Tag Archives: AfD

Jan 19 2022

Signal Flare, CNN Asks if Government Should Take Over Food and Gas Prices


Posted originally on the conservative tree house on January 18, 2022 | Sundance | 202 Comments

History may not always repeat, but it rhymes.   As seen in just about every situation where socialism and government intervention in the market economy of any nation is triggered, eventually you get to the point where government solutions to their created crisis take center stage.

We have seen this exact scenario repeated in the former Soviet Union, Poland, Europe, Cuba and more recently Venezuela.  The triggers are the same, and the outcomes are identical. Now, as unbelievable as it may seem, Joe Biden’s socialist policies have triggered the discussion in the United States.

CTH warned this was going to become a narrative; and we saw the first signs of it at the White House podium on January 12th.

WASHINGTON – People are paying a lot more for food, gas, cars and services, and inflation isn’t over yet as the pandemic continues to distort the economy. So, should governments consider setting the price of essential goods?

It’s been done before, typically during times of crisis, but for most mainstream economists, the answer to this question is a resounding “no.” Limiting how much companies can charge will distort markets, they argue, causing shortages and exacerbating supply chain problems while only temporarily reducing inflation.

“Price controls can of course control prices — but they’re a terrible idea,” David Autor, a professor of economics at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, remarked in a survey published earlier this month by the University of Chicago. Asked whether price controls similar to those used in the United States during the 1970s could reduce inflation over the next year, less than a quarter of economists surveyed said they agree while nearly 60% said they disagree or strongly disagree.

[…] with annual inflation running at a four-decade high of 7% and midterm elections approaching, price controls could feature in future debates about how to reduce prices, particularly if actions taken this year by the Federal Reserve fail to tame inflation. (read more)

See that emphasis of mine in the above paragraph.  Yeah, the same University of Chicago at the epicenter of Alinsky crowdsourcing.

Accepting socialism in the United States does not come easily.  To use the lingo of the Marxists, it comes as an outcome of a “larger conversation” where we begin to “reimagine a nation of greater equity.”   Every nudge begins with the opening of a conversation…

Create the crisis.  Fuel the crisis. Then offer government solutions for the crisis.  Use the crisis to advance the goal.

[Barack Obama and crew are smiling at CNN right now.]

Jan 19 2022

Cross-Border Trucker Vaccine Protest Continues – First Warnings Issued for Food Supply Disruption and Higher Prices


Posted originally on the conservative tree house on January 18, 2022 | Sundance | 336 Comments

There are two merging inflection points set to hit the public in a few days.

The first, is a much faster collapse in credibility for those who are pushing the vaccine benefit narrative.  The second, the more widespread appearance of shortages for food and basic essentials.  These two broad narratives are going to merge. CTH will outline the issues as they predictably surface.  This outline focuses on the latter, the supply chain angle.

♦ The cross-border vaccination mandate protests by truckers are continuing in Canada and at areas near the U.S-Canada border.  The vaccine mandate for the Canadian side began on January 15th. The mandate for the U.S. truckers begins January 22nd.  Both groups are currently slow-rolling the protest in/around the border crossings.

A coordinated Trucker Protest on the Canadian side is scheduled for January 23rd {LINK}, coincidentally the same time as a protest rally in Washington DC by members of the healthcare industry.  It is not coincidental that retail executives in the grocery industry are starting to prepare people in Canada for major grocery shortages {LINK}.

CANADA – “[…] “Independent grocers are in a myriad of communities in this country where there is no other grocery store,” Sands said. “If those stores close, you’ve got a food security issue.”

Meanwhile, stores are also experiencing a shortage of goods stemming from supply chain issues, including a shortage of truckers, packaging and processing delays and the Canadian winter.

Grocers rely on “just in time” delivery, meaning even transient issues like inclement weather can cause delays and shortages, Retail Council of Canada spokesperson Michelle Wasylyshen said.” (read more)

At the same time the Canadian media start to pick up the downstream consequence discussion – a shortage of products with Canadian retailers – the U.S. side of the equation begins to warn about price increases.  This is all connected, yet few in corporate media will elevate high enough to see just how damaging the overall vaccine mandate is in this critical sector that touches everyone’s lives.

The crisis is NOT driven by COVID-19, this crisis is driven by government decision-making around COVID-19.  The virus is not causing the immediate supply chain issue.

The virus has negligible impact on this issue.  It is government intervention, rules and fiats under the guise of COVID-19 that is creating the crisis.

The media blames the former, the media ignores the latter.

…”Only 50% to 60% of U.S. truckers are vaccinated, according to an estimate from the American Trucking Associations.”…

The emphasis is mine:

BLOOMBERG – “New rules requiring truckers to show proof of vaccination when crossing the Canada-U.S. border are cutting into shipping capacity and boosting the cost of hauling everything from broccoli to tomatoes.

The cost of transporting produce out of California and Arizona to Canada jumped 25% last week as fewer trucks are available to cross the border, according to George Pitsikoulis, president and chief executive officer of Montreal-based distributor Canadawide Fruits.

“The lower the supply, the higher the price. Ultimately it’s the consumer that pays for this,” Pitsikoulis said Monday by phone.

Canada implemented new rules on Jan. 15 that require border agents to turn away unvaccinated U.S. truckers, a move industry executives warned could slow down supply chains that are already under stress. Canadian truckers who can’t show proof of vaccination will be required to quarantine when they re-enter the country from the U.S.

Shipping is expected to get disrupted in both directions, with the U.S. set to impose its own vaccine mandate on foreign travelers on Jan. 22. Only 50% to 60% of U.S. truckers are vaccinated, according to an estimate from the American Trucking Associations.

Bison Transport Inc., one Canada’s largest trucking firms, is poised to lose 10% of its freight capacity as a result, prompting the company to boost wages for cross-border drivers and offer signing bonuses of C$2,500 (about $2,000). Those costs have to be passed on to customers, Chief Executive Officer Rob Penner said.

“We understood that this would be a challenge for us,” Penner said in a Monday interview on BNN Bloomberg Television. “We have lost close to 10% of our overall capacity, with many drivers choosing to opt out prior to the deadline.”

Winnipeg, Manitoba-based Bison, which is owned by conglomerate James Richardson & Sons Ltd., has about 3,700 employees and contractors operating a fleet of 2,100 tractors and 6,000 trailers, according to its website.

There are already concerns large companies will be forced pay up to secure vaccinated drivers, pushing up freight costs, said Ron Lemaire, president of the Canadian Produce Marketing Association.

“I have heard anecdotally that truckers are looking to stop hauling perishable products as there are too many risks if they are delayed in their delivery,” Lemaire said by email, noting the association will be closely watching the impact on the supply chain.

Canadian importers rely on trucks to transport fruit that arrives from South America to ports in the northeastern U.S. A shortage of global containers and truck drivers is already causing shipping delays of as long as two weeks and having fewer available truckers will likely make things worse, said Larry Davidson, president of North American Produce Buyers Ltd. in Toronto.

The weekend before the vaccine mandate took effect, the company had only one truck available to pick up 75,000 boxes of grapes in Philadelphia, he said.

“Thirty-six of 37 loads that were ready for pickup had to wait four or five days,” said Davidson, whose company ships produce across Canada. “We’re seeing the domino effect just continue.” (link)

Fresh produce CANNOT sit on docks and distribution facilities for FOUR to FIVE days.

Remember what I said about fresh products and the importance of manufactured and processed foods?

When fresh products start to become problematic, that ends up with a collapse on the other fork in the overall food supply-chain.

Pre-pandemic, retail grocery stores delivered about 40% of all food consumed, “food at home”, and restaurants, cafeterias, lunchrooms, bars, food trucks, fast food, hotels and other fresh-side venues delivered 60%.

The lockdowns, shutdowns, COVID restrictions and capacity rules shifted this food delivery dynamic to the reverse.  We now have more than 60% food at home (grocery store) and less than 40% food away from home.  That’s why the grocery store supply chains (including packaging) have been stressed from field to processing, to manufacturing, to suppliers, to distribution centers and to stores.

That retail side of the food equation has been working over capacity for almost two years.  This shortage and capacity issue is what is compounding and driving inflation at the supermarket to levels we have never seen before….

Now, stop and think.  The current trucker issue is going to not only hit the retail transportation side, but it is also going to hit the fresh side as we are in the time of year when we import fresh fruits and vegetables.  Can you see the compounding issue now?

Stored food supplies (raw materials in frozen warehouses and deep cooled storage) are being drained by excess demand in manufacturing.  Now fresh food supplies are being drained by a lack of rapid transportation that is absolutely critical.

FUBAR !

Resource Material:

The Bigger Big Picture

The Supply Chain Warning

Government Intervention

Govt Making Matters Worse

Jan 18 2022

How Civil Disobedience Safeguards Freedom and Prevents Tyranny


Posted originally on Rumble by Academy of Ideas  on December 29, 2021

Jan 18 2022

The Sad Story of Davos


Armstrong Economics Blog/Conspiracy Re-Posted Jan 18, 2022 by Martin Armstrong

Jan 18 2022

South Korea’s Pension Crisis


Armstrong Economics Blog/Pension Crisis Re-Posted Jan 18, 2022 by Martin Armstrong

The Korea Economic Research Institute (KERI) believes that the youth born after 1990 will be unable to claim their pensions as the current system is close to collapsing. South Koreans may claim their pensions at the age of 62, which is about three years earlier than other G5 nations. The G5 plans to raise the age to 67 to 75, while South Korea plans to implement an age requirement of 65 to 67.

Yet, South Korea’s population is aging rapidly. In the near-term, the nation will be faced with a “superaged society;” by 2025, 20.3% of the population will be 65 or older, and that percentage will increase to 37% by 2045.

Insurance premiums for Korea’s public pension are around 9%, while the G5 average is 20.2%. South Koreans are also required to contribute for a shorter term to receive a pension. The current average stands at 20 years, but the G5 average is 31.6 years in comparison. “It is necessary to invigorate the private insurance and pension market alongside more tax benefits and an overhaul of the pension system to brace for a superaged society,” said Choo Kwang-ho, the research head of KERI’s economy policy division.

As I said in 2016, the pension crisis is global. Governments always have their hand in the cookie jar and cannot manage pensions without it becoming a giant Ponzi scheme. Any pension fund that holds government debt in size and thinks it will return to normal is delusional.

Jan 18 2022

California’s Guaranteed Health Care for All to Increase Taxes by $12,250 per Household


Armstrong Economics Blog/North America Re-Posted Jan 18, 2022 by Martin Armstrong

California Governor Nuisance Newsom would like to pass Assembly Bill 1400, “Guaranteed Health Care for All,” as the nation’s first single-payer health care system. Unfortunately, this does not equate to free health care. The Tax Foundation estimates that this measure will increase taxes by $12,250 per household, doubling the state’s sky-high tax collections. The 2022-23 budget proposal is $286 billion, but many believe it will rise to $400 billion.

“The top marginal rate on wage income would soar to 18.05 percent—nationally, the median top marginal rate is 5.3 percent—and the state would adopt a new 2.3 percent gross receipts tax (GRT), at a rate more than three times that of the country’s highest current pure GRT,” the Tax Foundation reported. The new tax package aims to raise $163 billion annually, but California has never been close to raising that amount through taxes.

The tax will take on three forms:

  1. Surtaxes atop the current individual income tax structure beginning at $149,509 in income;
  2. A graduated-rate payroll tax system with the top rate kicking in for employees with more than $49,990 in annual income; and
  3. A gross receipts tax of 2.3 percent, excluding the first $2 million of business income.

After 2.5 years of increased spending, Newsom has failed to produce any notable changes aside from pushing many Californians to flee the state. In 2019, Newsom permitted illegal immigrants between 19 and 25 to qualify for Medi-Cal coverage, intended for poor and disabled citizens who legally pay taxes. Adding illegal immigrants to Medi-Cal could increase the cost by $98 million annually.

Democrats always promise not to raise taxes on “the little guy,” but funding Guaranteed Health Care for All will dig into the pockets of anyone earning over $49,000. Assemblyman Health Flora (R) said, “When they realize they don’t have enough money to pay for this, they can raise taxes on everyone on a simple majority vote. They wrote that right into the bill. But anything fiscal has to be a 2/3 majority vote.”

These policies are why people have been fleeing the once desirable state of California for greener (redder) pastures where they are not taxed into oblivion with Socialistic promises of someone else’s money footing the bill.

Jan 18 2022

The Event That Triggered the FBI to Reverse Their Narrative on the Colleyville Terror Attack


Posted originally on the conservative tree house on January 17, 2022 | sundance | 95 Comments

As noted by the Washington media, “The FBI reversed its position late Sunday on the Texas synagogue hostage-taker, acknowledging it was a case of terrorism after first improbably insisting the suspect’s motives were unclear.”

It wasn’t just a happenstance reversal, and it wasn’t a reversal based on evidence discovered that caused them to adopt new conclusions.   Immediately preceding the FBI reversal in position was a public statement by Joe Biden in Philadelphia:

[11:58 A.M. EST, SUNDAY] …”Hey, folks.  With regard to Texas and the synagogue, I spoke this morning with the Attorney General and — to get a rundown.  He said there’s overwhelming cooperation with the local authorities and the FBI, and they did one hell of a job. 

This was an act of terror.  This was an act of terror.  And it not only was related to someone who had been arrested, I might add, 15 years ago and been in jail for 10 years — the idea that it was something new.  And they did just a great job. “…   ~ Joe Biden

The reason this aspect is important is to highlight the motives of the FBI and DOJ.  The actions of the institutions are driven by political defenses of the leftist regime.

If President Donald Trump was to have said “This was an act of terror“, the same institutions would have castigated him by saying, there’s still not enough information to make that legal distinction.  The media would then inflate the issue and spend the next two media cycles ridiculing him.  This is not supposition, this example, is a reference point that actually played out several times during the Trump administration.

However, during the Biden administration, the institutional motives of the DOJ/FBI are in alignment with Joe Biden and his administration.  Therefore, the institutions themselves will modify their practices and operations to be in synergy with Dear Leader.

This might sound like a “duh” example, but the larger point is reinforcement of a severely politicized justice system.  It is very dangerous to have a justice system driven by political alignment.  It is even more dangerous to have a law enforcement agency making decisions based on political alignment.

Joe Biden doesn’t need to give instructions about ideological alignment and messaging.  Indeed, I doubt he gives any instructions.  The people behind Biden might give instructions, but this type of synergy is more appropriately considered like the cast of an improvisation performance just following the cues by the lead actor.  Biden says something, and the apparatus (whichever element it is) moves to align with whatever he just said.

♦ Saturday Night / Sunday Morning FBI: ““We do believe from our engagement with this subject that he was singularly focused on one issue, and it was not specifically related to the Jewish community,” Matthew DeSarno, the FBI Dallas special agent in charge, told reporters. “But we’re continuing to work to find motive, and we will continue on that path.”

♦ Sunday at Noon: “This was an act of terror.  This was an act of terror,” Joe Biden says.

♦ Sunday at 5:00pm FBI: “This is a terrorism-related matter, in which the Jewish community was targeted, and is being investigated by the Joint Terrorism Task Force.”

Here’s the video of Biden’s full statement at Noon on Sunday:

The Transcript is [ AVAILABLE HERE ]

Q    Do you know why he targeted that specific synagogue, Mr. President?

THE PRESIDENT:  Well, no, I don’t.  We don’t have — I don’t think there is sufficient information to know about why he targeted that synagogue or why he insisted on the release of someone who’s been in prison for over 10 years, why he was engaged — why he was using antisemitic and anti-Israeli comments.  I — we just don’t have enough facts. 

Jan 18 2022

Berlin Police Using Measuring Sticks to Arrest Protesters not at regulatory Distance


Armstrong Economics Blog/Civil Unrest Re-Posted Jan 17, 2022 by Martin Armstrong

Germany is enjoying absolute tyranny. During the protests over the weekend, you see the police with measuring sticks ready to imprison anyone who is not socially distancing. Yet the police are walking between people violating their own law. Europe has lost its mind all for a virus that was created in a lab and is being exploited for political change. This is a city that divided its people because of politics. The politicians there have demonstrated that they are by no means representing the people. This is becoming an outright usurpation of power.

Our computer has been forecasting the rise of civil unrest and it has been unbeatable. My greatest fear and that the politicians have reached the tipping point. They will either be thrown out of the office or terminate the right of the people to vote. This is the real political crisis we face as every day more and more evidence surfaces that not merely is COVID grossly exaggerated, but the vaccines have no ability to prevent the spread of COVID. The facade is crashing down upon governments and the fake media. This only warns of greater civil unrest and this is now about to cross the Rubicon.

Jan 18 2022

Study, Fourth Shot of COVID Vaccine Ineffective at Preventing Omicron Infection


Posted originally on the conservative tree house January 17, 2022 | sundance | 315 Comments

A study out of Israel is showing the fourth shot, second booster of COVID vaccine, provides no benefit in the prevention of the Omicron variant.

(Reuters) – A fourth shot of COVID-19 vaccine boosts antibodies to even higher levels than the third jab but it is not enough to prevent Omicron infections, according to a preliminary study in Israel.

Israel’s Sheba Medical Center has given second booster shots in a trial among its staff and is studying the effect of the Pfizer booster in 154 people after two weeks and the Moderna booster in 120 people after one week, said Gili Regev-Yochay, director of the Infectious Diseases Unit.

[…] “We know by now that the level of antibodies needed to protect and not to get infected from Omicron is probably too high for the vaccine, even if it’s a good vaccine.” (read more)

I’m at a complete loss about why anyone would keep arguing for value in the vaccine passport.  If vaccinated and unvaccinated equally are susceptible to COVID infection, and the vaccine does nothing of benefit in that encounter, then why in the heck are vaccine passports even considered of value?

My wellness and exercise regimen during the white house “Winter of severe illness and death” continues…

Jan 18 2022

Dr. Mary Talley Bowden Takes a Stand for Texas Patients


Posted originally on the conservative tree house on January 17, 2022 | sundance | 245 Comments

Dr. Mary Talley Bowden has taken a stand in Houston, Texas, against the medical establishment’s COVID-19 protocols, and withstood massive pressure upon her.  Dr. Bowden disengaged herself from a medical system that was not treating the core of patient’s needs and set off on her own path.

Dr. Bowden created BreatheMD to treat patients suffering from COVID-19 with therapeutics, wellness and monoclonal antibody treatments.  To take this approach, Mary Bowden had to disconnect herself from the medical establishment.  Her clinic is thriving despite the ongoing assaults from Big Pharma, the Houston Methodist hospital system and media.   Dr. Bowden is on the right side of history.  Earlier today she held a press conference.  WATCH: