Tag Archives: Progressivism

Jul 24 2019

Milton Friedman Speaks – Myths That Conceal Reality


Published on Jul 31, 2012

Five myths cloud our perception of both the past and the present. (1) The “robber baron” myth, which holds that in late nineteenth-century America there were powerful men who became rich at the expense of the poor. The reality is that they became wealthy by being productive, and that there is no other period in history which saw such a rapid and widespread improvement in the well-being of the average individual; (2) The myth that the Great Depression was caused by a failure of business, when it was, in fact, produced by a failure of government and specifically by the Federal Reserve System; (3) The myth that government in the economy has expanded in response to public demand, when, actually, the public has had to be sold “hard” for politicians to enact every major social program; (4) The “free lunch” myth, which forces the individual to pay more, no matter how the government raises money – by taxing individuals, by taxing businesses, or by printing more money; and (5) The myth that government, like Robin Hood, transfers wealth from the rich to the poor, when the reality is that the government usually transfers wealth and income from both the very rich and the very poor to those in the middle. Check out our Facebook page here: https://www.facebook.com/FreeToChoose…
Jul 24 2019

Boris Johnson Wins Party Vote Becomes Newest British Prime Minister…


Re-Posted from The Conservative Tree house on July 23, 2019 by 

Boris Johnson has succeeded in beating his nearest rival Jeremy Hunt for leadership of the conservative party in the U.K. thereby becoming the next Prime Minister. One of the priority challenges for Prime Minister Johnson will be navigating a successful Brexit.

A full three years after the British electorate voted to leave the European Union, the elites in Britain have continued to stymie the referendum in their effort to remain attached to the communal values of the collective society.  Thus gave rapid rise, recently, to the Brexit Party as a national force led by Nigel Farage.  It’s the UK version of ‘deplorables’ vs ‘elites’.

The British Parliament is filled with elected members who stand in opposition to the majority of the British citizenry.  It is amid this professionally political and elitist disconnect that Boris Johnson must now attempt to deliver Brexit, while the purchased politicians of both institutional parties will oppose his effort. [Sound familiar?]

London (AFP) – Boris Johnson won the race to become Britain’s next prime minister on Tuesday, heading straight into a confrontation over Brexit with Brussels and parliament, as well as a tense diplomatic stand-off with Iran.

The former London mayor easily beat his rival, Foreign Secretary Jeremy Hunt, in a vote of grassroots members of the governing Conservative Party.

He is expected to be confirmed as prime minister on Wednesday when Theresa May formally tenders her resignation to Queen Elizabeth II.

US President Donald Trump was the first world leader to offer his congratulations, saying: “He will be great!”

It is a triumph for a man who has always coveted the premiership. But Johnson, known for his jokes and bluster, is taking over at a time of immense political upheaval.

Three years after the referendum vote to leave the European Union, Britain remains a member amid continued wrangling in a divided parliament on how to proceed.

– ‘We’ll get Brexit done’ –

Johnson led the referendum “Leave” campaign and — after May delayed Brexit twice — insists the latest deadline must be met, with or without a divorce agreement with the EU.

“We’re going to get Brexit done on October 31,” he declared in a speech to party members in London, after winning 66 percent of almost 140,000 votes cast.  (read more)

Here is Johnson’s victory speech. [Prompted, just hit play]

Jul 23 2019

Why Hedge Funds Have Missed the Moves


Armstrong Economics Blog/Dow Jones

Re-Posted Jul 23, 2019 by Martin Armstrong

COMMENT: Well, Ray Dalio was short the market, missed the rally, and lost almost 5% for the first half of the year. Obviously, they don’t use Socrates – lol.

LB

REPLY: I do not advise Bridgewater and I have no idea if they even subscribe to Socrates. But what you have to realize is that a lot of these hedge funds form their strategy based upon opinion for the broader view. When you have a portfolio of that size, you cannot simply trade it back and forth for each move. The question becomes critical as to where to draw the line to realize your broadview strategy is wrong.

I have stated many times that the trend does NOT begin to shift until you reach the Monthly Level. We saw that in Gold when it finally got through 1362.50 after nearly four years of bouncing off that number. In the case of the Dow Jones Industrials, our hedging models for institutions were long one month from the low and has remained in that position. This is just a hedging model which is either long or short. It at least tends to keep institutions on the right side of the trend for long periods of time.

Aside from the Reversal System, the Energy Model is extremely helpful in identifying the position of the market and if there is a risk of a crash or a rally. The Energy Model turned negative, demonstrating that there was no possibility of a crash as most analysts were forecasting from a gut perspective. A crash would have been possible ONLY if the Energy Model was at a peak. When it is testing the lows or a negative, it is warning that the energy in the market has already dissipated.

We are simply headed into a Monetary Crisis Cycle where the majority of people will never be able to forecast what will unfold from a personal gut perspective. This is not a time for lucky calls. We need objective time-tested analysis that is not clouded by human bias. This is when we need the global approach to let Socrates simply correlate the world to enable us to see the real trends that are in motion. The worst thing you can do is ASSUME you have missed something, as that is typically the kiss of death for investors where they inevitably buy the high or sell the low.

Jul 22 2019

Are the Neo-Cons in League with Israel?


Armstrong Ecomics Blog/Middle East

Re-Posted Jul 21, 2019 by Martin Armstrong

QUESTION: Do you think the neo-cons who pushed the Iraq War and are pushing to annihilate Iran now, are covertly in league with Israel?

Anonymous

ANSWER: There is an agenda among the neo-cons who WRONGLY believe that overturning various Arab governments and installing democratic systems will protect Israel. I disagree with that philosophy and I believe that they have manipulated the US government into a dangerous agenda. This is why they have been against Trump because he does not want to send American soldiers to the Middle East for an agenda that offers no benefit to the United States whatsoever.

Yes, people speculate that the Israel government is covertly behind the neo-cons, whereas many Israeli people just want peace. I have not seen any direct evidence of that. I do know some of these neo-cons and have had face to face discussions with them over the years. I believe they are seriously wrong and have placed the world into a state of high risk. Their policies have polarized the relationships between the USA and Russia, which is not in the interest of world peace. I have stated many times, my view is simply that war no longer remains valid from a historical perspective. It used to be about conquest and empire-building. Today, nobody wants to occupy their opponent. I see no purpose to war economically. but it has come down to nothing more than a schoolyard brawl where people fight simply because they do not like the other person. There is nothing to gain from this nonsense.

Jul 22 2019

Pay Attention Millennials – Bernie Sanders Will Cut Campaign Worker Hours to Achieve $15 Hour Wages…


Re-Posted from The Conservative Tree House on July 21, 2019 by 

Hopefully the Che’ T-shirt crowd will see the logical outcome to the proposed wage/benefit schemes of the socialist ideologues by watching how Bernie Sanders plans to increase campaign workers pay to $15/hr, by cutting their hours – not actually increasing wages.

After coming under fire for not delivering on his promise to pay campaign workers $15/hr, communist Bernie has a solution: Cut their hours.  Then workers will be forced to get another job.

Perhaps, just perhaps, democrat voters will notice this was/is the outcome of the Obama economic wage/labor scheme that led to people having to get two and three jobs. An outcome those same democrat candidates openly rail against in talking points.

WASHINGTON – Democrat presidential candidate Bernie Sandersannounced this weekend he will cut staffers’ hours so that they can effectively be paid a $15-an-hour minimum wage, prompting mockery from critics who say the move is more evidence that Sanders’ plan to raise the national minimum wage is hypocritical and would only lead to less work and more unemployment.

The Washington Post first reported last Thursday that Sanders’ field staffers were upset that Sanders championed a $15 minimum wage on the campaign trail, and made headlines for railing against major corporations who pay “starvation wages” — even as his own employees made “poverty wages.” (read more)

Ironically this approach hearkens back to the historic outcome of socialist policy.  Capitalist Bernie is rebuking Communist Bernies’ labor talking points.

Additionally, Bernie is including non-compensatory benefits (healthcare etc.) as part of the overall $15/hr compensation package…. Yes, more natural outcomes.

[Bernie] went on to say that the union contract “not only provides pay of at least $15 an hour, it also provides, I think, the best health care benefits that any employer can provide for our field organizers.”

Those healthcare benefits are included in the $36k/yr pay package that belays the $15/hr wage point.  2,000 hrs (40 per week x 50 weeks) worked at $15/hr is $30k, with $6k in benefits.  If benefit costs increase to $8k worked hours need to be reduced to keep the $15 standard.   A capitalist outcome Communist Bernie has railed against, yet now applies.

Brianne Pfannenstiel

✔@brianneDMR

Bernie Sanders says his campaign will limit the hours staffers work so they are paid the equivalent of $15 an hour. “I’m very proud to be the first presidential candidate to recognize a union and negotiate a union contract,” he told me. https://www.desmoinesregister.com/story/news/elections/presidential/caucus/2019/07/19/bernie-sanders-campaign-staff-wage-15-hour-union-elizabeth-warren-campaign-wages/1781159001/ …

Bernie Sanders defends staff compensation after complaints his campaign isn’t paying $15 an hour

“It does bother me that people are going outside of the process and going to the media,” Bernie Sanders told the Des Moines Register. “That is really not acceptable.

desmoinesregister.com

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neontaster@neontaster

This reminds me of that take about how farmers in the USSR had more vacation time than people in the US now.

The point of raising the minimum wage is that so PEOPLE MAKE MORE MONEY, not make the same amount of money and have 3 days off a week, you dolt. https://twitter.com/not_bullwinkle/status/1152991773070962688 …

Bullwinkle J. Moose 🇺🇸🌐@not_bullwinkle

even for neontaster this is staggeringly dumb

is he seriously saying that getting the same amount of money for less work is not a benefit?

there’s more to life than how much you make in a year https://twitter.com/neontaster/status/1152971027930124290 …

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Jul 19 2019

The Media Protecting Ilhan Omar’s Obviously False Presentation of Family is a Gift To President Trump…


Re-Posted from The Conservative Tree House on July 18, 2019 by 

The 2019 U.S. media are akin to the Monty Python “killer rabbit” skit, as every broadcast and print publication runs away from anything that might be adverse to their political interests.  Oh noes, run away… run away…  Yes, at this point it really is comical.

An armed Antifa terrorist can attempt to use home-made bombs to attack an ICE detention center, get killed in the process, and leave behind a manifesto that actually quotes Democrat Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez as his motive to stop the “concentration camps”, and the media flee from coverage…. “run away“.  Meanwhile the world comes to an end over a Trump tweet with apoplectic wall-to-wall coverage.

The entire landscape of 2019 media is a skit beyond mocking; thus the transparently false story behind the life of Hamasketeer #2, lhan Omar, is yet another visible part of this ridiculous pantomime.  It is obvious the story of Omar’s husbro marriage was intended to manipulate the refugee visa program to the benefit of her brother. However, now it surfaces that Omar isn’t even a member of the refugee family she used to escape Somalia:

Steinberg Research Article Here

…’I am legally married to one and culturally to another’… (link)

Representative Ilhan Omar’s visa manipulation by faux-marriage is a process similar to the visa-fraud process used in the San Bernadino terror case involving Syed/Tashfeen Malik, and faux-marriage Tatiana Farook.  [Same with Orlando Pulse nightclub terror case involving Omar Mateen and Noor Salman.]

The longer the mainstream media tries to run away from the obvious truth behind the Ilhan Omar refugee/visa scam, the more ridiculous they look doing so.

The UK Daily Mail has already outlined the fraud [SEE HERE], the Star Tribune has already outlined the fraud [SEE HERE], and a host of other research, including documents to evidence the fraud has been brought to light; just like the Powerline Article.

At this point, the media’s refusal to admit Ilhan Omar lied to escape Somalia; and then lied again -via marriage-  to get an entry visa for her brother, while being married to another man, just makes the media look even more political and more manipulative.

The end result, this helps frame the truthfulness behind the term “Fake News”.

~ The Hamasketeers ~

Jul 18 2019

Italy Seizes Missile from Far Right Activists


Armstrong Economics Blog/Civil Unrest

Posted Jul 18, 2019 by Martin Armstrong

The tensions in Europe continue to rise as the entire refugee issue has led to a major polarization within Europe. In Italy, the BBC reported that an anti-terrorism police unit in northern Italy seized an air-to-air missile and other sophisticated weapons during raids on far-right extremist groups who were combat ready. The missiles belong to Neo-Nazi propaganda groups and they originated from the Qatari armed forces. The civil unrest that our computer has been forecasting on a global scale is here to stay and is heating up as we head into 2024.