Another Brick in the Wall


Armstrong Economics Blog/War Re-Posted Nov 9, 2022 by Martin Armstrong

It is rare for a celebrity to speak out against the agenda. Pink Floyd’s Roger Waters has reached a level of fame where he can question the status quo as his legacy is sealed. Waters called Biden a “war criminal” for encouraging the war in Ukraine. “This war is about the action and reaction of NATO pushing right up to the Russian border, which they promised they wouldn’t do when Gorbachev negotiated the withdrawal of the USSR,” Waters declared. Amazing how a musician understands the situation better than politicians.

CNN attempted to argue with Waters, but he held firm. The reporter attempted and failed to belittle Waters by saying he should see Russia as the enemy as his father died in the last world war. However, that is precisely what Waters and any sensible human are aiming to avoid – another world war. “Don’t forget 23 million Russians died protecting you and me from the Nazis,” Waters said.

He then asked the reporter what he thought America would do if China began to line up on the US border. We all know the answer to that question. Imagine if China placed nuclear weapons in or near Canada and Mexico? The nuclear apocalypse would have already happened.

Many hold the same views as Roger Waters, but they are too afraid to speak up. The average person, who may not tune into political commentary, will listen to celebrities when they speak. The problem becomes the fear of cancelation. It is career suicide to question the current agenda. Pink Floyd cannot be canceled; they’ve been popular for far too many decades. The left “hippies” of the past are nothing like the hipsters today who encourage war and echo the voices of the elite.

Biden’s IRS Army in Jeopardy


Armstrong Economics Blog/The Hunt for Taxes Re-Posted Nov 8, 2022 by Martin Armstrong

Biden’s IRS army of 87,000 new armed recruits is coming under fire by the Republican party. Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) and Sen. Jon Thune (R-SD) are working on a bill that would require Congress to approve IRS spending. Both men also sit on the House-Senate Joint Committee on Taxation. Biden would like to spend $80 billion on his IRS army over the next decade to shake down American taxpayers.

Our bill will ensure that the IRS is answerable to the American people in how it uses this money and will force it to forfeit funds every day it’s not in compliance,” Grassley said. “If our bill becomes law, the Biden administration’s IRS would have to answer to the American people, not Washington bureaucrats,” Thune added. The American people fund the IRS, and it is only right that they vote on how their money is spent. In fact, they should vote on whether there is a need for the IRS at all.

If the bill passes, the IRS must explain how they use their money every year. Funding to the IRS would be withheld if they failed to comply. If Congress turns red this November, this measure is likely to pass. This would be a great first step in a long overdue overhaul of the entire US tax system, which is designed to be as complex as possible so that the government can squeeze funds out of every citizen.

Interview: There May Not Be a 2024 Election


Armstrong Economics Blog/Armstrong in the Media Re-Posted Nov 6, 2022 by Martin Armstrong

Watch the video above or click here to see my latest interview with Greg Hunter of USAWatchdog.

I will be discussing all of this and more at the World Economic Conference this weekend (virtual tickets are still available).

Commentary from Greg Hunter:

Legendary financial and geopolitical cycle analyst Martin Armstrong says, “The cheating in the midterm election next week is going to be so great that it is almost impossible to make a prediction. . . . In a fair midterm election, the Republicans would win the House and the Senate.”

So,m what does his Socrates program see for next week?  Armstrong, says, “It’s going to be tight, and the Republicans have a shot at taking the House.  Technically, they should take the House and the Senate.  I am just not sure.  The corruption is so bad, it’s crazy.  Pennsylvania sent out hundreds of thousands of ballots to people who are not documented or even American.  I’ve gotten emails from people in Canada, they are getting mail-in ballots.  They mailed them to Canada. . . .Where this ends up, who knows?  It’s just so corrupt, it is over the top.  It doesn’t matter who wins.  Nobody is going to accept this thing, and that is the problem.”

The cheating is going to be so in your face President Trump may not even be able to run for President two years from now.  Armstrong contends, “We may not even have an election in 2024.  It is not looking very good, and it’s probably because this election is not going to be accepted.  When it is so over-the-top corrupt, what do you do for the next one?  The United States will not exist after 2032.  After 2028 and 2029, we are going to have to redesign a government from scratch.  America is being destroyed.  Republics always end in absolute corruption.  We just saw the same thing happen in Brazil.  They staged a major effort to take Bolsonaro out. . . . This is a worldwide effort.  They had to get rid of Trump.  The other one who stood in their way is Bolsonaro.  Then there is Putin (Russia) and Xi Jinping (China).  I think you are going to have historians look back at this 50 years from now, and they will call this period ‘The Climate Change Wars’. . . .They are trying to take down as much oil energy capacity as possible.”

Armstrong is still seeing very strong signals on domestic violence everywhere.  Armstrong explains, “Our computer is showing it’s going to be a rocket launch for volatility and civil unrest next year.”

Armstrong also contends there will be a major loss of confidence in government around the world.  That means gold will start having big demand from big money.  Armstrong also predicts, “The whole monetary system as we know it is collapsing.  That was what the bond crisis in the UK was about.”

There is much more in the 1-hour and 7-minute interview for 11.5.22.

New Interview: World War III, Commodities, and Overthrowing Putin


Armstrong Economics Blog/Armstrong in the Media Re-Posted Nov 6, 2022 by Martin Armstrong

Check out the audio above for my latest interview with Cris Sheridan from Financial Sense.

Portland’s Homeless Crisis – A Tale of a Blue City


Armstrong Economics Blog/North America Re-Posted Nov 4, 2022 by Martin Armstrong

Oregon is a beautiful picturesque state. Mountains, waterfalls, and beautiful beaches – Oregon was once a desirable place to live. Portland was a promising metropolitan area before politicians completely destroyed the city with light-on-crime policies.

 The Portland Business Journal reported that high-earning residents relocated to areas like Deschutes County, Arizona, and Texas. As in all societies, the highest earners who have the ability to relocate are the first to flee crumbling cities. Multnomah County saw a decline of 2,000 taxpayers between 2019 and 2020, but more have likely fled.

As of June, the average rent in Portland was $1,700, but many will tell you that estimate is low. This is not why homelessness has spiked. Over the past two years alone, the homeless population increased by 25%! Homeless camps have moved into the suburbs as people simply have nowhere to go. The city has attempted to authorize homeless encampment sites in certain areas, but there is not enough room. Portland Mayor Ted Wheeler (D) has done nothing to address the mental health and drug abuse crises at the root of the problem. This is an extremely sad situation, as no one should live in this manner.

The pandemic added to the crisis, but Portland declared a state of emergency back in 2015 due to the drastic number of unhoused people. Oregon legalized hard drugs in February 2021. People may legally carry heroin, cocaine, methadone, oxycodone, and even methamphetamine for personal use. Most users will only face a $100 fine. Drug overdoses rose by 41% in 2020 from the year prior.

As we have seen in many Democrat-run cities, theft is basically legal. The Organized Retail Crime Association of Oregon (ORCAOR) conducted a poll that found 95% of businesses are unhappy with the relaxed crime laws, and 80% admitted theft had risen significantly. “We’ve seen an increase in assaults, in drug use within the stores, threats, individuals threatening with weapons,” said Jeremy Girard, the president of ORCAOR, who conducted the survey in late spring. Around 80% said there was not an adequate police response, but that is because they voted to defund the police and urged them to turn a blind eye to crime.

Businesses are closing, and people are fleeing the city. The Oregon Mayors Association wants to spend $123.5 million annually to prolong the problem rather than address the causes. Another example of poor policies ruining a blue city and asking taxpayers for more funding to throw money at the problem.

Itching for Another Conflict, Biden Regime Turns Toward North Korea


Posted originally on the conservative tree house on November 3, 2022 | Sundance

According to U.S. Pentagon officials and representatives of South Korea, the North Korean military tested another intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBN).

The ICBM was fired around 7:40 a.m. local time from close to Pyongyang’s Sunan area and is seen as a provocation by the Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin and South Korea’s (ROK) Minister of National Defense Lee Jong-sup.

During a Pentagon press conference, no one in media seemed to be puzzled about the timing of North Korea’s ICBM test or the conspicuously convenient ROK Defense Secretary Lee Jon-sup being in Washington DC.  Apparently, as the story is told, Jon-sup’s visit was just an odd coincidence, I digress.

The contrast is stark, yet no one in the media will ever point it out.  During President Trump’s term in office the Republic of Korea (South) and the Democrat People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK, North), were not in conflict.  There was even widespread discussion of a peaceful unification of the Korean peninsula between Chairman Kim Jong-un and President Moon Jae-in.

During the Trump administration, there were no tensions as President Trump brought the two Korea’s together and brokered both sides in the direction of sustainable peace. President Trump leveraged his own position, and the economic strength of the U.S. to weaken the influence of China upon the DPRK and Trump created breathing room for Kim and Jae-in to remove conflict.  Fast forward two years later and suddenly they are in conflict again.  What changed? Joe Biden.

The DPRK is a proxy province of China, and Beijing leverages their control within North Korea to achieve strategic geopolitical objectives.  All other presidents before Donald Trump played an international game of pretending not to know China controls North Korea.  Chairman Kim is a hostage to the influence of Chairman Xi.  Kim walks a very tenuous tightrope with Xi’s regime constantly over his shoulder and almost certainly in control of the DPRK military.

When you understand this reality, you understand the ridiculous nature of the talking point about North Korea “working toward” nuclear weapons.  North Korea has nuclear weapons, because the DPRK nuclear weapons are Chinese.  An ICBM does not get fired from North Korea without Beijing giving the order.  President Trump understood this dynamic and worked to remove the pressure point from Chairman Kim.  By confronting China (economically and geopolitically), Trump provided the peace for both Koreas.

Chairman Xi Jinping knew that President Trump was working to remove his influence over Chairman Kim.  However, facing toward the rest of the world Chairman Xi could never do anything publicly to counteract this situation because it is part of the panda mask strategy for China to deny having that influence.  President Trump leveraged China’s denials of influence against Beijing by forming a direct relationship with Chairman Kim.

As the game was astutely played by Trump, if China has no influence, then China should welcome peace between the ROK and DPRK.  Trump flipped the pretending dynamic and forced Beijing to pretend they had no control.  It was amazing to watch how Trump pulled that off, quite remarkable.

North Korea is a proxy province of China in the southeast Asian region the same way Ukraine is a proxy province of the United States in western Europe.

When North Korea fires an ICBM, it’s really China firing a warning shot against the U.S. in Southeast Asia.  The U.S. under the Biden administration returns to the era of pretending and pretends publicly not to know this…. because the Biden administration, and previous UniParty administrations’, are enmeshed with the Chinese government.

The individual wealth of U.S. politicians is directly tied to Chinese business interests.  China isn’t stupid and maintains this financial dependency, where U.S. politicians make money from Chinese ventures, in order to extend Beijing’s influence and control over larger global initiatives.

If Americans knew that U.S. politicians were purchased by China, more people would start asking questions about this illusion of conflict between China and the USA.

WASHINGTON – North Korea’s use of a nuclear weapon “will” result in the end of Kim Jong Un’s regime, the United States and South Korea warned in a joint statement from the defense leaders of the allied nations.

Republic of Korea Minister of National Defense Lee Jong-sup met with Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin at the Pentagon on Thursday, and they released a joint communique following the meeting. Their meeting came hours after the North conducted an intercontinental ballistic missile test, in addition to a couple of other missile tests. The day prior, the North Korean military launched roughly two dozen missiles in an unprecedented barrage.

“The secretary and minister strongly condemned the DPRK’s escalatory activities and violations of United Nations Security Council resolutions, including ballistic missile test launches, multiple rocket launches, and firing of coastal artillery and called upon the international community to hold the DPRK responsible for its actions,” the communique said. “Both sides also expressed concern that the DPRK’s ongoing efforts to develop nuclear and ballistic missile capabilities, as well as its escalatory rhetoric regarding the use of tactical nuclear weapons, and its proliferation activities.”

The two leaders decided to extend the joint military exercises dubbed Operation Vigilant Storm to “further bolster our readiness and interoperability,” Austin explained. He also called the missile tests “destabilizing to the region” and called on Pyongyang to “cease that type of activity and to begin to engage in serious dialogue.” (read more)

What a difference less than two years makes….

Under President Donald Trump there were direct talks and peace….

Under Joe Biden there is regional conflict and talk of nuclear war….

Virtue Signaling for Ukraine Wanes


Armstrong Economics Blog/Politics Re-Posted Nov 3, 2022 by Martin Armstrong

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CNBC reported that Biden and Zelensky exchanged harsh words during a phone call in June 2022. After securing an additional $1 billion in funds from Americans, Zelensky said that the US needs to provide more for Ukraine. Biden losing his temper and Zelensky begging for more money are both believable situations. Similar to a child crying for dessert before dinner, Biden caved and gave Zelensky everything he wanted. Zelensky knows he can continually push for more, but that may change.

The media released this story because they want Americans to believe that the Biden Administration is finding Ukraine’s constant requests asinine at this point. The people at the voting booths this November are watching their own cities crumble and are struggling to understand why America has sent over $20 billion to Ukraine this year. The prospect of a world war has Americans even more wary of this endless support.

A Pew Research Center poll from September showed that public support for Ukraine is fading in America. Out of 10,588 respondents, 26% were no longer concerned about the war in Ukraine. In May, 55% of people cited they were “extremely” or “very” concerned about Russia defeating Ukraine, but that figure fell by 17 percentage points to 38% by September. Around 42% of Americans felt that the US was not providing enough support back in March when the war began, but that number has dwindled to 18%.

Americans are now less concerned with Russia invading other nations outside Ukraine. Putin is not interested in conquering new land, and his motives are not akin to a Hitler situation of expanding a dead empire as the media first presented. Yet, people are more concerned now about the possibility of a nuclear war, as 52% of Democrats and 37% of Republicans expressed in the Pew Research Center survey.

Sources say Ukraine would like up to $60 billion in additional funds and will continue using America and Western allies as an ATM until legislation is passed to stop this nonsense.

Eurozone Inflation Reaches New High – Recession Incoming


Armstrong Economics Blog/European Union Re-Posted Nov 2, 2022 by Martin Armstrong

Inflation in the Eurozone hit a new record in October, according to Eurostat who reported a 10.7% rise. That marks an increase from September’s 9.9% posting and an all-time high since Eurostat began compiling Eurozone data in 1997. The European Central Bank (ECB) attempted to curb inflations with another 75 bps hike last week. The ECB knows that inflation is here to stay. They recently changed their annual inflation target for next year to 5.8% compared to the 3.6% they were predicting three months ago. They can’t release the actual figures without causing a panic.

Economic growth “slowed significantly in the third quarter of the year and we expect a further weakening in the remainder of this year and beginning of next year,” ECB head Christine Lagarde warned. Inflation is hitting some countries harder than others. Estonia (22.4%), Latvia (21.8%), and Lithuania (22%) all experienced nearly double the average inflation rate this October.

The downturn will not be equal across the Eurozone. The managing director of the International Monetary Fund (IMF), Kristalina Georgieva, is warning that half of the 19 countries in the bloc will fall into a recession. “Europe is affected more severely by the increase of energy prices. The heat on European economies is such that we actually expect half of the countries in the eurozone to experience at least two quarters of negative growth. In other words, a recession,” she said, without naming the countries,” Georgieva warned. She further stated that the IMF’s pre-pandemic projections compared to current projections differ by a loss of half a trillion euros.

“I am not going to sugar-coat it: 2023 will be tougher than 2022. Next winter for Europe may be even harsher than this winter,” she declared. “Why? Because European policymakers acted very swiftly to fill gas storage. If conditions remain as they are with Russia not providing gas to Europe, how is this gas storage going to be filled next year?”

Another question comes to light – can Europe remain untied amid a serious recession? The ECB will use the same strategy in an attempt to fix the broken system for the entirety of the Eurozone instead of looking at each individual economy. Let’s not forget that deeply indebted countries will only face higher costs that they likely will not be able to repay. The ECB dug its grave in 2014, and they do not have the tools to handle the current crisis. It is easy for Europe to appear as a united front when there is peace and prosperity. The real test will come when everything crashes down, and fairness goes out the window.

This is it! Last chance for PEACE before Putin launches massive Winter offensive | Redacted Live


Redacted News Published originally on Rumble on October 31, 2022

This weekend Russia called on the U.S. to come to the table for peace talks. At the same time the U.S. is sending a 15th round of weapons to Ukraine. A new report from Finland shows that many of these weapons are winding up in the hands of known criminals.