Tag Archives: Gates Health Monopoly

Jan 19 2022

Destroying the Supply Chain One Mandate at a Time


Armstrong Economics Blog/World Trade Re-Posted Jan 19, 2022 by Martin Armstrong

The Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) initially announced that it was eliminating vaccine requirements for truck drivers amid a severe supply and labor shortage. Health Minister Jean-Yves Duclos decided that contributing to inflation by reversing the order was the “right thing to do,” and now unvaccinated truck drivers have “a right of return” but must quarantine for 14 days. So, although Canada cannot ban their citizens from re-entering the country, they can force drivers to submit to tests and quarantines.

Truck drivers gathered at the US/Manitoba on Monday to protest the absurd laws (see image above). Numerous truckers and advocates have stated that a two-week quarantine would ruin their finances and potentially cause smaller trucking companies to go under as it will lead to a labor shortage.

The United States has decided to contribute to the supply chain crisis by implementing a vaccine mandate for truckers as well. As of January 22, all drivers entering from Mexico or Canada must be fully vaccinated. As mentioned in an earlier post, over two-thirds or C$650 billion ($511 billion) of trade between Canada and the US occurs via road, and any disturbance would have significant consequences. The Canadian Trucking Alliance (CTA) estimates that the vaccine mandate will force up to 10% (16,000) of Canadian truckers off the road. “There isn’t one aspect of the supply chain that won’t be impacted,” warned CTA President Stephen Laskowski.

Mexico’s drivers will be less affected by this law as the US typically does not allow trucks to pass the border.

Only 55% of US truck drivers are currently vaccinated; 9% plan to take the vaccine, but 36% refuse. The Supreme Court’s ruling to end Biden’s vaccine mandate for private corporations did not expand to border laws. The US Department of Homeland Security is already warning travelers to expect border crossing delays once this mandate goes into effect. This will have a negative chain reaction — driver shortages will lead to supply shortages, which will lead to higher prices for both businesses and consumers. If these mandates continue, expect the supply chain crisis to continue as well.

Jan 19 2022

The CDC Admits Cloth Masks Are Ineffective


Armstrong economics Blog/Disease Re-Posted Jan 19, 2022 by Martin Armstrong

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has admitted that cloth masks have never been effective. For over two years, the CDC has been forcing both children and adults to cover their faces to participate in an altered version of society. Rand Paul has previously said that these mandates are intended to teach the public to comply with government authority, and he was right.

The CDC’s announcement comes shortly after CNN’s Leana Wen admitted that “cloth masks are not appropriate for this pandemic.” So for over 22 months, the public has been walking around with a useless piece of fabric over their faces to blindly comply with a completely useless mandate. The CDC previously stated that surgical N95 masks were appropriate “when supplies are available,” but has since updated that guidance to say “wear the most protective mask you can that fits well and that you will wear consistently.”

I will not blindly follow a new mandate and allow N95 masks to become a part of our “new norm” for a virus with an extremely low death rate. The CDC knew cloth masks were ineffective but hid that information from the public because governments did not have the resources to provide N95 masks. They also likely knew people would be less willing to comply if they had to wear an even less comfortable mask. In fact, they did not even have enough N95 masks to provide to health care workers. Governments do not want to lose the power this virus has provided them. As I reported, Democratic lawmakers are proposing a $5 billion bill to distribute N95 masks to every American household as they assume we will comply indefinitely.

Look what these mandates have done to children. The picture above has been shared on the internet of a child who views their mask as part of their identity. Even children in preschool have been forced to wear face coverings all day, with some schools permitting “mask breaks.” All of this was done for show.

WE OBEYED THE CDC WITHOUT REASON. How many times will we allow the CDC to change the narrative and comply? The agency has lost all credibility as its lack of ethics is altering our reality for the worse.

Jan 19 2022

White House Baffled by How Colleyville Terrorist Gained a Visa Despite Being on Terrorist Watch List


Posted originally on the conservative tree house on January 18, 2022 | Sundance | 161 Comments

Malik Faisal Akram, who was known as Faisal Akram, had a well known Islamic extremist history to British and American intelligence. Akram ranted, prior to his travel to the U.S, that he wished he had died in the 9/11 terror attacks. He was a regular visitor to Pakistan, and reportedly a member of the Tablighi Jamaat group set up to ‘purify’ Islam. To say the U.S. intelligence system knew Faisal Akram would be an understatement.  The FBI knowledge of Akram has now been confirmed by The Daily Mail.

Today, the White House was asked how it was possible for him to get a visa and travel into the United States.  White House spokesperson Jen Psaki, says they have no idea, but they’re looking into it.  They’ve put their best men on the review.  For more details, ask the Dept. of Homeland Security. WATCH:

I’ve Already Given My Opinion – HERE

Jan 19 2022

Psaki – Quick, The Russians Are Coming, The Russians Are Coming


Posted originally on the conservative tree house on January 18, 2022 | Sundance | 394 Comments

Pay no attention to gas prices, massive inflation, COVID mess, empty shelves, economic crisis, oil prices, vaccination mandate crisis, testing boondoggles, collapsed polling support, terrorists on the loose, the unprotected border, the legislative mess or creeping socialism folks.

Move along, move along, nothing to see here folks.  Look, over there, shiny things, move along quickly now to see the Russians are coming.  The Russians are coming folks, swear, the Russians are coming.

It takes a lot of water on the floor to make the landlord believe the bathtub overflowed, and not the leaking fish tank in your apartment.

Jan 19 2022

Gas Prices on the Rise Again, Biden Corporate Media Concerned About Political Impact


Posted originally on the conservative tree house on January 18, 2022 | Sundance | 105 Comments

One of the biggest and most frequently stated lies in American media and financial punditry; motivated entirely by their alignment with the hoax of global climate change; is that a United States President can do nothing about gasoline prices.  This is an oft familiar claim by the political left, media pundits, financial media and leftist economists.  It is one of the more transparently false assertions in their arsenal of deceit.

CNN reports that gas prices are rising again as the White House occupant’s inflation and supply chain crises persist, during a segment on CNN’s “New Day” with John Berman and Brianna Keila.  WATCH:

So, what can a U.S. President and administration specifically do?  We have abundant U.S. energy resources.  Quite literally the strongest in the entire world.

  • Permit the use of preexisting approved leases in ANWAR (Alaska) to put more volume into the Alaskan oil pipeline that is severely underutilized.
  • Finish the Dakota access pipeline.
  • Re-approve the preexisting energy leases in New Mexico, Arizona, NE Atlantic and Gulf of Mexico.
  • Retract the stoppage of the Keystone pipeline to permit efficient oil transport shipments from Canada.
  • Stop blocking the expansion of coastal oil refineries in Texas, Louisiana and Alabama (regulatory issue), as well as Northwest, Northeast and Southeast Seaboard.
  • Continue to develop natural gas as a clean burning fuel.
  • Drive Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) as an export.

Unfortunately, this would mean reversing the entire energy policy of the current administration.  The existing energy inflation and high prices of oil, natural gas and gasoline are a direct and intentional part of Joe Biden policy.  That policy is driven by the leftist demand for a “green new deal.”

(more…)

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.