Tag Archives: AfD

Nov 11 2021

Biden’s Build Back Better – Selling Out America


Armstrong Economics Blog/The Hunt for Taxes Re-Posted Nov 11, 2021 by Martin Armstrong

Congress passed the $1.2 trillion infrastructure bill, and then the new American Communist press shifted their focus immediately to the Democratic legislation known as the Build Back Better Act. That bill includes a host of progressive priorities such as paid family and sick leave, public housing, child care, and universal preschool. Add to that $550 billion aimed at fighting climate change. To get this through, they need absolutely every Democratic vote. Once again, they are trying to bribe people for votes. It would be far better to eliminate taxation and stop borrowing from people interest-free and pretending to be Santa Claus by giving back their own money as a refund.

Half that money is for the Gates’ climate change agenda. He has his money safely tucked away in a fake foundation he uses for power-monopoly play. Everyone else will be devastated by the tax increases, but he will be untouched. They will lower the standard of living with all the new regulations and criminal prosecutions on environmental theories.

Nov 11 2021

Google Found Guilty of Violating EU Anti-Trust Laws


Armstrong Economics Blog/BigTech Re-Posted Nov 11, 2021 by Martin Armstrong

Google has been found guilty of violating anti-trust laws by the European Union’s General Court, the second-highest court in the EU. In 2017, Google was accused of violating anti-trust laws by altering its algorithm to favor its shopping services over competitors. Despite maintaining innocence, the EU General Court ruled against the company and implemented a fine of 2.42 billion euros ($2.8 billion).

“The General Court finds that, by favoring its own comparison shopping service on its general results pages through more favorable display and positioning, while relegating the results from competing comparison services in those pages by means of ranking algorithms, Google departed from competition on the merits,” the court stated on Wednesday.

Margrethe Vestager, the EU’s competition chief, and other members are indicating that the crackdown on Big Tech will not end with Google. Google may still appeal to the EU Court of Justice (CJEU), but said they are currently reviewing the details of the case and had made the necessary changes to comply with the EU’s laws in 2017. Google has already paid 8.25 billion euros in the last decade for violating EU competition laws. Apple, Amazon, and Facebook are undergoing similar battles in the EU courts. Big Tech is not above the law, at least not in the EU.

Nov 11 2021

The Rise of the Non-Politician – Resistance is not Futile


Armstrong Economics Blog/Politics Re-Posted Nov 11, 2021 by Martin Armstrong

New Jersey’s state Senate President, Steve Sweeney, spent almost $500,000 on his re-election to be defeated by a Republican who spent less than $10,000 on his campaign. This is a monumental loss for Democrats, for it is showing that the same trend that elected Trump, anti-politicians, is alive and well. A truck driver for a furniture company, Edward Durr Jr., who describes himself as fiscally conservative and a 2nd Amendment rights advocate, beat the best Democrat spending less than $10,000 on his campaign. Looks like money no longer guarantees a victory for politicians. POPULISM strikes back!

Nov 11 2021

Board Members Fleeing the Federal Reserve


Armstrong Economics log/Central Banks Re-Posted Nov 11, 2021 by Martin Armstrong

Federal Reserve members are fleeing the central bank. We saw two Fed presidents resign in October amid scandal. Randal Quarles recently announced that he also plans to resign from the Federal Reserve’s Board of Governors when his four-year term expires at the end of the year. Another position remains vacant as well. A third position for the central bank will open up in January when Vice Chair Richard Clarida’s term expires. Fed Chairman Jerome Powell’s term ends in February, and Biden has not stated whether he plans to renominate Powell. Rumors are swirling that Biden may appoint Lael Brainard as he is the only Democrat on the seven-member board.

Biden could choose to renominate Powell and fill Quarles’ position with Brainard. However, does Powell still want the job? The investigation into potential inside trading among Fed members may have pushed him over the edge. We cannot bring inflation down without reaching maximum employment, and we cannot reach maximum employment under Biden’s authoritarian mandates. The Fed is in between a rock and a hard place.

There is a potential for three to four slots to become available in the near future, which would give the Biden Administration the ability to tip the scales in their favor, despite the Fed claiming to be independent from the government. Sarah Bloom Raskin, a previous Fed governor, could be in the running. William Spriggs, chief economist at the AFL-CIO and an economics professor at Howard University, may also throw his hat in the ring. Lisa Cook, an economist for Michigan State, is also a potential candidate. Senator Sherrod Brown, a Democrat on the Senate Banking Committee that manages Fed nominations, said, “It’s time we had a black woman on the Board of Governors” in reference to Lisa Cook. Would it be possible to appoint the most qualified person rather than making a decision based on race or gender? They likely want to appoint anyone who is on board with the Build Back Better agenda. These people are making decisions that shape the entire world economy. Unfortunately, it seems as if many of the qualified individuals no longer want the job due to Biden’s mismanagement of the economy.

Nov 11 2021

The Health Monopoly


Armstrong Economics Blog/Conspiracy Re-Posted Nov 11, 2021 by Martin Armstrong

Bill Gates will emerge as the richest man in human history, for he has succeeded in creating a health monopoly. The royalties from the never-ending vaccines will propel him to more wealth than Bezos, Musk, Buffett, and the top 10 COMBINED. He then puts his wealth in a foundation that will be exempt from the Billionaire Tax he has supported, which will undermine everyone else in the Billionaire Club.

It looks like the greatest plans of those who dream of controlling the world will not work out as they envision. Gates’ surrogates are putting out reports happily projecting their endless power over the world using this fake crisis. They will destroy the world economy indefinitely. Such medical promoters on the take from Gates’ Foundation may be putting their lives and those of their family at risk. They always project the future in a linear manner for they neither believe in God nor in the cyclical nature of the universe.

Richard E. Nesbett wrote an interesting book entitled “The Geography of Thought, How Asians and Westerners Think Differently … and why.” He attributed his work to a Chinese student who said, “You know, the difference between you and me is that I think the world is a circle, and you think it’s a line.” He goes on to quote him:

“The Chinese believe in constant change, but with things always moving back to some prior state. They pay attention to wide range of events; they search for relationships between things; and they think you can’t understand the part without understanding the whole. Westerners live in a simpler, more deterministic world; they focus on salient objects or people instead of the larger picture; and they think they can control events because they know the rules that govern the behavior of objects.”

This is why in Asia, I never had to explain that there were cycles. They looked at the West as primitive locked into this linear view of the world and we can see it in this global warming nonsense. They presume that because the planet warms in 20 years that the trend will last forever. Girls mature and eventually grow too old to produce children and then die for there is a cycle to everything. We all are born, we live, and we die. There is night and day and even the influenza virus mutates cyclically each year, so the vaccine changes. Nothing functions in a straight line yet in the West every form of analysis are linear. There are stock market crashes and they will launch an investigation to try to determine who caused it. Never do they ever consider themselves as any possible cause.

So those who think they are God and can manipulate society because the system is linear void of any nature cyclical nature will discover in 2022 that all things do not always just go up.

Gates is following the script left behind by Rockefeller. Their definition of being a philanthropist is akin to getting some girl pregnant to pay for the abortion, and that makes them a philanthropist. Gates’ monopoly over health is far more dangerous to society than Microsoft or Standard Oil in Rockefeller’s day. Perhaps the 2022 election will cause an upset, and an investigation into Gates and his surrogates will, at last, unfold — including Fauci, who is 80-years-old. Why is he still in government? It is not for a pension. He even had to start withdrawing from a 401K. He is clearly there only for power.

Nov 11 2021

Brothel Offers Free Sex for Getting Vaccinated


Armstrong Economics Blog/Vaccine Re-Posted Nov 10, 2021 by Martin Armstrong

Because there are so many illegal aliens in Europe, they are now offering free sex in return for getting vaccinated. Clearly, our political leaders have been bought and paid for to do this for Big Pharma when there is absolutely no benefit to the vaccine; it neither prevents you from getting it nor spreading it. Israel has already confirmed that the majority of people who have died were vaccinated. It really makes no sense as to why the drastic push.

I learned in high school health class that we cannot cure the flu nor the common cold because these exist in animals as well. This is what Fauci has been creating like Dr. Frankenstein — “gain of function” — meaning taking viruses from animals and manipulating them to infect humans. This is very straightforward. We cannot cure anything that co-exists in animals – PERIOD! Gates has created this worldwide panic to sell his vaccines to make him so rich that he will rule the world. He will end up with more wealth because he will not donate vaccines to the poor. He wants the industrialized countries to pay him and donate them — so much for being a philanthropist.

Nov 11 2021

Flashback, Joe Biden Says He Understands Unchecked Inflation Would Pose a Real Danger to U.S. Economy


Posted originally on the conservative tree house on November 10, 2021 | Sundance | 75 Comments

On Monday July 19, 2021, the White House occupant declared that inflation was temporary and would be “transitional”.  Current economists now refute that claim, as inflation continues to escalate at an alarming pace.   In July Joe Biden said (transcript):

“Now, I want to be clear: My administration understands that if we were to ever experience unchecked inflation over the long term that would pose real challenges to our economy. So while we’re confident that isn’t what we are seeing today, we’re going to remain vigilant about any response that is needed.”

Joe Biden was asked a follow-up question after his remarks:

Q Yes, thank you, Mr. President. At what point would you consider inflation unchecked to a point at which you would either consider taking action or you would want to see the Fed take action?

To wit Joe Biden responded:

THE PRESIDENT: “Yeah. There’s nobody suggesting there’s unchecked inflation on the way — no serious economist. That’s totally different”. (link)

Nov 11 2021

Consumer Inflation in October Doubled From September – 6.2 Percent Inflation Year Over Year – Real Wages Dropped 1.2 Percent For Year


Posted originally on the conservative tree house on November 10, 2021 | Sundance | 239 Comments

Yesterday, data on the wholesale “Producer Prices” was released showing an 8.6 percent increase in prices for final demand products {DATA HERE}.  That is the increase in cost within the system of bringing products to market.

Today, the “Consumer Price” data was released showing a massive 6.2 percent increase in prices {DATA HERE} for goods that are currently available for sale.  The overall rate of inflation is now 6.2% year-over-year.

When you overlay inflation atop wage growth, the Bureau of Labor and Statistics (BLS) report now shows a decrease in “real wages” of 1.6 percent {DATA HERE}, which is the increase in weekly pay minus the additional costs to buy stuff.   The working class is losing ground rapidly.   Things are ugly and they are fixin’ to get uglier.

Before getting to the part where we can explain exactly how much more we can predict to pay for current products in 90 days (yes, that approximation is possible), first lets look at the actual data on the current inflation rate for products we are buying today.  [Table 2] is the easiest reference for category specific review.

Overall, the prices for groceries (food at home) went up 1.1% in October and 5.4% for the year.   However, several products in the supermarket have jumped massively. Beef jumped 1.9% for the month and is 20.1% higher overall.  Bacon went up 2.1% for the month and is now 20.2% higher for the year.  All processed foods increased at a rate about four times higher than fresh unprocessed foods.

Fuel oil went up 12.3% in October and is now 59.1% higher for the year.  Unleaded regular gasoline went up 3.9% in October and is now 51.3% higher for the year. Piped natural gas went up 6.3% for the month and is now 28.1% higher for the year.  Used vehicles are now 26% higher than last year, and new cars went up roughly 10%.  You can scroll down Table-2 to see each category (second and third columns show year and monthly increases).  It’s unnerving to see the scale of inflation while knowing it will get worse.

One kitchen table way to estimate the current inflation that is already in the system but has not shown up in the retail end is to take the wholesale inflation (PPI 8.6%), deduct the current retail inflation (6.2%), and that gives you an estimated aggregate gap of 2.4% between them.  That 2.4% is essentially an inflation lag already in the supply chain at various stages (raw material, intermediate, final).  Bear with me…

The 2.4% difference (8.6 – 6.2) is a lag that will show up in approximately 90 days. The difference between the wholesale inflation and retail/consumer inflation will eventually reach the cash register in higher prices.  The 2.4 difference is also a good way to approximate how high finished processed goods will go.

The difference between the wholesale rate of inflation and retail rate of inflation (as a percentage) is around 28%.  That’s a good generalized way to approximate what the future price will likely be for any given item, call it a widget, in the consumer segment.

• Current widget at $17.00 + 28% gives you an approximate for future widget at $21.76

• Current bread at $4.69 + 28% gives you an approximate for future bread at $6.00

Using this method, you can approximate the upper price likelihood for a heavily processed product.  The more an item needs to be processed, the more hands that touch the product in the processing, the higher the end price will be.  The more an assembly of individual processed parts is needed in order to generate a finished good, the higher the end price will be, etc.  An increase of 28% will be an approximation for the future prices (roughly 90-120 days) of a heavily processed item.

Grocery prices rose 1.1% last month, while the cost of eating out was up 0.8%, the largest monthly gain in 40 years.

MSNBC – Inflation across a broad swath of products that consumers buy every day was even worse than expected in October, hitting its highest point in more than 30 years, the Labor Department reported Wednesday.

The consumer price index, which is a basket of products ranging from gasoline and health care to groceries and rents, rose 6.2% from a year ago, the most since December 1990. That compared with the 5.9% Dow Jones estimate.

On a monthly basis, the CPI increased 0.9% against the 0.6% estimate. (read more)

Nov 10 2021

Pelosi’s January 6th Committee Files Subpoenas Against Ten More Trump Administration Officials – Democrat Targeting of Political Opposition Continues


Posted originally on the conservative tree house on November 9, 2021 | Sundance | 217 Comments

Watching what happens in the orbit of the January 6th Committee is how we can tell which Republicans are part of the UniParty in Washington DC, and who is willing to stand for the freedom of our republic.   Watching the Republican party as a whole; watching who stands against this committee effort; and watching who is actively or willfully blind in their alignment with the J6 objective, is a key *tell*.

The DC apparatus -writ large, but especiallly the Fourth Branch operators- viewed candidate Donald J. Trump, and President Trump, as a risk.  Donald Trump was always an existential threat to a corrupt U.S. government system that contains both Democrats and Republicans in the ranks of the power system.  That viewpoint is why former Obama campaign manager David Plouffe famously outlined the objective in the run up to the 2016 election (check the date):

Plouffe, who had moved on to become an executive with Uber at the time, used the false allegations of racism and labels like “nativist” to trigger the Democrat and left-wing foot soldiers.   The accusations against Trump were always strategic, and the media allies were willing to assist.  However, the real issue the system feared more than anything else was the economic nationalism that Donald Trump carried in his policy proposals.

After eight years of the Obama team attempting to destroy nationalism in favor of globalism, their response to Trump’s “America First” popularity made sense.  Donald Trump was positioned to deconstruct almost a decade of Obama-era policy which was specifically intended to diminish American value, economically and socially.

The far-left was in a state of panic; however, it was a panic felt by both the Republicans and Democrats in Washington DC.   Politicians within the UniParty were direct financial beneficiaries from the Wall Street multinational corporate strategies which underpinned Obama’s economic outlook.

That’s why there was so much opposition to candidate Trump from the GOP establishment. That’s also why so many Republicans abandoned their re-election efforts in 2018 in the aftermath of Donald Trump’s successful election outcome in 2016.  Masks were dropping at an alarming rate inside the RNC as well as traditional GOP media and GOP politicians on Capitol Hill.

Wall Street was essentially unable to manipulate the America First economic policy agenda of President Trump.  Their lack of influence applied to all aspects of policy from Climate to Trade and in U.S. geopolitical strategy.

Evidence of their inability was found in the U.S. Chamber of Commerce being locked out of the White House trade and policy discussions.  That is why you currently see the U.S. CoC in alignment with, and funding the campaigns of, congressional Democrats.

It was Donald Trump, and Donald Trump alone, who changed the economic outlook of the Republican party from Globalism to Nationalism.  The economic policy is essentially the cornerstone of what we now call the MAGA agenda.  Trump gave voice to the forgotten blue-collar workforce, the middle class and the silent majority of the American electorate.

This MAGA coalition cuts through gender, race, creed and national origin.  The MAGA agenda lifts up all workers at a much more significant rate than any previous economic policy.  The results were obvious and only took a few months to begin surfacing as the U.S. economy was unleashed to the benefit of the working class.

Under the America First agenda, blue -collar wages were increasing, investment in U.S. jobs was growing, multinationals started putting more investment into the U.S., and instead of dividing up a diminishing economic pie, we were creating new economic pies at an exceptional rate.  All of this activity benefited Main Street for the first time in decades.  Trump had the right solutions and was executing policies to the benefit of the U.S. workforce.

Unfortunately, that outcome -that success- is exactly why those who held control over the economic system in the U.S. hated him so much.  All of their years of pontificating about policy and outcomes immediately were showcased as political lies and false manipulations; because the common sense Trump agenda showed how quickly the U.S. could benefit if benefiting the U.S. was actually the goal.

Ultimately, this big picture truth is why Trump needed to be destroyed.  This is also why they still hate him.  The America First agenda sits there as a hot ember just waiting to be reignited again.  Everything Donald Trump did is easily duplicated again because MAGA is really a simple set of policies that benefit the U.S. and no one else.

There is no other politician in the U.S. public policy sphere who can blow on that ember, because the Wall Street community will not allow any GOP politician to get near it to start the re-ignition.  Independent Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of happiness are antithetical to the Wall Street/Multinational agenda which is based on a principle that America is consigned to being a service driven economy.

Globalists have an agenda.  Globalists need control over the political mechanisms.  Globalists, massive multinational corporations and the politicians they fund, had been winning the fight against nationalism for decades.  Those who assemble at the World Economic Forum were giving instructions to the political heads on policy, and the politicians were/are following their orders.    Donald J. Trump was a threat to that, and he still is.

THAT is the larger context for why Nancy Pelosi and Bennie G. Thompson are using the January 6th Committee as a weapon against the MAGA movement {Go Deep}.  That larger dynamic is exactly what is happening.  From their DC perspective, just like David Plouffe shared in 2016, this fight is a zero-sum battle.

The urgency behind the horrific outcomes of the Biden policy agenda is due to their desperation to keep MAGA policy shut down.  That’s the “must not rise again” part of the Plouffe admonishment, and it continues today:

Watch the Republican responses to this January 6th Committee.

Accept that any GOP member who supports the agenda of Pelosi and Thompson is on the side of those who seek our destruction.

Watch the globalists inside the current Republican Party.

Watch the people you know Wall Street controls, like Nikki Haley et al.

Accept there is no other candidate the UniParty fears EXCEPT Donald J. Trump.  When you look at the economics of globalism -vs- nationalism, it is clear to see bold contrasts between Wall Street and Main Street.

Main Street has been under attack for years, and it was only Donald Trump who stopped that onslaught.   Donald J. Trump, the individual person, is the only current person who has the outlook to ensure that America First is the policy that keeps the United States from collapsing into a socialist nightmare.

MAGAnomics is the beginning and end of MAGA policy.  There is no other candidate visible right now who has the capability to carry the America First torch and keep the America First policy at the center of their focus.  That is why they still need to eliminate Donald Trump.

WASHINGTON (AP) — House investigators have issued subpoenas to 10 more former officials who worked for Donald Trump at the end of his presidency, an effort to find out more about what the president was doing and saying as his supporters violently stormed the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6 in a bid to overturn his defeat.  (read more)

Fight like MAGA is the third monkey on the ramp of Noah’s ark….

Nov 10 2021

Producer Prices Rose 8.6 Percent in October, Massive Inflation Continues With No Signs of Slowing Down


Posted originally on the conservative tree house on November 9, 2021 | Sundance | 297 Comments

This might be somewhat preaching to the choir, but it’s the only way I know to help Treepers prepare their families according to very visible economic signals happening just over the horizon. Back in August, when we discussed the massive inflation that was climbing straight up, I warned everyone to look behind the finished good prices, into the prices of origination and intermediate goods. {Go Deep}

The “producer price index” is essentially the tracking of wholesale prices at three stages: Origination (commodity), Intermediate and Final. The final product inflation rate in July (reported in August) was alarming at 7.8%. However, we warned of much higher flowing into the supply chain.

Today, The Bureau of Labor and Statistics (BLS) released stunning price data for October [DATA Here], showing a dramatic 8.6% price increase in Final Demand products at the wholesale level.  As expected prices are still going up, and there’s no end in sight, because the raw material inflation is still higher than current.

[BLS] “The Producer Price Index for final demand increased 0.6 percent in October, seasonally adjusted, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. Final demand prices moved up 0.5 percent in September and 0.7 percent in August. (See table A.) On an unadjusted basis, the final demand index rose 8.6 percent for the 12 months ended in October.”  (more)

I modified Table A (final demand product pricing) taking out some of the noise to make it a little easier to see the big picture of what is happening.

When you see the wholesale level of prices almost double the increase in consumer level inflation rate, you can predict that consumer prices will likely go even higher.  Future finished goods at a retail level will carry the current wholesale price increase.

Stuff costs a lot now… and because the inbound stuff to make the finished goods is still climbing in price…. stuff is about to cost even more.   You can see this in the inflation rate of intermediate goods which I have highlighted below.

You can see from Table A that finished good prices are still climbing.  That’s the higher price inflation you are feeling when you buy a product.

More alarming is to look at the “intermediate demand” products [Table B below] as they flow through the manufacturing system.  Two types of products are at the intermediate wholesale level:  Processed Goods, and Unprocessed goods.

I have again modified Table B to remove the noise.  Notice two key aspects:

(1) Prices for both types of products are still climbing in the manufacturing process.  Compare August, Sept., and Oct., noticing how the prices are still climbing.  Some of that has to do with energy and fuel costs still climbing.  The increasing prices for gasoline build into each part of the transportation process.

(2) Notice the scale of the increase in the prices from prior months.  The trend line is not leveling off, instead it’s doing the opposite.  The rate of inflationary climb (price increase), at the intermediate level of goods coming into the system, is getting even more steep.  The stuff coming into the manufacturing process is not only costing more, it is costing much more than before.

The wholesale prices of products into the system that end up at the retail level is still through the roof.   In a major way, this is being driven by massive increases in energy costs throughout the entire supply chain.

This is going to get even uglier.  Even if wages jumped in price 5% overnight (single month), which would be a large increase in wages, those wage increases are nowhere near enough to deal with this level of price increase at a consumer level.   A nickel more per dollar earned is futile against a loaf of bread costing $1 more, or gasoline at $4.00/gal.

Do what you can do now to start preparing your weekly budget in ways you may not have thought about before.   Shop sales, use coupons, look for discounts and products that can be reformulated into multiple meals or multiple uses.   Shelf-stable food products that can be muti-purposed with proteins is a good start.

Consider purchasing the raw materials for cleaning products and reformulate them yourself to avoid these massive increases in petroleum costs.  Most working families use laundry detergent, and that cost is going through the roof with no signs of slowing down.

♦ EXAMPLE – Several years ago, a dear friend showed us a method for making laundry detergent at home along with a bucket.  After using this for several weeks (and then making it) I was stunned at how simple, cost-effective, and good it works. Not only does it save big $$, but it works better than, or at least as good as, Tide or any other high-priced name brand product for literally pennies on the dollar.

What You’ll Need: {check your local store’s laundry aisle}

  • 1/2 Cup: Arm & Hammer Super Washing Soda {not Baking Soda}
  • 1/2 Cup: Borax {you might be able to print a coupon here}
  • 1/3 Bar of Fels-Naptha Soap {Mark the bar in thirds before using}
  • Bucket {3 gallon size }
  • Empty laundry detergent containers or bucket with lid to store detergent.

How to make:

Use small cheese grater to grate 1/3 bar of Fels-Naptha Soap over large pot or saucepan…

  • Add 6 cups of water.
  • Heat over medium-high until soap dissolves and melts.
  • Add 1/2 cup Washing Soda & 1/2 cup Borax, and stir until dissolved.
  • Remove from heat and set aside.
  • Pour 4 cups hot water into bucket, then add Soap Mixture.
  • Stir well, then add 1 Gallon + 6 Cups of additional water. Stir.
  • Transfer to a bucket with a lid, or pour into empty laundry detergent containers.
  • Set aside, and let it sit overnight, or up to 24 hours, to thicken and gel up.  It will likely turn into a gel overnight.
  • Consistency and color will vary depending on your soap & water ~ it may be lumpy and watery ~ kind of like a watery gel, but it works great!
  • Stir or shake before each use, as it will continue to gel.

How Much Will it Cost?

This recipe makes a low-sudsing detergent, and remember, it will turn to a liquid/gel after it settles, so you will need to shake the container before use. You can also pour it into a spray bottle to use as a pre-spot treatment. The 3 ingredients will make at least 3 batches and will last a long time.

I would not present this idea if it did not work exceptionally well, this was one of the most useful tricks I learned to stretch a budget that really does save money and work even better than high-priced laundry detergents.   The home made detergent even removes hard soils and red clay stains from clothing remarkably well.

We are all in this together!