Category U. S. WOKE Culture

Jul 28 2022

Joe Manchin and Chuck Schumer Strike a Deal, $370 Billion for Green New Deal Energy Transition, Tax Increases to Pay for it and More IRS Agents


Posted originally on the conservative tree house on July 27, 2022 | Sundance

Two weeks ago, CTH warned everyone that Joe Manchin’s torpedoing of the $500 billion Green New Deal senate spending program was a head fake; he was always going to sign up to expand the control of the federal government over energy use.  Today Manchin and Chuck Schumer made it official.

The people operating the “energy transition” levers will get $370 billion to spend on bigger windmills, more solar panels and new energy programs to eliminate coal, oil and natural gas.  They will pay for it by raising taxes and hiring a new army of IRS enforcement officials.  In exchange for his vote, the federal government will pay increased health insurance subsidies for West Virginians and pass out lower priced medications.

There you go. Exactly as predicted.  Energy inflation will continue as the energy transition becomes a permanent feature.  Ironically, Joe Manchin made them change the name to “The Inflation Reduction Act,” and pushed the effective dates for all renewals past the 2024 election (where he plans to be a candidate against Gavin Newsom).

WASHINGTON – Joe Manchin and Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer on Wednesday reached a deal on a bill that includes energy and tax policy, a turnaround after the two deadlocked earlier this month in talks on Democrats’ marquee party-line agenda. In a joint statement, the two Democrats said the legislation will be on the Senate floor next week. It includes roughly $370 billion in energy and climate spending.

[…] The duo said their bill, dubbed “The Inflation Reduction Act of 2022,” would “fight inflation, invest in domestic energy production and manufacturing, and reduce carbon emissions by roughly 40 percent by 2030.” Moreover, as part of the agreement announced Wednesday, Schumer and Speaker Nancy Pelosi agreed to pass legislation governing energy permits.

[…] Democrats will raise revenues for the legislation by imposing a 15 percent corporate minimum tax, increasing IRS enforcement, reducing drug prices and closing the so-called carried interest loophole. Notably, the legislation also extends the Affordable Care Act subsidies through the 2024 election and the first term of Joe Biden’s presidency, taking a big political headache off the table for Democrats. (more)

Look deeper into the people in Joe Manchin’s life that are tied to the healthcare industry.  There you will find the familial beneficiaries of the deal. “Besides being Joe Manchin’s daughter, Heather Manchin Bresch, born 1969, spent several years as the CEO of Netherlands-based pharmaceutical company Mylan. She held the post from 2012, but stood down in November 2020, as a result of the company’s merging with Pfizer’s Upjohn outfit. Upon assuming the role, Heather Mamchin became the first woman to run a Fortune 500 pharmaceutical company.” LINK

The scheming strategery of Joe Manchin is as predictable as the scheming strategery of Mitch McConnell.

The two wings of the UniParty duck seem still on the surface.  This type of ploy is exactly how DC is able to operate, paddling forward furiously, just below the surface; and almost no one can see what is happening.

Once you see the strings on the political marionettes, you can never return to that moment in the performance when you did not see them.  However, because too few people see them, almost everyone congregates in the lobby during the mid-term intermission asking, “hey, when did Texas become dependent on windmills?”

Jul 28 2022

Fed Chair Announces Addition 0.75% Increase in Interest Rates and There will be More, After They Assess How Much Damage This Creates


Posted originally on the conservative tree house on July 27, 2022 | Sundance

While admitting that consumer spending had dropped; and while admitting that production of goods and services had “slowed significantly”; and while admitting that consumers have “lower real disposable incomes and tighter financial conditions; and while stating that “activity in the housing sector had weakened”, housing purchases have fallen; and while accepting that “business fixed investment seems to have declined in the second quarter,” Fed Chairman Powell announces his intention to continue targeting excessive demand.

If we accept that monetary policy can only impact the demand side of the economy (regulatory policy impacting the supply side); and if we accept all off the currently existing realities of a declining demand side, as outlined by Powell; then you might wonder what excessive demand is it that he’s targeting?   The answer to that question is the secret sauce.  They want less energy demand.   WATCH (2 mins):

The federal reserve, just like all the central banks around the collective western alliance, is trying to reduce the economy in order to reduce energy use.   This is the monetary policy side supporting the Build Back Better, Climate Change, regulatory policy side. {Go Deep}

They cannot admit openly what they are doing, but the bankers are trying to help the globalist politicians by shrinking their economy.  Raising interest rates into preexisting economic contraction is against their legislative mandate, because it only leads to unemployment and a smaller economy.

Powell is using the pretense of demand side inflation as a justification to raise interest rates.  It’s not demand driving inflation, it’s the energy policy.

Powell is managing the monetary side of the transition to a New Green Deal economy.

Powell is managing the economy into a recession to support the “energy transition”.

This is all being done on purpose.

[…] Mr. Powell said in his news conference following the Fed’s decision to raise rates by by 75 basis points that future rate decisions will be made on a meeting-by-meeting basis now that the federal funds rate target range is between 2.25% and 2.5%, which he deemed roughly neutral in terms of its impact on economic activity.

Mr. Powell said the 75-basis-point moves in June and July were unusually large and something similar at the September FOMC “could be appropriate.” But he said that the Fed can no longer provide “clear guidance” and will let the data determine what happens next. He said he still believes monetary policy will need to move to a restrictive stance and will likely be between 3% and 3.5% by year end. (LINK)

Jul 28 2022

IMF Data, Global Output Contracted in Second Quarter


Posted originally on the conservative tree house on July 27, 2022 | Sundance 

According to the International Monetary Fund (IMF) global economic activity, as measured by economic outputs, contracted in the second quarter.  However, when it comes to identifying the cause of the issue, the IMF joins western financial leaders and central banks in playing the game of pretending.

The radical new energy program contained within the Build Back Better agenda, is the root cause of the supply side inflation.  The drop in the production of oil, gas and coal in the same western nations that are following the BBB agenda is origin of the massive spike in energy prices.

Inflation is a major issue, geographically consistent and virtually identical in all the nations who are following the Build Back Better climate change agenda, which is the justification for the energy ‘transition.”  However, not a single leader, central bank or multinational financial institution -including the IMF- will admit the energy policy is the cause of the issue.

(IMF) – The world’s three largest economies are stalling, with important consequences for the global outlook. Inflation is a major concern.

The global economy, still reeling from the pandemic and Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, is facing an increasingly gloomy and uncertain outlook. Many of the downside risks flagged in our April World Economic Outlook have begun to materialize.

Higher-than-expected inflation, especially in the United States and major European economies, is triggering a tightening of global financial conditions. China’s slowdown has been worse than anticipated amid COVID-19 outbreaks and lockdowns, and there have been further negative spillovers from the war in Ukraine. As a result, global output contracted in the second quarter of this year.

[…] In the United States, reduced household purchasing power and tighter monetary policy will drive growth down to 2.3 percent this year and 1 percent next year. In China, further lockdowns, and the deepening real estate crisis pushed growth down to 3.3 percent this year—the slowest in more than four decades, excluding the pandemic. And in the euro area, growth is revised down to 2.6 percent this year and 1.2 percent in 2023, reflecting spillovers from the war in Ukraine and tighter monetary policy. (read more)

Notice the IMF does not generate a single word about the western industrialized nations using the climate change issue to justify their Build Back Better energy programs.

The global pretending continues.

It is very weird to keep seeing all of these global institutions ignoring the origin of the global economic issues.  The World Bank will not say it directly, the EU central bank will not say it directly, the U.S. Federal Reserve will not say it directly, the U.S Treasury Dept will not say it directly, nor will the Australians, U.K. or E.U. Central Commission.

Everyone knows what is happening; everyone knows the root causes; yet no one will say it directly.  Instead, they blame ancillary issues and Russia.  It’s all just weird.

Move along folks, pay no attention to over there…. move along, move along…. Look, shiny things….

Jul 27 2022

Chinese on US Real Estate Spending Spree


Armstrong Economics Blog/Real Estate Re-Posted Jul 27, 2022 by Martin Armstrong

The Chinese are keen on investing in tangible assets, namely real estate. Canada implemented restrictions on foreign buyers after accusing them of the real estate shortage and sky-high prices. Chinese buyers are now targeting the American housing market. In fact, Chinese buyers outnumbered buyers from any other foreign country and spent over $6 billion on US real estate from April 2021 to March 2022. Canadians came in second for foreign home buyers, spending $5.5 billion in the same period.

The National Association of Realtors also noted that Chinese buyers tend to purchase more expensive properties, averaging over $1 million at a time when home prices were averaging under $400,000 (prices have risen since then). Around 31% of Chinese buyers selected properties in California and tend to choose wealthier areas for investments.

This is simply a means to park cash. Around 44% of foreign buyers purchased homes in all-cash deals. Non-resident foreign buyers were 60% likely to pay in cash compared to 30% of resident foreign buyers. Yes, this does mean that home prices will rise as foreign buyers can outbid most domestic buyers. This is good news for sellers who may have found themselves with no bid but disastrous for the average citizen who is struggling to find permanent shelter while paying for high rental properties that further remove them from the dream of homeownership.

One thing to consider is geopolitical relations. Look at how the US and others treated  Russian “oligarchs” this past year by seizing all their assets under the pretense of conspiracy. No actual crime needed to be committed for bank accounts and assets to be forfeited. Tensions are rising with China, namely over Taiwan, and it is not unreasonable to think that the US could pull the same move on another nation. The Chinese government is selling off US debt and slowly putting distance between itself and the current top economy. Private investors may follow suit if geopolitical tensions continue to rise.

Jul 27 2022

US Military Failing to Meet Recruitment Goals


Armstrong Economics Blog/War Re-Posted Jul 27, 2022 by Martin Armstrong

Non-voluntary military recruitment is not off the table in the US. The current Commander in Chief is not patriotic and does not inspire young men to join the military. We abandoned operations in Afghanistan, forced service members to undergo vaccinations, and continue to heighten tensions with foreign nations to a level where another world war is possible.

The US military, under the Biden Administration, has also implemented woke policies that deter future members from enlisting or re-enlisting. Elaine Donnelly, president of the Center for Military Readiness, said prioritizing the woke agenda has alienated the once core conservative, traditional members. “It sends a message that if your son or daughter joins the military, if they’re not of a certain skin complexion or sex, they might be investigated for extremism,” she stated. “They alienated their constituency.”

The Army is now stating that it could fail to reach its recruitment goal by an alarming 25% in 2022. The Army is set to decline by 10,000 troops this year, and an additional 14,000 to 21,000 in 2023. All branches of the military are failing to recruit members, but these figures have not been seen since the end of the Vietnam War. The Army has until September 30 to meet its recruitment goal of 60,000 soldiers. So far, they have only achieved 50% of that figure.

“On the spending issues, Congress should start asking very specific questions about the costs of LGBT mandates, experimental training like the Army Combat Fitness Test (ACFT) fiasco, replacements for personnel discharged due to COVID issues, etc.,” Donnelly stated. “Woke attitudes and mandates are not free.”

Jul 27 2022

Washington Post Reports DOJ Conducting Grand Jury with Witness Testimony Targeting President Trump for Seditious Conspiracy Against Government


Posted originally on the conservative tree house on July 26, 2022 | Sundance 

Do they want a civil war?

It might sound good around the DC cocktail party circuit, whipped into a frenzy by the Lawfare crowd, but the outcome would not be in their interests.

Given the severity of manipulative politics and DC based media in the past several years, I would not take the Washington Post article at face value.

WaPo represents the interests of the Intelligence Community side of the deep state apparatus.

Everything the WaPo creatures write is part of an advanced and coordinated DC engineering effort that has multiple motives; the face value of the one they present is never the real agenda.

We all know why they want Donald Trump removed as a threat to their echo-chambered system of corruption and governmental graft.  The entire DC system, including the Stasi DOJ and FBI state police, is based on financial influence, power, greed and corrupt sales of offices.  Donald Trump always represented a disruption to their scheming and conniving systems.  That motivating truth has never changed.

According to the Washington Post, the DOJ is now putting witnesses in front of a grand jury to solicit evidence to support a “seditious conspiracy” charge against President Trump for attempting to overthrow the United States government and Joe Biden.

WaPo – […] There are two principal tracks of the investigation that could ultimately lead to additional scrutiny of Trump, two people familiar with the situation said, also speaking on the condition of anonymity to discuss an ongoing investigation.

The first centers on seditious conspiracy and conspiracy to obstruct a government proceeding, the type of charges already filed against individuals who stormed the Capitol on Jan. 6 and on two leaders of far-right groups, Stewart Rhodes and Henry “Enrique” Tarrio, who did not breach the Capitol but were allegedly involved in planning the day’s events.

The second involves potential fraud associated with the false-electors scheme or with pressure Trump and his allies allegedly put on the Justice Department and others to falsely claim that the election was rigged and votes were fraudulently cast.

Recent subpoenas obtained by The Post show that two Arizona state legislators were ordered to turn over communications with “any member, employee, or agent of Donald J. Trump or any organization advocating in favor of the 2020 re-election of Donald J. Trump, including ‘Donald J. Trump for President, Inc.’ ”

No former president has ever been charged with a crime in the country’s history. In cases when investigators found evidence suggesting a president engaged in criminal conduct, as with Richard M. Nixon and Bill Clinton, investigators and successive administrations concluded it was better to grant immunity or forgo prosecution. One goal was to avoid appearing to use government power to punish political enemies and assure the tradition of a peaceful transfer of power. (read more)

One big note of caution on this entire ridiculous narrative… especially as it pertains to the media construct….  Please, keep in mind that Democrats are getting crushed right now by their own constituents.  Democrat politicians are deflated and disillusioned as the people are not happy with the current state of the economy or society overall.

Democrats have been reduced to a small section of the most extreme-leftists and blue-haired suburban leftist women riddled with guilt.  That’s the base now.  Everyone else is demoralized and deflated.  Morale in democrat circles is terrible.

With that in mind, this type of narrative engineering by the political media can also be looked at as an effort to boost morale.  Not much more.

Personally, despite knowing how over-the-top totalitarian these DC people have become, I do not see them wanting armed conflict with more than half of the country.  An attempt to criminally convict President Trump would be the first shot in a civil war.  It would not, and will not, end well.

Jul 27 2022

Kamala Harris Clarifies Her Personage During White House Round Table


Posted originally on the conservative tree house on July 26, 2022 | Sundance

Just in case you were unaware Ms. Harris wants you to be aware:

“Good afternoon.  I want to welcome these leaders for coming in to have this very important discussion about some of the most pressing issues of our time.  I am Kamala Harris.  My pronouns are “she” and “her.”  I am a woman sitting at the table wearing a blue suit.”

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The cultural Marxists are working overtime to make people believe this is now the acceptable social norm.  It’s not, it’s just plain weird and goofy.

[Transcript] …”I’ve asked these leaders to come in so that we can discuss these issues and pay attention to the fact that the Dobbs decision and the act of the United States Supreme Court to take away a constitutional right, that had been recognized, from the people of America will impact a lot of people and differently in some situations.  And we need to be responsive to these issues and also lift up the voices of all people who will be impacted and the way that they will be impacted. So that’s why we are convened today.  And I will add a couple of points of the impact in terms of the direct impact that we anticipate there will be from the Dobbs decision”…

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Jul 27 2022

Senator Chuck Grassley Outlines “Systemic Institutional Corruption” Within Dept of Justice and FBI


Posted originally on the conservative tree house on July 26, 2022 | Sundance 

Yesterday, Senator Chuck Grassley sent a letter [pdf HERE] to Attorney General Merrick Garland and FBI Director Chris Wray, notifying them of whistleblower allegations from within the FBI that senior leadership in both Main Justice and FBI are involved in a coordinated effort to cover-up criminal activity related to Hunter Biden.

The whistleblower allegations, in combination with the documented history of DOJ and FBI misconduct, culminate in Senator Grassley stating:

“If these allegations are true and accurate, the Justice Department and FBI are – and have been – institutionally corrupted to their very core to the point in which the United States Congress and the American people will have no confidence in the equal application of the law. Attorney General Garland and Director Wray, simply put, based on the allegations that I’ve received from numerous whistleblowers, you have systemic and existential problems within your agencies.” (LINK)

Unfortunately, what this amounts to, is Senator Grassley is telling Chris Wray and Merrick Garland, the leaders of the institutionally corrupt activity, that they are systemically corrupt. Which is akin to telling a criminal that he is engaged in unlawful conduct.

Our friend Techno Fog breaks down the outlined allegations succinctly HERE.  Absolutely none of the information contained in the allegations is surprising or new to anyone who has followed the details of Main Justice and FBI activity through the past several years.  What Grassley outlines is simply evidence, supportive evidence, of what has been transparently obvious to those who have reviewed the DOJ and FBI conduct.

The U.S. Dept of Justice and FBI are now political institutions that have abandoned their originating mission in order to become the domestic equivalent of the Soviet-era FSB. Their joint targeting mechanisms have been redesigned to support the interests of corrupt DC politicians, specifically the interests of democrats.  Grassley is admitting what has been visible for years.

Senator Grassley is telling the corrupt DOJ-FBI leadership that people in the organizations are outlining the detailed behavior of their corrupt leadership.  However, with zero oversight involved; and with democrats in charge of all committees that would be responsible for such oversight; and with institutional media in alignment and agreement with the corrupt institutional intents of the DOJ/FBI; the frustrating question becomes, “and“?

I mean, who are we kidding?…  If republicans were in charge of the Senate Judiciary, Reform/Oversight, or Intelligence committees, do we really believe that anything would be different?   Before responding to that cynicism remind yourself, they were, for four years, January 2015 through January 2019 republicans were in charge of oversight.

It was exactly when republicans were in charge of Main Justice and FBI oversight, that Main Justice and FBI were targeting political candidate Donald Trump.

The letter from Senate Judiciary Committee ranking member Chuck Grassley, despite the major allegations it contains, carries absolutely no pretense of a process for the systemic institutional corruption it outlines.  Instead, the letter asks AG Merrick Garland and FBI Director Chris Wray to review their own corrupt conduct and/or do a better job of hiding their corrupt activity.

This fundamental flaw in the oversight issue is the Edward Snowden conundrum.  When the intelligence agencies are corrupt, and the heads of the corrupt intelligence agencies are in direct alignment with the corrupt heads of the intelligence agency oversight, where exactly is the whistleblower with evidence of criminal corruption supposed to go?

This is why and how the Fourth Branch of U.S. Government is now the superseding apparatus above all other branches.  {GO DEEP} This is why and how Barack Obama, John Brennan and Eric Holder created it, cemented it, and made it impervious to any effort to remove it.

The Fourth Branch of Government is evil Sauron and Washington DC is Mordor. The J6 committee is creating and dispatching Orcs to defend it.  The corrupt media have aligned with it, and the institutions in/around it are self-aware and fully autonomous.  To mix metaphors and overlay their ability to monitor every single aspect of every life that might seek to challenge or destroy it, Skynet -the end game outlined by Snowden- has been activated.

~ Read Techno Fog for Details on the Grassley Letter ~

[SEE pdf Here]

Jul 26 2022

EU Energy Panic Cycle to Begin


Armstrong Economics Blog/Energy Re-Posted Jul 26, 2022 by Martin Armstrong

On August 1, the European Commission will begin to reduce its demand for gas with no alternative in place. Unsurprisingly, our computer states that a Panic Cycle will begin in August or September and go into Q1 of 2023. Europe must reduce its gas consumption by 15% (45 billion cubic meters). In comparison, Russia delivered 150 billion cubic meters to the EU last year. Russia’s largest gas provider, Gazprom, has threatened to cut off Europe from gas entirely. Europe has no alternative solutions at this time. Therefore, they’re implementing a “Save Gas for a Safe Winter” plan in Brussels.

Commission chief Ursula von der Leyen claims that all member states will suffer from their proxy war with Russia, albeit some more than others (e.g., Germany). “It’s important that all member states contribute in the saving, the storing and are ready to share gas,” she said. Let us see how friendly this bloc really is when it comes to sharing an essential resource in limited supply.

Member states are now required to submit energy plans to the Commission by the end of September and update plans every two months until March 2023. There is proposed legislation that would allow the Commission the authority to declare a “Union alert” and impose mandator gas caps on member states.

The bloc plans to fill its gas storage capacities to 80% by November, but that may be a lofty goal. European Commissioner for Energy Kadri Simson expressed pessimism in interviews.  “We risk ending this winter with empty storage, which will be impossible to refill in time for the next heating season,” she warned, as this crisis is only beginning.  Simson and others are calling on the public sector to reduce demand.

This will fall back to the citizens, who will be asked to limit their consumption and abandon comforts for a proxy war they never voted on. Frans Timmermans, the Executive Vice-President of the Commission in charge of the European Green Deal, has already suggested people switch off lights and electrical appliances and reduce AC/heater usage. No one will stop these politicians from flying around on their jets, surrounded by bodyguards in numerous SUVs, while they make the people suffer for their poor policies.

Jul 26 2022

Worldwide Inflation in June 2022


Armstrong Economics Blog/Inflation Re-Posted Jul 26, 2022 by Martin Armstrong

There is a common misconception that the United States has the highest rate of inflation in the world. I see it questioned in numerous emails The United States does have a major problem when it comes to inflation, but its currency has not depreciated to the point where it is weak. Let us compare data on inflation from other nations.

According to data compiled by Trading Economics, the following countries are suffering the most from runaway inflation as of June 2022:

  1. Lebanon 210%
  2. Zimbabwe 192%
  3. Venezuela 167% (last compiled May 2022)
  4. Sudan 149%
  5. Syria 139% (last compiled in August 2021)
  6. Turkey 62%
  7. Argentina 64%
  8. Suriname 55.6% (last compiled May 2022)
  9. Sri Lanka 54.6%
  10. Iran 52.5%

These depreciated currencies are all but useless at the moment. As we have seen throughout history, the prospect of revolution rises when the people are unable to afford basic needs. Numerous countries on this list are already in the middle of ongoing civil wars and political turmoil. Barter becomes essential as trading goods and services are often the only available option.

Here is how the G20 nations rank as of June 2022:

  1. Turkey 62%
  2. Argentina 64%
  3. Russia 9%
  4. Brazil 89%
  5. Spain 2%
  6. United Kingdom 9.4%
  7. United States 9.1%
  8. Euro Area 8.6%
  9. Netherlands 8.6 %
  10. Canada 8.1%
  11. Italy 8%
  12. Mexico 99%
  13. Germany 7.6%
  14. South Africa 7.4%
  15. India 7.01%
  16. Singapore 6.7%
  17. South Korea 6%
  18. France 8%
  19. Australia 5.1% (compiled in March 2022)
  20. Indonesia 4.35%
  21. Switzerland 3.4%
  22. China 2.5%
  23. Japan 2.4%
  24. Saudi Arabia 2.3%

Turkey tried but failed to gain access into the EU and swap its lira for the euro. They would have been in insurmountable debt regardless, but their initial attempt failed. Is it any wonder that Turkey is trying its best to keep diplomatic relations with both the West and Russia amid the proxy war? They cannot afford to lose trading partners and have failed to impose tough sanctions on Russia. Turkey enjoys its NATO status but attempted to block Finland and Sweden from joining. They cited their reasoning as those countries supported Anti-Turkish terrorist groups, but part of the reason was not to anger Russia.

All of the other G20 nations are experiencing high inflation, none at the common 2% target, but some are faring much better than others as they are not involved in the ongoing proxy war and have maintained strong trade. The US sitting at 9.1% is alarming. As I have warned, other nations will fold before the US as the dollar remains unchallenged.