Category World Economic Form

Jun 2 2017

Sweden Begins Drafting for its Military


Armstrong Economics Blog/European Union

Re-Posted Jun 2, 2017 by Martin Armstrong

The Swedish government has declared that they will begin drafting those born in 1999 for military service. This reintroduction of military conscription is being blamed on Russia’s invasion of Eastern Ukraine. In fact, it also has a lot to do with the Refugee Crisis. The draft will being as of January 1st, 2018. Sweden had military conscription until 2010, but previously only men were drafted. I know of a number of young women in the United States who were against Hillary because she demanded equal rights for women and thus she supported drafting women into the military.

Most of the 28 EU member states have abolished military conscription and that included France and Britain. Germany suspended conscription in 2011, but interestingly enough, Greece has mandatory military service for all of the age of 19 who must serve for 9 months.

Jun 2 2017

New Idea for Political Reform


Armstrong Economics Blog/Politics

RE-Posted Jun 2, 2017 by Martin Armstrong

The Belgian Historian and author David Van Reybrouck in his book latest book, “Counter-elections”, has made a very interesting suggestion. He too has concluded that career politicians are just hopeless. It is so nice to see I am not alone. Van Reybrouck has proposed that politicians to really cannot represent the people and perhaps the solution is to draft people to be in politics by lottery. This is an interesting proposition. I would ad that anyone who takes up a position should be at the END of their career, not at the beginning or middle. In this way they bring the wisdom of experience with them and to be the Secretary of the Treasury that had to be an international fund manager rather than a domestic banker. The Secretary of War should be only someone who military service. In other words, you have to be qualified for the job.

Our greatest problem is are just lawyers from Obama and Clinton to Nixon and Kennedy. Even Franklin Roosevelt went to Columbia University Law School. He was never a good student with just average grades. He dropped out after two years. Being a lawyer does not qualify you to fill every position in government. Van Reybrouck’s idea of a lottery is very interesting. If we merge that with one-time-in-and-out, all money to run is provided by government and ABSOLUTELY no private donations along with having to have worked in that field, they we just might have a blueprint for after the Crash and Burn.

May 31 2017

Multinational Banks and Corporations Trigger Immediate Angst Over Trump Withdrawal From Paris Treaty…


Re-Posted from The Conservative Tree House on May 31, 2017 by

Every word we read, every corporate broadcast, every espoused punditry opinion, every angle that’s visible, everything surrounding the Paris Climate “Treaty”, All.Of.It., is driven by multinational banks and corporations who have a vested financial interest.

The Paris Climate Treaty has nothing to do with “climate” and everything possible to do with economics, globalism and the controlled redistribution of economic wealth as constructed through decades of advanced policies of multinational financial interests.

There are factually TRILLIONS of dollars at stake.

When you consider the pontificating pearl-clutching from the financial and industrial elites, ask yourself this very basic question:

If Elon Musk (Tesla), Tim Cook (Apple), Larry Page (google), Mark Zuckerberg (facebook), or any of the myriad of multinational executives really cared about “climate change”, then why are they doing business in China?

The primary concern for every affiliated entity surrounds economics, not climate.  “Climate” issues are the Trojan horse, the false ruse, the talking point, the scheme to get economic systems in place -yes, political systems- to control the distributive flow of larger economic wealth within all nations.  Period.

What ObamaCare was to your loss of healthcare individualism, so too is the Paris Treaty a political tool to deconstruct national economic individualism.  FULL-STOP.

To understand the larger objectives of the global and financial elite it is important to understand the three-decade global financial construct they seek to protect. Global financial exploitation of national markets:

♦Multinational corporations purchase controlling interests in various national elements of developed industrial western nations.
♦The Multinational Corporations making the purchases are underwritten by massive global financial institutions, multinational banks.
♦The Multinational Banks and the Multinational Corporations then utilize lobbying interests to manipulate the internal political policy of the targeted nation state(s).
♦With control over the targeted national industry or interest, the multinationals then leverage export of the national asset (exfiltration) through trade agreements structured to the benefit of lesser developed nation states – where they have previously established a proactive financial footprint.

The ‘America First’ Trump-Trade Doctrine upsets the entire construct of this multinational export/control dynamic.  Team Trump focuses exclusively on bilateral trade deals with specific policy only looking out for the national interests of the United States.

Under President Trump’s Trade positions exfiltration of U.S. national wealth is essentially stopped.  This puts the multinational corporations, globalists who previously took a stake-hold in the U.S. economy with intention to export the wealth, in a position of holding interest of an asset they cannot exploit.

If you can see the ramifications, and can grasp the inherent anger, you can begin to understand the severity of the opposition to President Trump.

Multinational corporations and billionaire financiers use climate change as a tool toward furtherance of collected global wealth. Their strategy is quite simple, and has been played out for several cycles. Create an institutional trade instrument (housing financial bubble example), control it, drive the pricing to an apex and reap the financial rewards.

Their expressed holy grail for human control is a global tax on all people more commonly known as a “carbon-trading tax”.  A planetary tax on personage, behavior and activity, through a market-based trade vehicle (Paris Agreement), which they exclusively control; and which subverts the national economic interests of sovereign nations.

The “Carbon Trading” fundamental financial instrument is the foundational block of the financial interests behind modern climate change.  The latest exhibition of a decades long series of international construct was the Paris Climate Change agreement.

REUTERS – Investors with more than $15 trillion of assets under management urged governments led by the United States to implement the Paris climate accord to fight climate change despite U.S. President Donald Trump’s threats to pull out.

“As long-term institutional investors, we believe that the mitigation of climate change is essential for the safeguarding of our investments,” according to the letter signed by 214 institutional investors and published on Monday.

“We urge all nations to stand by their commitments to the Agreement,” it said. Signatories of the letter included the California Public Employees Retirement System and other pension funds from Sweden to Australia.  (read more)

Again, as we have done in the past, we draw attention to the secret meeting in Sea Island Georgia in 2016 when the billionaire vested participants gathered with the political class to discuss how they could stop candidate Donald J Trump.

2016 -Billionaires, tech CEOs and top members of the Republican establishment flew to a private island resort off the coast of Georgia this weekend for the American Enterprise Institute’s annual World Forum, according to sources familiar with the secretive gathering.

The main topic at the closed-to-the-press confab? How to stop Republican front-runner Donald Trump. (The meeting was not planned to be a strategy session on how to stop the GOP front-runner, but rather evolved into one, as a subsequently obtained agenda makes clear.)

Apple CEO Tim Cook, Google co-founder Larry Page, Napster creator and Facebook investor Sean Parker, and Tesla Motors and SpaceX honcho Elon Musk all attended. So did Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.), political guru Karl Rove, House Speaker Paul Ryan, GOP Sens. Tom Cotton (Ark.), Cory Gardner (Colo.), Tim Scott (S.C.), Rob Portman (Ohio) and Ben Sasse (Neb.), who recently made news by saying he “cannot support Donald Trump.”

Along with Ryan, the House was represented by Energy and Commerce Committee Chair Fred Upton (Mich.), Rep. Kevin Brady (Texas) and almost-Speaker Kevin McCarthy (Calif.), sources said, along with leadership figure Cathy McMorris Rodgers (Wash.), Budget Committee Chairman Tom Price (R-Ga.), Financial Services Committee Chairman Jeb Hensarling (Texas) and Diane Black (Tenn.).

Philip Anschutz, the billionaire GOP donor whose company owns a stake in Sea Island, was also there, along with Democratic Rep. John Delaney, who represents Maryland. Arthur Sulzberger, the publisher of The New York Times, was there, too, a Times spokeswoman confirmed.

“A specter was haunting the World Forum—the specter of Donald Trump,”  (read more)

Pay attention to the voices rising up in opposition to President Trump withdrawing from the Paris Climate Treaty and you will identify the same oppositional voices who assembled in all economic matters prior to this moment in 2017.  Their vested interests center around the economics, not “the climate”.

President Trump is very smart about the long-term ramifications to this ‘treaty’.  If the heavily influenced industrialized nations commit themselves to this agreement they will be anchoring their economic manufacturing base within a tiered system of ridiculously burdensome regulations and agreements.

The strategic benefit to the United States will stem from not participating in the regulatory stranglehold that accompanies the agreement.  Obviously all nations that compete with the U.S on international trade agreements would, for once, be at a disadvantage; and our American manufacturing and industrial base would be able to take strategic advantage.

In larger terms Trump’s refocused policy objectives remove the political benefit from Wall Street and places it back with Main Street, reversing a three decade long shift.  This approach is adverse to the interests of the globalists.

President Trump’s economic team are well aware of the strategic advantage is walking away from the Paris Climate Treaty.  Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin, Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross, U.S. Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer and their entire economic team know what is needed to reverse the decades long construct and defeat the interests of the global elites.

 

May 31 2017

When Does Buying Gov’t Bonds Support Corrupt Governments?


Armstrong Economics Blog/Sovereign Debt Crisis

RE-Posted May 31, 2017 by Martin Armstrong

The president of Venezuela’s opposition-run Congress led by Julio Borges came out and accused Goldman Sachs of “aiding and abetting the country’s dictatorial regime” after a report that Goldman had bought $2.8 billion in bonds from the cash-strapped country at 31 cents on the dollar. They paid $865 million.

There have been two months of opposition protests against President Nicolas Maduro in which almost 60 people have been killed. The collapse of the country’s socialist economy has left millions of people struggling to even eat. This is the problem with “socialism” that it is incapable of managing the economy from any centralized government. They hate people who make money, but government is just incompetent to manage anything. It takes an individual on the front lines to manage any operation.

I personally experienced this in my own company. When I first began to open offices overseas, it was a disaster. It was impossible to manage the offices from the United States. I had to switch to partnerships where people had to put up money and run offices in different countries. When their own capital was on the line, then they managed their local operation efficiently. Even the same centralized planning does not work in corporations. This is why big corporations die. They become inefficient and too bureaucratic just like governments and die.

Julio Borges wrote a letter to Goldman Goldman Sachs President Lloyd Blankfein:

“Goldman Sachs’ financial lifeline to the regime will serve to strengthen the brutal repression unleashed against the hundreds of thousands of Venezuelans peacefully protesting for political change in the country.”

“Given the unconstitutional nature of Nicolas Maduro’s administration, its unwillingness to hold democratic elections and its systematic violation of human rights, I am dismayed that Goldman Sachs decided to enter this transaction.”

Julio Borges is absolutely correct. But this is not unique to Goldman Sachs. Everyone who buys government debt is helping to sustain the socialistic agendas of the major Western countries and will pay dearly for this support since historically they are the people/firms who are wiped out in the end.

Goldman may think it is getting a great deal at 31 cents on the dollar. They assume if there is a revolution they will still get paid. They are dead wrong. You can buy plenty of government bonds that were defaulted on. They make great reminders that government debt is UNSECURED and becomes worthless.

Venezuela has been a country that historically has been a serial defaulter. Defaults have taken place in 1826, 1848, 1860, 1865, 1892, 1898, 1982, 1990, 1995–1997, 1998, and 2004. The likelihood of another default is EXTREMELY HIGH.

Goldman assumes they will have access to the White House to freeze Venezuelan assets in the USA to get paid. If there is a revolution and the the army finally switches sides because they see their own future is doomed, then everything will change. Dictators need money to pay troops to maintain control. When the money runs out, so will their support

May 30 2017

Highlights of President Trump’s Trip Abroad – Strategic Global Security Alliances…


Re-Posted from The Conservative Tree House on May 29, 2017 by

President Donald J. Trump embarked on a historic trip overseas as President on Friday, May 19th, 2017.   The President made five stops in four countries during the eight-day trip.

President Trump reaffirmed America’s global leadership, continued building key relationships with world leaders, and delivered a message of unity to America’s friends and allies.

He made stops in Saudi Arabia, Israel, Italy, and Belgium, and attended both the NATO and G7 summits. First Lady Melania Trump also accompanied her husband on the historic trip abroad.  Highlights:

.

More WH Pictures and Video HERE

May 27 2017

Warped Priorities – British Taxpayers Paid Manchester Terrorist to Kill Their Children…


RE-Posted from The Conservative Tree House on May 26, 2017 by

While it doesn’t come as a significant surprise the latest development in the Manchester bombing shows the financiers for the terrorist attack were U.K. taxpayers.

Yes, the British people actually paid Salman Abedi to kill themselves and their children:

Telegraph –  Salman Abedi is understood to have received thousands of pounds in state funding in the run up to Monday’s atrocity even while he was overseas receiving bomb-making training.

Police are investigating Abedi’s finances, including how he paid for frequent trips to Libya where he is thought to have been taught to make bombs at a jihadist training camp.

[…] One former detective said jihadists were enrolling on university courses to collect the student loans “often with no intention of turning up”.

Abedi was given at least £7,000 from the taxpayer-funded Student Loans Company after beginning a business administration degree at Salford University in October 2015.

It is thought he received a further £7,000 in the 2016 academic year even though by then he had already dropped out of the course. Salford University declined to say if it had informed the Student Loans Company that Abedi’s funding should have been stopped.

[…]  Abedi, 22, never held down a job, according to neighbours and friends, but was able to travel regularly between the UK and Libya. […]  Six weeks before the bombing Abedi rented a second property in a block of flats in Blackley eight miles from his home, paying £700 in cash.

He had enough money to rent a third property in the centre of Manchester from where he set off with a backpack containing the bomb.

Abedi also withdrew £250 in cash three days before the attack and transferred £2,500 to his younger brother Hashim in Libya, who is accused of knowing about the attack in advance.  (read more)

May 26 2017

Al-Sisi Strikes Back – Egyptian Fighter Jets Bomb Eastern Libya Terrorist Camps…


Re-Posted from The Conservative Tree House on May 26, 2017 by

“America stands with President al-Sisi and all the Egyptian people today, and always, as we fight to defeat this common enemy.  America also makes clear to its friends, allies, and partners that the treasured and historic Christian Communities of the Middle East must be defended and protected.”

~ U.S. President Donald J Trump

Following the terrorist attack against Coptic Christians in Egypt, Egyptian military jets attacked Islamic extremist positions in eastern Libya.  The officials said the warplanes on Friday targeted the headquarters of the Shura Council in the city of Darna, where local militias are known to be linked to al-Qaida, not the Islamic State group.

The retaliatory bombings were aimed at terrorist outposts, Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi stated: “any form of state-sponsored terrorism should be punished. Anyone who attacks Egypt, whether they’re from inside or outside Egypt’s borders, will be punished.”  According to Egyptian TV six “terrorist” camps were struck by the sortie.

The jihadist targets selected by Egypt are thought to be the Islamic assailants’ training grounds. In the aftermath of Gaddafi’s fall, Libya has become a failed state where terrorists organize and coordinate without much central government opposition. Eastern Libya is a stronghold for radical Islamic sentiment.

President Donald Trump condemned the murder of the Coptic Christians. “Evil organizations of terror” with a “thuggish ideology” are responsible for the attacks against Christians, they will be crushed, he said.

Don’t be surprised to see the U.S. support al-Sisi with additional strikes launched from U.S. Naval Airbase in Sigonella Italy.  (He’s right next door

May 26 2017

Catalonia to Separate from Spain?


Armstrong Economics Blog/European Union

Re-Posted May 26, 2017 by Martin Armstrong

QUESTION: Mr. Armstrong, when you were here in Barcelona, you said that Catalonia would vote to separate from Spain. Most thought you would be wrong. I myself confess I was not sure you would be right. Well you were right, or your amazing computer was correct, and the fever to separate only grows bolder. Do you still see this and the ultimate end of the EU?

ANSWER: Yes, but this is a process that is slow. The speed will being to pick up next year and it appears to be increasing in velocity between 2018 and 2022. El Pais ran a story: “Catalonia to immediately declare independence if no referendum held” with the leaked excerpts from what appears to be the Catalonian regional government’s road map to independence. The secret document included a plan where the region would unilaterally break away from Spain if Madrid tried to prevent its citizens from holding a referendum on independence in the fall. The proposed question is straight forward:

“Do you want Catalonia to be a state that is independent from Spain?”

I reported back in 2015 that Barcelona was preparing to issue its own electronic currency. Since then, the city is still moving forward with a plan to introduce its own currency, despite warnings from Spain’s central bank. The new so-called “social currency” would be used to buy local goods and services at a discount while having a one to one parity with the euro. This is plan B in order to set up for separation. Catalonia is the richest region in Spain and is supporting the rest of the country. So it is very much like Margaret Thatcher once warned, that Socialism works until you run out of other people’s money. That is exactly what is taking place in Spain. They have been bleeding Catalonia dry.

The real question is what will Spain do? Spain is the Eurozone’s fourth largest economy. It is distinctly on the verge of breaking up. Spain and the EU seem intent upon not letting that happen. If there is any attempt by force from Madrid under the pretense of a police action, then the gloves will come off.

Madrid will take drastic actions, including that will most likely first attempt to invoke article 155 of the constitution, which will effectively put an end to all forms of Catalan self governance. Will the people tolerate that? This will not merely strengthen the resolve of Catalan separatists, it could very well lead to a civil war erupting between 2018 into 2020, but the latest we should see the separation is by 2022.

The previous Spanish Civil War took place between 1936 and 1939 lasting about 3 years. It broke out when the Spanish army in Morocco led by General Francisco Franco, rose up against the democratically elected Republican government, presided over by Manuel Azaña. Typically, there will be a divergence and split within the military. That is how these things erupt. We may see this in the USA also around 2022, which may be a contagion at that time. The potential for the collapse of the EU looms on the horizon for 2022.

Categories: European Union
May 24 2017

President Trump Meets Pope Francis – Livestream…


Re-Posted from The Conservative Tree House on May 24, 2017 by

President Donald Trump and First Lady Melania Trump meet Pope Francis at the Vatican in Rome on the fifth day of Trump’s first foreign presidential trip; after visiting the cradles of Islam (Saudi Arabia) and Judaism (Israel).

Update: Video Added:

.

Ongoing Livestream Below:

 

President Trump’s schedule for Wednesday, 5/24/17
All Times Local // Eastern Time

8:25 AM // 2:25 AM The president and first lady participate in an arrival ceremony at the Vatican – Vatican City
8:40 AM // 2:40 AM The president participates in an audience with His Holiness Pope Francis – Vatican City
9:05 AM // 3:05 AM The president and first lady participate in an expanded audience with His Holiness Pope Francis – Vatican City
9:25 AM // 3:25 AM The president participates in a bilateral meeting with Cardinal Secretary of State Pietro Parolin – Vatican City
10:00 AM // 4:00 AM The president and first lady tour the Sistine Chapel and St. Peters Basilica – Vatican City
11:30 AM // 5:30 AM the president participates in a bilateral meeting with President Sergio Mattarella of Italy – Quirinal Palace
12:35 AM // 6:35 AM The president participates in a bilateral meeting with Prime Minister Paolo Gentiloni of Italy – Villa Taverna
1:55 PM // 7:55 AM The president and first lady depart Rome, Italy en route to Brussels, Belgium – Fiumicino Leonardo da Vinci International Airport
3:55 PM // 9:55 AM The president and first lady arrive in Brussels, Belgium and participate in an airport welcome ceremony – Brussels International Airport
4:40 PM // 10:40 AM The president and first lady take an official photo with Their Majesties King Philippe and Queen Mathilde of Belgium – Royal Palace
5:15 PM // 11:15 AM The president participates in a bilateral meeting with Prime Minister Charles Michel of Belgium – Royal Palace

 
May 23 2017

President Trump and President Abbas Deliver Joint Remarks – 3:40am Livestream…


Re-Posted from The Conservative Tree House on May 23, 2017 by

U.S. President Trump and PA President Mahmoud Abbas participate in joint remarks at the Presidential Palace in Bethlehem:  Approx 3:40am EDT

Update – Video Added – President Trump begins by discussing the Manchester Terror Attack.

Schedule below:

WH Livestream Link – Alternate Live Stream – RSBN Livestream Link

SCHEDULE All Times Local//Eastern Time:

  • 9:50 AM // 2:50 AM The president participates in an arrival ceremony with President Mahmoud Abbas of the Palestinian Authority – Presidential Palace, Bethlehem
  • 10:00 AM // 3:00 AM The president participates in a bilateral meeting with President Abbas – Presidential Palace, Bethlehem
  • 10:40 AM // 3:40 AM The president gives remarks with President Abbas – Presidential Palace, Bethlehem
  • 1:00 PM // 6:00 AM The president and first lady participate in a wreath-laying ceremony at Yad Vashem – Yad Vashem
  • 1:15 PM // 6:15 AM The president gives remarks at Yad Vashem – Yad Vashem
  • 2:00 PM // 7:00 AM The president gives remarks at the Israel Museum – Israel Museum
  • 3:45 PM // 8:45 AM The president and first lady depart Tel Aviv, Israel en route to Rome, Italy – Ben Gurion Airport
  • 6:30 PM // 12:30 PM The president and first lady arrive in Rome, Italy – Fiumicino Leonardo da Vinci International Airport