Tag Archives: Prime Minister Justin Trudeau Removing Attorney Client Privilege

Aug 11 2023

Massachusetts Residents Asked to House Illegal Migrants


Armstrong Blog/Immigration Re-Posted Aug 11, 2023 by Martin Armstrong

Our politicians have absolutely no idea how to handle the massive wave of migrants sweeping the nation and are proposing brain-dead solutions. Massachusetts is the latest state to declare a state of emergency due to the “rapidly rising numbers of migrant families” seeking shelter. By state law, they must accept and house families who qualify. Governor Maura Healey said that over 100 illegal aliens PER DAY applied in July, and she is now asking the people to personally house migrants in their homes.

Taxpayers in Massachusetts are footing a $45 million monthly bill to house 5,600 migrant families. Healey said that the state simply cannot keep up with the demand and noted that most of these people are unable to work legally and have no other resource besides US tax dollars. These people who trespassed into the country cannot obtain licenses to drive or earn a paycheck and will require full sponsorship from you in addition to your tax dollars. Of course, there have been no background checks on these people either since no one knows who they are or where they came from. There are currently 20,000 migrants throughout MA, with shelter capacity expanding by 80% in the past year.

“If you have an extra room or suite in your home, please consider hosting a family. Safe housing and shelter is our most pressing need,” Lt. Gov. Kim Driscoll said. So, they know most Americans are in a tight financial situation right now. Our right to self-defense is limited, if not void. But these politicians think we should willingly open our doors to complete strangers to solve the crisis they created. Let us also not forget a few years ago, we were unable to host our own family members in our homes due to the risk of disease. We were encouraged to drive by and wave at our loved ones from the window during the holidays.

The politicians who promoted America as a sanctuary country should lead by example and allow these people to stay in their mansions. Send the buses to 1600 Pennsylvania Ave and let them set up an encampment on the lawn. They certainly have a few extra rooms to spare. Our constitution prevents us from housing soldiers, but does it protect us from housing migrants if they push this through by force? Will they soon offer our tax dollars to financially desperate people as a bribe to host illegal migrants? Ridiculous and dangerous. America has been invaded.

Aug 11 2023

JUST US – The Rising Tide of Civil Unrest


Armstrong Economics Blog/Civil Unrest Re-Posted Aug 10, 2023 by Martin Armstrong

I have said that the reason they indicted Trump’s valet as a co-defendant in the Mar-a-Lago, was to pull the standard “extortion” where he is to perjure himself for the government or face 120 years in prison. This is how they win Conspiracy Cases. Federal Judge Jed. S. Rakoff wrote a book on the extortion process – WHY THE INNOCENT PLEAD GUILTY AND THE GUILTY GO FREE.

They cannot win a conspiracy case without extorting someone to testify against their target. That was the problem they had in my case, there were no co-defendants. Both Trump’s case and the state of allegations against the Biden family from whistleblowers illustrate how the Rule of Law in the United States no longer exists. This is the final straw behind the collapse of the United States. The allegations against Assistant U.S. Attorney for Delaware Lesley Wolf claims that she warned Hunter Biden’s attorneys about potential scrutiny on a storage unit the first son used. For the prosecutor to call and warn Hunter’s lawyers where the IRS wanted to look for the smoking gun is just unimaginable. This has become a shit show and whatever integrity the United States once had in support of life, liberty, and happiness being the beacon of freedom to the world no longer exists.

Then we have this Special Prosecutor using a pro-government grand jury in Washington to indict Trump when the case would have to be brought in Florida under the venue requirement of the Sixth Amendment, which is a constructive amendment of the Constitution. The King would indict you in London, then transport you back to London for a trial because the American colonists would have delivered a fair verdict. This is why the Sixth Amendment clearly states:

Amendment VI

In all criminal prosecutions, the accused shall enjoy the right to a speedy and public trial, by an impartial jury of the state and district wherein the crime shall have been committed, which district shall have been previously ascertained by law, and to be informed of the nature and cause of the accusation; to be confronted with the witnesses against him; to have compulsory process for obtaining witnesses in his favor, and to have the assistance of counsel for his defense.

This is precisely where this Special Prosecutor is going. Indicting Trump in Washington where the grand jury will be more likely than not government employees and Democrats, but the venue clause requires Trump to be charged where the crime took place and that is Florida. Smith is doing the EXACT same thing that the King of England did for which we had a Revolution.

They did not prosecute Richard Nixon and they did not prosecute Bill Clinton when they also had him on perjury charges. Hillary’s private servers with classified documents were set up so her emails would not be accessible under the Freedom of Information Act had they gone through the State Department, which was obstruction of justice. Nobody was ever charged because it would have resulted in civil unrest since the country would be divided. This time, they just do not care. It seems as though they KNOW this will cause civil unrest and they want that to unfold so they can justify even more crazy actions of locking us down again.

30 years ago, Washington was always corrupt. The difference was they at least tried to hide it. Today, they no longer care what you think because they will rig the election and you are no longer needed. The corruption is just open and they are laughing at us all the time as we are a gaggle of fools.

The one thing many people are noticing is that tensions are rising. People are frustrated. Some are stabbing people in shopping malls all of a sudden and others get killed over a parking spot. The COVID lockdown has unhinged many and society is becoming more hostile year by year. This is also a precursor to the rising civil unrest we see coming.

These are forecasts made years in advance. We had a serious Directional Change in 2022 and we were expecting a rise in 2023 with this all exploding by 2025. These people really think that they can do whatever they want because we will shut up and do as we are told. This is going to erupt and this 2024 election will be rigged and the entire world will know that because they no longer care to even hide their agenda.

Aug 11 2023

Site Reminder and Example


Posted originally on the CTH on August 10, 2023 | Sundance 

CTH was essentially founded because everyone seemed more comfortable pretending about the journey than admitting the destination.  From the outset, and with a long view of the challenges we would face, I have repeatedly stated that everything on this website is free for the taking.  We are rapidly approaching the point where everyone is going to realize why that cornerstone was set.

The truth has no agenda, it just sits there -out there somewhere- waiting to be discovered. Our feelings about it are irrelevant to its existence. The core of the assembly is to look deeply at uncomfortable things, then accept them as they are and not as we would wish/pretend them to be.  We are now on the cusp of full information control – a literal technological reengineering of the U.S. internet communication network as we know it.

As a direct result, the voices who put accurate context to our national challenge are going to be targets.  Information is now being categorized according to definitions of people who do not have liberty at the forefront of online communication. The categories of information are intended to stop information averse to the interests of a few powerful institutions.  Ten years ago, people would say such predictions were fringe conspiracies.  Now, with more evidence surfacing every day, notsomuch.

[Reddit Source]

Now perhaps you are beginning to see why that free information cornerstone was set. The truth has no agenda!

Everything you read and review upon these pages is free for the taking. Anyone, for any reason, can take any content I produce and use it to advance the honest effort of providing raw unfiltered truth to their audience.  Everything is available for use free, without any attribution or citation needed.

All that I provide is free and can be modified, changed, enhanced in part or whole to meet your needs. Images, writing, research, analysis, all of it is provided, along with no expectation of citation or attribution dependent on your motives and intents.

Make the words your own; use them in part or modify to make a more intelligent or comprehensive outline. All the accompanying graphics are available to use as would suit your interests. Importantly, all the research is cited and verifiable.  This includes all the pdf files, government documents, FOIA outcomes and uploads to the SCRIBD account.   Take anything you want; thanks, sincerely, but no need to ask permission.

We are not going to save this republic by demanding or restricting information via self-important perspectives on citation or attribution. I simply do not care about such issues. Make it your own in whatever manner or format fits your interests.

Please accept this reminder with the expressed intent.  If you are brave enough to stand in front of the furnace, you have my full and unwavering support and appreciation.  You are simply considered my brother or sister.  It’s ok, just take it. Anything provided here is yours to take, whole or in part and make it your own, as we work earnestly to deliver greater understanding to a larger audience.

Effective solutions require brutally accurate understanding.

I will always work earnestly to be deserving of your fellowship. As new visitors attest every day, the fellowship in this commenting community is unique, insightful, articulate, intelligent, funny and awesome.  I love you guys.

With humble appreciation and the warmest of regards,

Sundance]

Remember, we are inside every facility, every institution, every meeting, every moment of their existence – and we notice everything. We are there when they do not expect, and we melt away before they notice our appearance. We see what they hide, we hear what they whisper, we decipher their codes, and we understand the complexity they create in their effort to conceal.  We have allies and resources inside the core of the machinery.  We understand what and why everything is being constructed.

2021 -175 Million IP Addresses […] “Minutes before Trump left office, millions of the Pentagon’s dormant IP addresses sprang to life” was the title of a Washington Post article on Saturday. Literally three minutes before Joe Biden became president, a company called Global Resource Systems LLC “discreetly announced to the world’s computer networks a startling development: It now was managing a huge unused swath of the Internet that, for several decades, had been owned by the US military,” the Post said. (more)

Aug 11 2023

Bidenomics – Multiple Key Performance Indicators Spell Trouble Ahead


Posted originally on the CTH on August 10, 2023 | Sundance 

Several people have made queries about the current state of our national economic condition against the backdrop of disconnected data points that seemingly conflict. Here’s my review.

July and August are key months to gauge the prior six months of U.S consumer positioning.

Why?

Because all advance purchase orders for the U.S. holiday season are made in May, June and July for inventory builds and delivery schedules for September.  The decisions made by purchasing officers in late spring and early summer, reflect their predictive analysis for the holiday season.

Inventories are evaluated, critical financial discussions are held, and orders are placed for September arrival and distribution.  This predictive activity is what we see in the July and August data that flows from the global, multinational and shipping corporations who facilitate the transfer of the goods.  Check what is happening in distribution, and you can see what eventually creates the boxcar effect in the supply chain that ultimately leads to shuttered manufacturing.

Those who are involved in the business of shipping goods are signaling the flares around the state of the consumer economy and what will happen.  At the same time, the wording is almost hilarious in this era of great pretending.  Instead of saying ordinary words like “poor sales results for durable goods,” the parseltongue calls sales, “destocking.”  Example:  “CEO Vincent Clerc said he saw no sign that the destocking which has curbed global trade activity would end this year.”

Global shipping company Maersk is warning that shipping volume is low because warehouse inventories are high.  The goods are unsold.

(Reuters) – […] CEO Vincent Clerc said he saw no sign that the destocking which has curbed global trade activity would end this year.

“We had expected customers to draw down inventories around the middle of the year, but so far we see no signs of that happening. It may happen at the beginning of next year,” Clerc said at a media briefing.  “Consequently, the uptick in volumes we had expected in the second half of the year has not occurred,” he said. (read more)

The lack of shipping leads to a review of inventory status for the warehouses who would receive the goods.

Bulging Warehouses – […] A review of corporate statements and briefings shows more than 30 U.S. and European companies, including Hugo Boss, Heineken and A.P. Moller-Maersk, 3M Co and Stanley Black & Decker complained that destocking hurt their second-quarter performance.

Retailers particularly have struggled with stocks of clothing and footwear as consumers splurge on holidays rather than goods as they did during pandemic lockdowns.

The downbeat outlook comes amid low expectations for second-quarter results as China’s post-pandemic recovery slows. Refinitiv I/B/E/S data shows U.S. and European companies are expected to report their worst quarterly results in years.

Companies which stockpiled last year are finding it harder to shed inventories when higher borrowing costs and inflation crimp consumer demand, corporate executives and analysts said.

In the euro zone, stocks of finished products hit records in August last year and destocking only started in May, based on latest euro-zone manufacturing data.

In the U.S., an analysis of U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics by CFRA Research showed business inventories soared by 20% in mid-2022, the biggest jump on record based on data that goes back to 1993. Retailers led the trend – raising inventories by a quarter from a year earlier.

The date in this next paragraph is key:

[…] The U.S. inventory-to-sales ratio was 1.4 in May, up from 1.33 a year ago, which means retailers, manufacturers and wholesalers have more inventory than they can sell at a higher rate than a year ago. (link)

When purchase order decisions for the holiday season of 2023 were being made, the inventory levels were higher than 2022.  This is KPI (Key Performance Indicator) data, because the holiday of 2022 was a total mess.

Holiday sales last year were exceptionally weak as wage earners were struggling to pay for higher prices in essential goods and services, fuel, oil, heating, energy, gasoline, food and shelter.  The lack of consumer purchasing for non-essential goods and/or luxury items resulted in poor sales last year, and the inventory levels are actually higher this year than last year when this year’s purchasing decisions were being made.  That reality drops purchase orders.  The dropped purchase orders lead to Maersk saying they are shipping less goods.

Now, let’s get USA domestic…. because it’s all connected.  For that let’s turn to the U.S. Postal Service:

USPS DATA – First-Class Mail revenue increased $221 million, or 4.0 percent, on a volume decline of 678 million pieces, or 5.9 percent, compared to the same quarter last year. Shipping and Packages revenue remained relatively flat while volume declined 41 million pieces, or 2.4 percent, compared to the same quarter last year.

Marketing Mail revenue decreased $333 million, or 8.8 percent, on a volume decline of 2.6 billion pieces, or 16.0 percent, compared to the same quarter last year. The Marketing Mail decreases were driven by the continued decline in advertising spending due to economic pressures experienced throughout most of the fiscal year, a higher inflationary environment affecting print media production costs. (link)

So, let’s put it all together….

Consumers did not buy stuff.  As a result, spring inventories were high.  Purchasing managers forecast weak sales. Summer purchase orders were very low.  Shipping companies reflect declines in shipping because the purchase orders were low. Advertising and marketing budgets were cut to meet the decrease in consumer spending.  Consumers are not forecast to spend this holiday season.

The economic pie is getting smaller.

Keep in mind, this is all intentional.  This is all part of the outcome from “managing the transition” to a new energy economy.

As you are well aware the various western nation central banks including the U.S. Federal Reserve, are raising interest rates into a global economic contraction, a drop in demand.  Raising interest rates into a contracting economy is counterintuitive, it runs against the expressed interest of government to grow economic conditions.  However, there is a purposeful design to the contradiction.  [A TLDR Version Here]

The central bankers are trying to support western government policy.  Unfortunately, the government policy they are under obligation to support is the fundamental energy shift, or what the World Economic Forum (Davos Group) has called the “Build Back Better” climate change agenda.

Monetary policy can only impact one side of the inflation challenge.  The western bankers (EU central bank, U.S. federal reserve bank, and various banking groups) are raising interest rates in order to “tame inflation” by “taming demand.”  However, as you know the global economic demand has been declining for several quarters.  Raising interest rates into an already contracting economy only does one thing, it speeds up the rate of economic contraction.

Economic contraction is the lowering of economic activity.  Raise interest rates -in a general sense- and businesses invest less, borrowers borrow less, consumers purchase less, employers expand less, and the economy overall slows down. When the economy turns negative, meaning less products and services are produced, we enter a recession. Some businesses and employers do not survive a recession and subsequently unemployment rises.

During recessionary periods people buy less stuff, people have less income stability, and economic activity drops.  When the banks raise interest rates into an economy that is already stalled or contracting, unemployment and general pain on Main Street increases.  Workers are laid-off, incomes shrink, consumer spending drops and that leads to less employment.  Recessions are bad for middle-class and working-class people.

However, that said, there is one benefit from a recession…. Energy use drops.

Aug 10 2023

Homelessness in the US at All-Time High


Armstrong Economics Blog/Real Estate Re-Posted Aug 10, 2023 by Martin Armstrong

The housing crisis has become a massive issue in America. People with decent jobs are unable to afford housing, and those who were already down and out have little chance of survival. Then we poured the migrant crisis on top of the fire and have created a situation that is turning America into a second-world nation. Not so coincidentally, most of the homeless population lives in blue cities. The US spent over $51 billion on the homeless crisis last year, but where has the money gone?

Homelessness in the US has spiked by 65% since 2016! The Annual Homelessness Assessment Report said it is common for half a million people to be experiencing homelessness on any given night. The data is not in for 2023 when the migrant crisis really took hold after title 42 came to an end, so these figures I will present are nothing compared to our current reality in 2023. For every 10,000 Americans, 18 do not have a home. Around 72% are single adults, but an alarming 28% are families living with children. Five percent of the homeless population are unaccompanied youth under 25. Our veterans compose 6% of the homeless population as well.

Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islanders have the highest rate of homelessness with 121 out of every 10,000 people living in crisis. The Black community has a disproportionate amount of homeless too with 48.2 of every 10,000 experiencing homelessness. Native Americans come in at a close third with 44.9 out of every 10,000 having no place to call home. Sixty-eight percent of all homeless individuals are male.

The US Federal government spent over $51 billion to combat the homeless crisis in 2022, but then our government took measures to worsen the matter, and economic conditions have made it nearly impossible for those with nothing to find shelter. The National Alliance to End Homelessness estimates that a chronically homeless person will cost the taxpayers an average of $35,578 per year. Yet, where is this money going? When the migrants came through, we managed to find housing and convert buildings into temporary shelters until cities became overrun and it was impossible to manage — the federal bill for homelessness in FY22-23 will be astonishing.

As of March 2022, these cities saw the largest populations of unhoused individuals:

  • Los Angeles City & County 65,111
  • New York City 61,840
  • Seattle/King County 13,368
  • San Jose/Santa Clara City & County 10,028
  • Oakland, Berkeley/Alameda County 9,747
  • Sacramento City & County 9,278
  • Phoenix, Mesa/Maricopa County 9,026
  • San Diego City and County 8,427
  • San Francisco 7,754
  • Metropolitan Denver 6,884

We can see a pattern here, given that these are blue cities. Politicians touted many of these areas as “sanctuary cities” and encouraged tens of thousands of people to use the last of their resources to relocate there. And now, these people have nowhere to stay and no resources to leave. Promising sanctuary should have been a crime in itself. Criminalizing homelessness will not solve the solution and will only further burden the taxpayers. Anyone living in a major American city will tell you first-hand that the number of unhoused people has exploded in the past year. This is a SERIOUS and growing problem that is not being addressed. The government is continually throwing more money at the problem, but it is only worsening.

Aug 10 2023

Self-Defense Illegal in Blue Cities


Armstrong Economics Blog/USA Current Events Re-Posted Aug 10, 2023 by Martin Armstrong

Criminals have the right of way in the US where they are permitted to commit crimes with absolutely no repercussions. I advise you to read my article on the Cloward-Piven Strategy if you want to know the real reason this is all happening. Overburden the bureaucracy to break the system, create controlled chaos, usurp power as civil unrest peaks, and offer government aid as the only solution. This was the basis behind the Cloward-Piven strategy created by sociologists Frances Fox Piven and her husband, Richard Cloward. The couple published their theory in The Nation Magazine on May 2, 1966, entitled “The Weight of the Poor: A Strategy to End Poverty.”

The four steps of the Cloward-Piven Strategy:

  1. Overload and Break the Welfare System
  2. Have Chaos Ensue
  3. Take Control in the Chaos
  4. Implement Socialism and Communism through Government Force

In Chicago, we see mobs of people absolutely destroying small businesses and personal property. It is not safe there. Yet, the mayor refuses to call these groups “mobs” and urges the public to have compassion for the criminals.

In Oakland, California, the police are advising residents to place security bars on their doors and windows due to the uptick in crime. Burglaries have risen over 41% in Oakland and robberies are up 20%. Instead of properly telling residents that their 2A rights may be the only difference between life and death, the police have advised residents to use airhorns. Breitbart reported on a recent incident that went as expected:“On Sunday, July 30, 2023, a 75-year-old Oakland woman was home alone and armed with more than an airhorn when two alleged armed intruders entered her home. The woman had a .357 Magnum revolver, which she used to fire one shot at the alleged intruders, KTVU reported. The alleged intruders fired multiple shots then fled the scene.”

Clearly, the airhorns did not cause the criminals to flee. This woman is lucky that she was armed when criminals, likely career criminals who fail to contribute to society in any meaningful way, broke into her home.

In Stockton, California, a 7-Eleven convenience store owner was robbed by the same man on multiple occasions. The police did not assist the clerk after he pleaded for help numerous times. There are videos showing the same man casually robbing the store. “Look how relaxed he is. That’s the Democratic law in California where the criminal is the victim because, you know, ‘the system is racist‘,” Fox News contributor Leo Terrell commented.

The store owner finally decided to fight back. He did not use lethal force but began beating the career criminal with a broomstick as another man held him down. They can’t cry racism because the store owner is Sikh. The criminal began complaining that he was in pain and cried on camera, causing the tables to turn, and the store owner was placed under investigation. You are permitted to steal up to a certain amount in California; Newsom has ensured it by law. So technically this “criminal” is a law-abiding citizen in the state of California.

Self-defense in Biden’s America is now considered vigilantism. They are following the Cloward-Piven model and ensuring that chaos ensues across the nation. Then they will cry that we need gun control – so that these vigilantes who don’t want to be harmed by criminals cannot protect themselves and must rely on the police who are not permitted to protect them. Blue cities in this country are absolutely ruined and people need to consider this at the polls.

Aug 10 2023

Poland & Niger


Armstrong Economics Blog/Uncategorized Re-Posted Aug 9, 2023 by Martin Armstrong

QUESTION: Mr. Armstrong, We met when you came to lecture here in Poland. Everything you warned about has unfolded right down to a dollar high in 2022, followed by a low in 2023. The majority now are against the government. We, too, fear that the election may be rigged later this year. Putting all these troops on the border with Ukraine, which includes 40,000 Americans, has raised grave concerns that our government will cross the border in hopes of getting Russia to attack our troops to justify NATO invoking Article V. Some are starting to wonder if our government needs to get Russia to attack us to suspend elections as Zelensky has done in Ukraine.

What do you see for Poland ahead?

Aleksy

ANSWER: Yes, it has been quite a while. Thank you for recommending Krakow. It was beautiful. Loved the architecture and vast square. I know the concerns there about the upcoming elections. We have a Panic Cycle in November. I am also aware of the idea of Polish troops crossing the border and taking the Western portion of Ukraine, which used to be their territory. Putin has warned about this, but the Western press calls it misinformation and Russian propaganda. Then you have Yevgeny Prigozhin in Belarus with his eyes on Poland. Your government is indeed pushing the envelope.

The risk remains that the greenback will rise into 2027, which seems to be more on the threat of war. You have Poland, Lithuania, and Estonia with severe concerns about Russia retaking the region. The Russian people are not really interested in that. Much of that propaganda has been spread by the ISW and NATO, which is desperate to remain relevant.

I think Zelensky’s days are numbered. If he is assassinated, it will be for what he has done to Ukraine. The social media in Ukraine shows funerals and images of the dead. The kill ratio is 5 Ukrainian soldiers to even one Russian and that comes from Ukraine – not Russia.

Ukraine is losing badly. That is my concern that the Polish/American Troops will cross the border begging for Russia to attack them so they can indeed invoke Article V. The share market is going to roll over. Closing below last week’s low should spark a correction, and the volatility should start next week.

Insofar as this election being rigged, I appreciate the concern. Poland will reach a critical turning point on October 26th, 2023, which is now 34 years from the overthrow of communism on June 4th, 1989. There should be a shift in politics; ideally, the present government should lose. That remains to be seen.

We seem to be begging to start another proxy war against Russia in the middle of Africa. There was a coup overthrowing the government, and you have people chanting chanting “Wagner” and raising Russian flags. The whole problem has been the Neocons and their private propaganda machine, the ISW, keep projecting that Russia is weak and they can take it down. Russia can manufacture all the weapons it needs, and it is one of the wealthiest countries on the planet regarding natural resources. These people are putting out fake news to encourage war, telling everyone the West can win.

This is more akin to the US Civil War, where the North had all the capacity to manufacture weapons, and the South had been primarily an agrarian society. The South needed money and supplies from Europe.

Secretary of State William Henry Seward (1801–1872) for the North was deeply concerned that no foreign nation would intervene in the conflict on behalf of the Confederacy. Russia came to Seward’s aid to protect the US from a European invasion. Russia sent its warships to protect New York City and San Francisco in 1863 against the British and French, who perhaps considered the American Civil War an opportunity to conquer the United States.

In contrast, the Confederate diplomats desperately attempted to convince the stronger European countries to come to their aid and intercede on their behalf. These diplomats were successful in helping to convince Great Britain and France, two European countries that had much at stake in the outcome of the American conflict, to legally confer belligerent status upon the Confederacy, which recognized it as a nation engaged in war. In other words, they recognized the South as independent. In contrast, today, the West refuses to grant that to the Donbas in Ukraine despite the Minsk Agreement and the fact that the people there are Russian, while Ukraine outlaws their language and their religion.

In fact, Abraham Lincoln drew his Emancipation Proclamation taking the actions of Tsar Alexander II (b: 1818; 1855–1881), who issued his own Emancipation Manifesto on March 3rd, 1861, emancipating 23 million Russian serfs. American abolitionists cheered his action and pushed for Lincoln to do the same, which he finally did on January 1st, 1863. Russians were actually shocked when the American states descended into armed conflict over the issue. In Russia, the serf owned nothing, and they were not happy. They embraced Marxism, and the first Russian Revolution followed in 1905, 43 years later (8.6/2).

Aug 10 2023

Western Sanctions Not Impacting Russian Economy as Much as Expected


Posted originally on the CTH on August 9, 2023 | Sundance 

I have been researching the MACRO economic dynamic in Russia quite deeply for the past six months.  Essentially looking to discover not only what impact the western imposed sanctions might be having, but more broadly looking to see what happens to self-sustainability when essentially locked out from the world of commercial imports.

The research is fascinating, not simply because it is a unique opportunity, but also because national economic issues play a big role in the overall social dynamic.  That said, I can say the social aspect is stunningly more interesting than the data driven outcomes.  When you really dig deep into actual life of the ordinary people in Russia, far away from the geopolitical contexts, you get an entirely different perspective.  My worldview of the average Russian person/family has completely changed.

There is a really good thread on how the western sanctions against Russia are having a much lesser impact than initially thought [SEE HERE].  On the economic side, one thing I would point to is how the economy is essentially an outcome of two facets: (1) the internal production strength, and (2) the service side of the ledger.

[READ HERE]

The author makes the accurate point that from a production side perspective, Russia actually has a larger economy now than Germany, the largest EU nation.  The cause for this is “autarchy” or self-sufficiency.  Indeed, as the timeline of the sanctions closes in on the second year completing, the Russian production economy is even stronger than when the sanctions began.  Quite simply, they are making even more of their own goods now.

The sanctions hit what would typically fall into the service side of the economy, as well as financial and economic roadblocks.  However, that aspect of the Russian economy was much smaller than most suspected and there were sanctions going back to 2014 which made the outcome of the 2022 western imposed restrictions less impactful.

I will be finishing my review of the economic data once Q3 is over, that will give me an entire year of data to share.  However, the social stuff is even more fascinating.

I have a new understanding of why former NSA contractor Edward Snowden was so comfortable using Russia as the place to hide after his release of classified intelligence showing how the U.S. government was spying on Americans via social media and metadata collection.

I have mostly been looking at three areas in Western Russia.  Kazan, Moscow and St Petersburg (formerly Leningrad).  Of the three generally large metropolitan areas, St Petersburg is by far the most interesting.  It’s beautiful there and the city is alive and vibrant.

In many ways you might compare Russia in 2023 to the USA in/around 1988.  Life is just not complicated and far more socially engaged.

I’ll have more on this later, but if you are ever bored check out the Russian YouTubers who livestream broadcast “a day-in-the-life” type of activity.  The infrastructure is in generally good repair, the people seem warm and friendly and there is a strong social value placed on family and kids.

There are certainly negatives and the cultural dynamic of the former USSR is still evident.  Technologically they are somewhat behind in some details, but the overall cohesion of their value system is something I did not fully appreciate until I started down this road of research.

I can see why the average Russian could be wide-eyed during a visit to the USA and fascinated with the overall quality of life that might be considered indulgent.  However, I can also see how reciprocally the average American could be wide-eyed and smiling at the overall sense of the Russian people.

Strip out the politics, and we are all much more similar than we are different.

Aug 10 2023

The Intercept Publishes Diplomatic Cable Highlighting U.S. Pressure on Pakistan to Remove President Imran Khan


Posted originally on the CTH on August 9, 2023 | Sundance 

What do Pakistan’s Imran Khan, Brazil’s Jair Bolsonaro, USA’s Donald Trump, Hungary’s Viktor Orban and Mexico’s Lopez-Obrador all have in common?

First, they are all strong nationalists. Second, the U.S. government has either influenced the removal and judicial incarceration or is currently seeking the removal and judicial incarceration of each of them.

As the U.S. State Dept. (Tony Blinken), USAID (Samantha Power) and CIA (Director Burns) conduct influence operations around the world to advance the interests of the multinationals; newly released diplomatic cables from inside Pakistan reveal the U.S. influence effort to remove former Pakistan President Imran Khan.

It sucks to wake up every day and accept the USA are the bad guys.

THE U.S. STATE DEPARTMENT encouraged the Pakistani government in a March 7, 2022, meeting to remove Imran Khan as prime minister over his neutrality on the Russian invasion of Ukraine, according to a classified Pakistani government document obtained by The Intercept.

The meeting, between the Pakistani ambassador to the United States and two State Department officials, has been the subject of intense scrutiny, controversy, and speculation in Pakistan over the past year and a half, as supporters of Khan and his military and civilian opponents jockeyed for power.

The political struggle escalated on August 5 when Khan was sentenced to three years in prison on corruption charges and taken into custody for the second time since his ouster. Khan’s defenders dismiss the charges as baseless. The sentence also blocks Khan, Pakistan’s most popular politician, from contesting elections expected in Pakistan later this year.

One month after the meeting with U.S. officials documented in the leaked Pakistani government document, a no-confidence vote was held in Parliament, leading to Khan’s removal from power. The vote is believed to have been organized with the backing of Pakistan’s powerful military. Since that time, Khan and his supporters have been engaged in a struggle with the military and its civilian allies, whom Khan claims engineered his removal from power at the request of the U.S.

The text of the Pakistani cable, produced from the meeting by the ambassador and transmitted to Pakistan, has not previously been published. The cable, known internally as a “cypher,” reveals both the carrots and the sticks that the State Department deployed in its push against Khan, promising warmer relations if Khan was removed, and isolation if he was not. (read more, including cable)

Aug 9 2023

Gen X No Longer Saving for Retirement


Armstrong Economics Blog/Economics Re-Posted Aug 9, 2023 by Martin Armstrong

(click on the image above for a clear view)

A new survey by Clever Real Estate shows that 64% of Gen Xers have stopped saving for retirement. These are the people born between 1965 and 1980. Retirement has become a luxury, and people are working well into their golden years out of necessity. The cost of living is so high that the majority cannot afford to save for the future. Social Security will not be there to soften the blow, pensions are failing for those lucky enough to secure one, and we soon will have a nation of elderly individuals with no financial means. This is a great premise to usher in the Great Reset, where the government usurps all power, as people may have no other option.

According to the survey, 56% of respondents have less than $100,000 in savings, while 22% have absolutely nothing saved for retirement. Most (69%) would like to retire before the age of 65, but only 37% believe that is a possibility. In fact, 19% do not believe they will retire before 80, and 11% believe they will be working until the day they die.

The average 401K match from employers is at an all-time high of 4.7%, but people are still unable to stow away funds. Of those who never saved for retirement, 73% said they simply could not afford to save, while 30% said they were focused on paying off debt. Over half (52%) said they have over $10,000 in non-mortgage outstanding payments. Around 44% blame the poor economic conditions of the US for their dilemma.

Americans are falling deeper into debt and have no plans for financial management. Americans raked in a record $17.05 trillion in debt during Q1 of 2023 alone. Credit card debt is at an all-time high, and the cost of borrowing continues to rise. Public schools do not educate people on the importance of saving for retirement, and we are all paying into Social Security with no guarantee that it will be paid back to us. America is heading toward a retirement crisis.