Trump was elected, suddenly DEMOCRACY became POPULISM, which was simply unacceptable. Yes, democracy is coming to an end. This is how all great empires die — they commit suicide from within. All you have to do is look at the 2030 Agenda from the World Economic Forum. They have bluntly stated they want to end the right of the people to have any say whatsoever because we are too stupid to vote. “Populism” must end.  It was John Kerry at Davos who was “warning of the dangers of economic populism,” and added that politicians, like Trump, should not listen to the people. “It’s really dangerous to play to the lowest common denominator of American, of global political life.” We are the Great Unwashed!

This is the sentiment in the White House right now!