Posted originally on Dec 10, 2023 By Martin Armstrong
There is no question that Disney has suffered thanks to its extreme WOKE agenda. Even NetFlix, which is considered a competitor of Disney, has bounced.
Category Uncategorized
WHO Proposes Global Tax Increase on Unhealthy Beverages
Posted originally on Dec 7, 2023 By Martin Armstrong
Permitting health agencies to dictate what we can and cannot do is a slippery slope. These health agencies, such as the World Health Organization, work on behalf of their donors who support lobbying interests. For example, numerous health agencies began telling people to consume less meat after the plans for the Great Reset were formulated. Now, the WHO believes governments globally should place a higher tax on sugary and alcoholic beverages.
There is no denying that alcohol is dangerous. The WHO estimates that 2.6 million people worldwide die from ethanol each year. The pandemic that the WHO also supported increased alcohol usage and deaths involving alcohol spiked over 25% from 2019 to 2020. In fact, alcohol killed more young people than COVID itself. However, government agencies do not need to parent the taxpayers. Prohibition failed miserably, and prohibiting or increasing taxes on a product will not decrease demand. Additionally, the WHO wants to impose these tax rules worldwide. Wine is a staple in many European diets and a number of countries do not tax the beverage at all. The WHO wants that to change.
“Taxing unhealthy products creates healthier populations. It has a positive ripple effect across society, less disease and debilitation and revenue for governments to provide public services,” said Rüdiger Krech, the WHO’s health promotion director. “In the case of alcohol, taxes also help prevent violence and road traffic injuries.”
Only 108 of the 194 member states have implemented a tax on sugary beverages. The WHO believes 8 million deaths per year could be saved if people ate healthier diets. SSB (sugar-sweetened beverage) taxes account for “just 6.6% the price of soda.” The WHO does not state how high the tax should be on these products but believes higher taxation should be universally adopted.
The agency admits that poor people will be unfairly targeted by these taxes as they typically choose the cheapest option available. The average tax on beer is 17.2% and 26.5% for spirits. “A pressing concern is that alcoholic beverages have, over time, consistently become more affordable,” WHO Assistant Director-General Ailan Li said. “But increasing affordability can be curbed using well-designed alcohol tax and pricing policies.” Why not look at past RECENT examples to see the consequences?
The money earned from the proposed tax increases would never see the hands of the people. Agencies like the WHO only exist to push an agenda on the masses and they do not care about public health. I do not want to know my recommended daily insect protein intake. I do not want to pay triple the cost for the foods deemed “unhealthy” by an agency that was never elected.
New Zealand -WEF Favorite & the First to Fall?
Posted originally on Dec 3, 2023 By Martin Armstrong
COMMENT: RE: New Zealand Whistleblower
Dear Martin,
I live in Wellington, New Zealand. A government town, I guess New Zealand’s version of DC on a much smaller scale. I have worked for and with the government here up to the highest level and can attest to witnessing some of the corruption and ineptitude in the system.
Thank you for publishing what is going on here. Few people in New Zealand have the courage to speak up and when they do they are quickly knocked down. Under the previous administration led by Jacinda Ardern a culture of fear and division was created – “two classes of people” and my wife and I, choosing to be unvaccinated, have been on the receiving end of that.
There is a new centre-right government now but we don’t expect any meaningful change, there never is.The whistleblower is in court here in Wellington today and they will go hard to destroy him and his message. Brave man.
God Bless you and keep up the fight please – on behalf of us little people.
Kind Regards,
Anonymous
REPLY: I have been to New Zealand and held speaking engagements there on several trips. I can’t believe how many people are writing in from New Zealand. I apologize I have not been the Australia/New Zealand in the past 5 years. Time flies, and the world keeps disintegrating. If NZ$ closed above 156 at year-end, it appears we have a brewing political crisis despite the overthrow of the WEF-installed government. The bureaucracy is well entrenched and despite the political change, it does not appear that this will reverse the direction of the country. Therein lies the problem.
I will be doing specialized reports around the world because the requests are coming in even from places like Bangladesh. It is becoming obvious that people around the world “feel” something is just not right. Governments will now do whatever they can to crush dissent and oppress the truth. Instead of arresting people at Pfizer, which they cannot do since so many funds from them, there is no putting this genie back in the bottle. The collapse in confidence of governments around the world is unfolding but by their own hand.
Travel and Site Update
Posted originally on the CTY on November 25, 2023 | Sundance
Completely unrelated to the Thanksgiving holiday, overall travel is a hot mess. After a 5-hour delay and connections missed, I end up spending the night in EWR (Newark), writing this and waiting for a Saturday morning flight home. I look forward to a hot shower and the ordinary comforts of homebase.
Over the next several weeks there will be a lot of background context to share as things unfold and we enter the phase of importance for the end of 2023 and the beginning of ’24.
I think we all know the scale of government control we are about to witness will be the largest in modern history.
There are seemingly no boundaries any longer, nothing that would constrain the political left and their increasing desperation, and that is a rather alarming self-admission to take.
However, despite the severity of the opposition we often discuss, I am very optimistic about what will take place over the next six months. There is a new level of acceptance that seems to have finally become the pragmatic sensibility. Things are changing; and ultimately for the better.
People reviewing polls are starting to ask what is happening because the scale of Donald Trump’s lead over Joe Biden has never been more significant. One of the remarkable aspects to the 2024 RFK Jr effort is how people can see through the schemes now, and it looks like President Trump won’t even have to address Kennedy directly.
The negative impacts from globalist economic and financial constructs are everywhere, and people around the world have new eyes and a new understanding. Look at the election results in Argentina and Holland; people have been able to connect the dots and see how these globalist constructs are impacting their life. In sum, this is a very good thing to see unfold.
Perhaps for the first time in decades, the mid-tier (middle class) awakening is not only there – but it is also “there” on a global scale. It is harder now for the multinationals and their paid political operatives to hide the strings….
Amsterdam:
Black Friday – A Key Weekend for Retailers
Posted originally on Nov 24, 2023 By Martin Armstrong
Retailers have been preparing for Black Friday and Cyber Monday all year. The tradition of post-Thanksgiving shopping has spread internationally with companies throughout the world promoting special sales. The National Federation of Retailers in America predicts that 2023 will be one of the busiest shopping holidays in the nation’s history.
Around 182 million shoppers are expected to make purchases from Thanksgiving Day through Cyber Monday, marking a 15.7 million uptick from 2022. This also marks the highest estimate since the organization began compiling data in 2017. Despite inflation, 61% of 8,424 respondents to a poll said the deals presented are too good to pass on.
The bulk of spending is expected to occur on Black Friday with 130.7 million participants, followed by Cyber Monday which is expected to attract 71.1 million shoppers. Half of shoppers will be searching for presents for the upcoming holidays. In total, retail spending in November and December will reach up to $966.6 billion.
“The Thanksgiving holiday weekend marks some of the busiest shopping days of the year, as consumers enjoy the tradition of shopping for the perfect gifts for friends and loved ones,” NRF President and CEO Matthew Shay said. “Retailers have been preparing for months for this occasion. They are stocked and ready to help customers find the gifts and other items they want at great prices during the entire holiday season.”
Although consumer spending accounts for 2/3 of GDP, the majority of Americans are living off of credit due to record inflation. So while people are spending during this 5-day holiday in anticipation of tomorrow’s price being higher, consumer spending at this point in time merely adds to the private debt crisis sweeping the nation.
Trump Leads GOP Primary Field With 67%, Dominates Biden +8 and Harris +12
Posted originally on the CTH on November 20, 2023 | Sundance
An interesting follow-up poll from Harvard Harris [DATA HERE] shows the continued strength of the Trump MAGA base against the field of GOP/Dem candidates and useful idiots.
With Donald Trump holding a commanding 67% lead over all other GOP candidates, one must ask why they remain in the nomination process without being able to break single digits. The answer to that question reveals their corporate agenda.
Remarkably on page 25 of the poll the results show Kamala Harris is the most favored candidate to replace Joe Biden for the 2024 nomination. Harris holds 24% as the replacement for the DNC nomination.
However, on page 33 of the poll, the question of Trump -vs- Harris is asked and President Trump handedly crushes Kamala Harris 52% to 40%.
Be of good cheer…. The nominee coming out of the DNC convention is unlikely to be Joe Biden. However, as this poll reflects, even the substitute will start with an uphill battle.
Senator Rand Paul Opening Statement During Senate Homeland Security Hearing
Posted originally on the CTH on November 1, 2023
During yesterday’s Senate Homeland Security and Government Affairs Committee hearing, Kentucky Senator Rand Paul took the opportunity to confront the Dept of Homeland Security (DHS) and FBI with the recent history of their activity.
As noted by Senator Paul, the past several years exhibits clear and irrefutable evidence of the DHS and FBI working collaboratively to conduct surveillance on American citizens, while simultaneously violating the first amendment by coordinating with big tech social media companies on censorship. WATCH:
Everything Rand Paul says in that statement is factually correct. However, highlighting just how the game of pretending is conducted in DC, at the end of hearing Senator Rand Paul -joined by Senator Lindsey Graham- voted to approve Jack Lew as Joe Biden’s ambassador to Israel. Quite a shift in ideological priority considering that Jack Lew was the primary cover-up official responsible for protecting Obama from exposure to the IRS targeting operation against conservatives.
Additionally, prior to his job as Treasury Secretary, and prior to his position as President Obama’s Chief of Staff, and prior to him being Obama’s Budget Director (comical considering Obama never had a budget) Jack Lew served as State Department Director under Hillary Clinton. It was Lew’s influence that shaped and positioned the failed Obama/Clinton foreign policy toward the Middle East. Specifically, toward Tunisia, Egypt, and Libya during their upheaval, the Arab Spring. How did that work out for our interests?
For those who believe the bankers control everything, Jack Lew is a case study.
President Obama’s first chief of staff was Rahm Emanuel, he sat on the board of troubled federal mortgage giant Freddie Mac. Obama’s second CoS was Bill Daley, a previous top executive at financial firm J.P. Morgan Chase & Co. Next came Jack Lew.
From 2006-2008, Jack Lew was chief operating officer of Citibank’s alternative investments division. And it was his division that made billions of dollars betting “U.S. homeowners would not be able to make their mortgage payments.”
Lew made millions at Citi, including a bonus of nearly $950,000 in 2009 just a few months after the bank received billions of dollars in a taxpayer rescue, according to disclosure forms filed with the federal government. Jack Lew was CEO of Citibank’s hedge fund of “credit default swaps“, the financial tool that devastated the housing equity market and created the subsequent economic collapse.
Notice the pattern?
I digress…
Hey, at least Senator Paul can talk eloquently about the constitutional protections being usurped in real time. Doing something about it, not so much.
Sunday Talks, New Speaker Mike Johnson Discusses Israel Support Bill and Looming Budget Deadline
Posted originally on the CTH on October 29, 2023
Within the budget process there are two different facets. Congress is charged by the Constitution with making decisions about how to spend public money. Those spending decisions are split into two parts: authorization and appropriations. In the recent political era the “authorization” process has essentially been nulled; no one ever asks if the program (Ukraine, Israel, FBI, etc.) should be funded.
“Authorization” is done by Congress via legislation that “can establish, continue, or modify an agency, program, or activity for a fixed or indefinite period of time,” per the Congressional Research Service. In other words, authorization is Congress saying that money can be spent on a given item — not that it necessarily will be spent on that item.
“Appropriations” are done by Congress via legislation that authorizes agencies to make payments from the federal Treasury (i.e. it allows them to spend the money that had previously been authorized). Appropriations bills are ordinarily passed each year, but in recent years it has been common for Congress to fund the government “on autopilot” via continuing resolutions that simply allow agencies to continue spending the same amount of money they were spending under the previous funding bill.
Matt Gaetz has been trying to change this dynamic because the external recipients of the appropriation spending, the lobbyists, are the ones driving the continuation of the CR approach. The lobbyists pay congress via campaign donations. Those donations come from congressional appropriation. The CR process maintains the largesse.
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Kissinger: Allowing Migrants in Europe was a Grave Mistake
Armstrong Economics Blog/War Re-Posted Oct 18, 2023 by Martin Armstrong
Where will the displaced people go when their homes are destroyed during this senseless war? No Arab nation has offered to take in Palestinian refugees. They fear the US and West knocking on their door too as the enemy hides behind the civilians. Henry Kissinger recently came out and said that Europe made a “grave mistake.”
“It was a grave mistake to let in so many people of totally different culture and religion and concepts, because it creates a pressure group inside each country that does that,” Kissinger stated. This comes on the heels of pro-Hamas, not pro-Palestine, protests emerging across Germany. In fact, violent protests are emerging across all of Europe. “The Middle East conflict has the danger of escalating and bringing in other Arab countries under the pressure of their public opinion,” Kissinger noted.
Egypt, Palestine’s neighbor, has made it clear that they will not permit their Arab brothers and sisters to enter. Egypt has deployed troops to its border with Palestine to ensure no one enters. King Abdullah II of Jordan also said that refugees are not welcome. “There will be no refugees in Jordan and no refugees in Egypt,” the king stated. “That is a red line, because I think that is the plan by certain of the usual suspects to try and create de facto issues on the ground,” Abdullah added. He believes Israel is trying to send residents of Gaza toward the Rafah border.
“The whole region is on the brink of falling into the abyss,” Abdullah said. “All our efforts are needed to make sure we don’t get there. We have a common goal to prevent a conflagration in the region,” the chancellor said. “I once again expressly warn Hezbollah and Iran not to intervene in this conflict.”
Now Biden is heading to the Middle East to show others how weak our nation has become politically. Blinken wants to establish safe zones for the Palestinians across the Middle East, but the leaders there are saying NO do not involve us in your war. No Arab nation will open its border to Palestinians, but the West, with a completely different standard of reality, must do its part to accept people who do not fit in their society. And then those same people later chant that they want to see the very nations that accepted them destroyed.
Israel & Hamas & World War III
Armstomg Economics Blog/Israel Re-Posted Oct 11, 2023 by Martin Armstrong
Hamas’s attack was deliberately orchestrated to create an open war. I say that because of the taking of hostages, knowing that this will simply escalate the crisis. The ongoing hostage situation presents a unique crisis, for included within those hostages are also Americans. Taking about 150 living hostages presents a crisis that can engulf the entire region. This is not simply a retaliation against Hamas. They have said for every attack, they will kill one hostage.
The question also brings into play Hezbollah. Will they open up a northern front to the war? If Israeli troops enter Gaza, Hezbollah’s response to a massive Israeli ground operation would most likely pull them in as well. Defense Minister Yoav Gallant said: “No power, no food, no gas.” “We are fighting human animals, and we act accordingly.” Defense officials have ordered a “complete siege” of Gaza in response to this attack, which was the deadliest day in Israeli history.
Israel has bombarded the densely populated enclave in retaliation, killing at least 920 people. On Tuesday, the Israel Defense Forces announced that the border with Gaza was secured and that it was preparing for an offensive.
There is no doubt that this was planned. Syria’s President Bashar al-Assad visited China for the first time in nearly 20 years. Beijing seeks to deepen its influence in the Middle East. Interestingly, according to Chinese media, Syrian President Bashar al-Assad and his wife left their three children in China when they returned to Syria after attending the Asian Games in Hangzhou, China. In addition, Egyptian intelligence officials said that Jerusalem had ignored repeated warnings that the Gaza-based terror group was planning “something big.” They claim to have directly warned the prime minister. Egypt has often served as a mediator between Israel and Hamas. This only further validates that this was allowed to occur just like 9/11.
The Neocons seek to use the Middle East as a second front against Russia. They are really in control of the White House. The standard position of the United States has emphasized the importance of Israeli security. Looking at Biden’s prepared statement drafted by the Neocons, there was no mention of restraint whatsoever. With Americans included in the hostages, the Neocons are celebrating as usual. I’m sure Blinken and Victoria Nuland were popping the champagne. A plane carrying U.S. weapons landed in Israel ahead of a visit by Secretary of State Antony Blinken, who is eager to get World War III going.
The Biden Administration will be dragged in since the Neocons are in full control. Most politicians want to blindly support Israel, while a small minority want them to impose accountability and costs. The Neocons want no accountability whatsoever. My sources confirm that the weapons used by Hamas were mostly American, which came from what Biden left behind in Afghanistan.
Our computer, which has been truly amazing in its geopolitical forecasts, clearly shows that we were entering war beginning in 2014 into particularly 2027 – a 13-year period of escalating civil unrest as well as international war. The light at the end of the tunnel is that these psychopaths will lose at the end of the day. Their grand plans for a Great Reset that will eliminate any Democratic movement and usher in totalitarianism will fail. The light at the end of the tunnel is that WE GET to recreate government, and this time, let us learn from all the mistakes in human history. This is our great opportunity post-2032. Let’s roll up our sleeves and create a new world to leave behind.
Centinel2012 