Leading Democratic presidential candidate Sen. Elizabeth Warren proposes a 30% gun tax plus a 50% ammo tax which she says will add up to an 80% drop in gun deaths. Of course, there’s more to it than that, including an end to the filibuster in the Senate. Can Betsy Warren ride her sensible gun math to the White House, and if so, why doesn’t she stay in the Senate so she can help pass it? Bill Whittle Now comes to you five times weekly thanks to the Members at BillWhittle.com. If you like what you hear here, join them now at https://BillWhittle.com/register/
QUESTION: The US will start the death penalty again. What is your view on the death penalty?
HRW
ANSWER: It is far worse to live in prison for life the way the government will torture you without remorse. They are beginning executions once again since 2003. Their allegations against people are always exaggerated and they are cold-hearted. I never met anyone who ever did everything the government claimed and there is a risk that the people they intend to execute are innocent or never intended to do such a crime. The real professional criminals know the system and immediately start testifying against others to get a reduced sentence. So the people they want to execute had nothing to deal with, which tends to imply they were not necessarily career criminals and if they were nuts, that is never a defense anyway. In the famous case of Adamson, he pled guilty waiving a jury trial with the understanding he would get a life sentence and then in 1988 the judge ordered him to be killed. That was eventually overturned that his plea was contrived by the courts themselves promising him one thing and then ordering him to be executed. There is no honor in the Justice System – none whatsoever!!!!!
I personally think the death penalty should be VOLUNTARY for there are people who would take that option rather than being imprisoned for life. If I were in such a position, I would certainly volunteer in a second. To live the rest of your life being tormented by guards for fun and sport is no way to live and no judge will EVER listen to a complaint from an inmate. I simply asked to be given medical treatment and I was denied by two judges and had to wait until my release to seek medical attention. As a result, the vision in my left eye remains partially blurry because they refused me my basic human needs.
Death is an escape; it is not a punishment for it is over fast compared to incarceration that remains for your entire life.
Hong Kong movement spokesperson Sunny Cheung explains what the protests are about, and what the movement hopes to achieve. Mr. Cheung explains the protesters do not believe in the communist idea, and/or the larger communist ideology; hence their efforts to reach out to the U.S. for support.
More protests and rallies are scheduled for this weekend.
For all intents and purposes Germany is the EU, because German economic policy dictates the outcomes of all EU economic policy. So as the EU promises to engage in more central bank monetary printing (quantitative easing) simultaneously Germany promises to keep negative interest rates floating as long as possible. [EU Parliament pictured below]
Yes, the EU is in serious structural economic trouble; and that is likely the real reason why quivering Chancellor Angela Merkel has decided to exit the political stage before the larger communal catches on.
Within the remarks by German Finance Minister Scholz it is the lamentation about the lack of investment into their grand collective economic scheme where you find the economic dissonance, and ultimately the hilarious punch lines:
BERLIN (Reuters) – German Finance Minister Olaf Scholz said on Saturday that he expected interest rates to remain very low for “the next few years”, adding that companies should seize the opportunity of near-zero borrowing costs to boost private sector investment.
The European Central Bank has already signaled even more monetary stimulus for the euro zone economy, hoping to arrest a downward spiral that could lead to an economic recession.
Asked by a member of the public during a government open day about his view on the outlook for interest rates, Scholz said: “I also believe that the time of higher interest rates can come up every now and then, but that will not happen in the next few years because of central bank policies.”
Then comes the real kicker of a comment… the part where the German political class admit what is happening: President Trump is kicking their collective asses; yet few within the audience recognize exactly what Olaf Scholz is saying.
“What I would wish for is more investments by the private sector,” Scholz said, pointing to a much higher willingness of companies and investors in the United States to put fresh money into new projects or business ideas. “My wish is that we also achieve such a cultural change here,” Scholz said. (link)
So much multi-layered economic dissonance, it is quite amazing to think about how this mindset is driving economic and monetary policy over such a large population.
First, the reality of President Trump’s trade policy demanding reciprocity is the wrench in the EU machine. The EU is a protectionist trade system with one-way tariffs and carefully crafted non-trade barriers designed to keep position as an exporter, and limit access to their market.
The historic cornerstone of this trade system to benefit the EU was the Marshall Plan; to apply tariffs on U.S. manufactured goods as a way to finance the EU rebuilding after World War II. Seventy-five years later that same unidirectional benefit still exists. This parasitic trade policy is what President Trump is changing.
Second, it is silly to watch the German finance minister lament the lack of investment into their economic system when these same politicians advance policies like: The Paris Climate Treaty, the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership; in combination with high domestic tax policies against corporations and ultra-left-wing social benefits that necessitate the need for those high tax policies.
Gee, no-one wants to invest in Germany?… Go figure!
There is nothing the EU and China can do to stop the de-globalization process; and efforts to stimulate their economy, more quantitative easing (pumping money) while the global supply chains are being shifted, are futile.
The more a nations’ economy is dependent on exports, the more exposure they have to the inherent downsides of de-globalization. U.S. multinational companies that are invested in these nations will lose their investment over time; some rapidly. This will keep the stock market volatile, yet on Main Street USA the economy is thriving.
President Donald Trump has purposefully stalled the process of globalization, and is resetting global supply chains. This is bringing massive amounts of wealth back into the United States.
In essence President Trump is engaged in a process of: (a) repatriating wealth (trade policy); (b) blocking exfiltration (main street policy); (c) creating new and modern economic alliances based on reciprocity (bilateral deals); and (d) dismantling the post WWII Marshall plan of global trade and one-way tariffs (de-globalization).
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These remarks from Germany are the perfect backdrop for this interview as a reminder.
The “ECB” is the European Central Bank. The “QE” is quantative easing (printing more €uros).
An interesting article in the South China Morning Post (SCMP) highlights how China is shifting their procurement priority from minerals used in manufacturing (cobalt, copper) to the acquisition of food and agriculture products.
The impact is being felt throughout Africa, where mining companies are shutting down operations because Chinese demand no longer exists.
Articles like this highlight the ancillary impacts of a weakened Chinese economy.
Despite the proclamations by Beijing about their ability to withstand the withdrawal of the U.S. as a primary customer for manufactured goods, reality shows they cannot.
There is a confluence of events all leading to radical changes just below the surface. China has been burning cash to subsidize industries impacted by U.S. tariffs. Simultaneously Beijing has lowered the value of their currency in an effort to eliminate the tariff impact in the cost of their finished goods. However, as the ideological economic conflict between the U.S. and China continues, Beijing cannot hold their position indefinitely.
[…] A decelerating construction boom in China also has led to a decline in demand for copper while Beijing’s move to raise standards for electric vehicles qualifying for subsidies is depressing the market for cobalt.
An economic slowdown in some African countries is seen as tied to China’s economic slowdown, accelerated by the tariff battle. (link)
Countries that attached their economy to purchase agreements with China over the last 20 years became dependent on those exports. As China slows or stops their purchases those dependent economies are now at risk.
[…] Martyn Davies, managing director of emerging markets and Africa at Deloitte, said China’s demand for commodities has underpinned Africa’s growth for 20 years.
“Any commodity-exporting economy’s growth model has been underpinned by China’s demand for commodities in the last generation,” Davies said.
“This in itself has resulted in complacency in many commodity exporting countries because if you had China growing at 7 or 8 per cent, you don’t need to struggle. “Unfortunately,” Davies said, “the world has changed.” (link)
And now China’s biggest weakness starts to surface. A country that cannot feed its own population even during the best of times, is now facing a downturn in economic and employment activity while the need to import food remains.
[…] analysts say that while countries that export cobalt, copper and iron ore will be hardest hit as Beijing – the major buyer of Africa’s hard commodities – diversifies the sourcing of its imports during the trade war, opportunities are opening up for exporters of soft commodities, such as agricultural products. (link)
There comes a time in the life of a panda when bamboo is no-longer taken for granted.
Has the United States, in the era of Trump, lost its global moral leadership? President Donald Trump levies tariffs on China and talks tough about a new trade deal, but says little about the very public crackdown on protestors in Hong Kong. While he’s been bold on trade, this week he caved on his threat to invoke higher tariffs in September. Critics say the timing makes him look meek on human rights. After this video was recorded, Trump repositioned, appearing to link human rights to a trade deal, by Tweeting: “Of course China wants to make a deal. Let them work humanely with Hong Kong first!” Bill Whittle Now brings conservative analysis to news of the day five times each week thanks to the Members who fund its production. If you think the world needs more reasoned thought, civil dialogue and time-tested principles, perhaps you should be one of us. Join now at https://BillWhittle.com/register/
COMMENT: Thank you for ‘Why Private Blogs’. You should get goose bumps once in a while about your work~, the project is massive in scale, certainly worthy of my respect and everyone else in readerville and your employ as well. This piece is well written and also lays out a good mission statement reminder to all. So, feel free Martin to frame it, re post it once a year, and continue to knick knack patty whack away at the world and toss us bones …. it is a worthy and respected endeavor that is already making the world a better place, especially for those to come rolling home here in the future!!! Stay fired up my friend I have not yet met……. for BETTER DAYS ARE COMING.
REPLY: I do think people tend to think this is just about forecasting the ups and downs in markets. I have probably met with more central banks and governments than anyone over the years. I was called in by China during the 1997 Asian Currency Crisis and the Commission forming the Euro. I was called in at the formation of the G5 and by the Brady Commission for the 1987 Crash. All of these things and many more ONLY took place NOT because my opinion is worth something someone else does not have.
All of this has been because we forecast absolutely every country in the world and people even at the upper levels understand what we are doing and this is about demonstrating that absolutely EVERYTHING is connected on a global scale.
I see war as absolutely pointless for the days of empire building are long gone. War is now more like two drunks in a bar fighting because of one side something or looked at the other in an intimidating way. This nation-building nonsense is just that – NONSENSE! We pretend that Democracy is so great, yet we really live in Republics that are prone to massive corruption until they inevitably collapse as did Rome. When Caesar crossed the Rubicon, the people cheered and the Senate all fled to Asia. If they had the support of the people, they would have never fled.
It pains me deeply that our systems are so corrupt. I will never believe that Jeffrey Epstein committed suicide. He had so many bargaining chips on people he would never be allowed to testify. This touched people like Bill Clinton, no surprise, Al Gore to Buckingham Palace. Maybe the prosecutor had no idea and when he started this the weight of the political world came crashing down.
The system will self-correct as did Rome. Who will be our Caesar today who knows? But it will come. That is why I say my concern is not Trump, it is who comes after Trump. All I can do is show there is a better way to manage things and we are all connected in this mess. I know the game. They will not listen until there is blood on the streets. Then and only then will they listen out of fear it might be their turn next.
When a woman marries her uncle: (1) her husband is her grandmothers son; (2) her daughter is her first cousin; and (3) her mother-in-law is also her “grandmother.”
Keep this in mind as you review:
Rashida Tlaib
✔@RashidaTlaib
When I won, it gave the Palestinian people hope that someone will finally speak the truth about the inhumane conditions. I can’t allow the State of Israel to take away that light by humiliating me & use my love for my sity to bow down to their oppressive & racist policies. https://twitter.com/RashidaTlaib/status/1162333169846247425 …
Rashida Tlaib
✔@RashidaTlaib
My sity wanted to pick figs w/ me. I broke down reading this & worry every single day after I won for my family’s safety. My cousin was texting me which photo of @IlhanMN & I they should put on a welcoming poster when I heard the news. I couldn’t tell her.https://www.middleeasteye.net/news/rashida-tlaibs-family-disappointed-not-surprised-israeli-ban?fbclid=IwAR0oJQbMc2tSiSQTCKS9fN649cHyO7chI-yWVvFCovrWtwDs39qIAX9w7Tw …
President Trump is having dinner tonight with Tim Cook, aka “Tim Apple.” This dinner comes on the heels of USTR Lighthizer announcing a postponement of “next step” 10 percent tariffs against Chinese manufactured products… Interestingly, the one of the product groups within the delay is personal computers…. Interestingly, Tim Apple was going to launch production assembly of the Macintosh personal computer in China.
To say that Tim Cook has been attempting to define and quantify the strength of President Trump’s tariff position against China would be an understatement. Even before president-elect Trump took office, Tim Cook was engaged on this specific aspect.
As a responsible steward for the brand, the engagement by “Tim Apple” makes lots of sense. The engaged approach by CEO Cook is what all multinationals should do. Advocate for their interests; keep an open mind to aspects that are larger than self-interest; keep a respectful seat at the table; and be a responsible steward for his American shareholders.
Ultimately Tim Cook is recognizing President Trump will advance those policies that benefit Main Street and he will avoid policies that do not benefit Main Street. Trump’s Main Street economic patriotism is likely a paradigm shift for Cook; amid a career experience of politicians advancing Wall Street interests. Hence, the constant evaluation.
Meanwhile, the strength of Main Street employment continues to show up in the data. Jobs, jobs, jobs drives the Main Street economy. The BLS data release today shows just how many jobs are being created by the ongoing policy of MAGAnomics.
(BLS) Unemployment rates were lower in July in 6 states, higher in 2 states, and stable in 42 states and the District of Columbia, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today.
[…] Nonfarm payroll employment increased in 5 states in July 2019 and was essentially unchanged in 45 states and the District of Columbia.
[…] Nonfarm payroll employment increased in five states in July 2019. The largest job gains occurred in Texas (+35,200), Florida (+22,900), and Washington (+13,400). The largest percentage gains occurred in Utah (+0.7 percent), Idaho (+0.5 percent), and Washington (+0.4 percent).
President Trump said the MAGA rally at the SNHU Arena in Manchester, New Hampshire, beat all venue records for crowd attendance.
The anti-Trump media nuts immediately went bananas trying to disprove it. The funny things is, not only was President Trump correct – he underestimated the crowd.
According to the Manchester Fire Marshal there were over 11,500 people inside the arena (pictured above), and around 8,000 to 9,000 outside watching jumbo screens (pic below). The total exceeds 20,000. The previous record was 11,300 for an Elton John concert.
‘The Trump people wanted the fire marshal to let more people in, and at some point they say no,’ the official said. But there were tons and tons more outside. It’s not like they couldn’t fill the place.’ (via Daily Mail)
So it turns out @realDonaldTrump was right about breaking Elton John’s attendance record in Manchester, NH. The fire marshal counted “11,500-plus,” breaking the record by at least 200. Marshal also estimated overflow crowd of “8,000-9,000” standing outside https://mol.im/a/7365155
NH fire marshal: Trump DID smash Elton John’s arena attendance record
Manchester’s deputy fire marshal said Trump’s rally crowd Thursday night was ‘just over 11,500,’ and 8,000-9,000 more stood outside watching on TV. Elton John’s record had stood at 11,300.
I have created this site to help people have fun in the kitchen. I write about enjoying life both in and out of my kitchen. Life is short! Make the most of it and enjoy!
This is a library of News Events not reported by the Main Stream Media documenting & connecting the dots on How the Obama Marxist Liberal agenda is destroying America
