Tag Archives: U. S. Critical Race Theory

Mar 17 2022

U.S. Retail Sales Collapse as Govt and Media Attempt Denial That Economy Is Contracting


Posted originally on the conservative tree house on March 16, 2022 | Sundance 

Move along, move along folks… please do not pay attention to the fire raging downtown, the suburbs are so nice this time of year… move along folks, look shiny Ukraine thing over there…

When retail sales are calculated, they are calculated in dollars.  Any recorded increase in retail sales that does not exceed the price increases in those items is factually reflecting a drop in units sold.

Ex. – if you sell 300 items at $1.00 each, you have $300 in sales.  If you sell 250 items at $1.25 each, you have $312.50 in sales.  Technically, you have a 4.1% increase in sales.  However, you have sold 17% less items (50 units).

When you are selling less stuff, your business (economy) is contracting, not expanding.  We have been in this contracting cycle (an actual production recession) since May/June of last year; however, the contraction has not been recognized because massive inflation is hiding it.  That, my friends, is the painful truth and it spells big trouble ahead.

(AP) […] Retail sales increased 0.3% after registering a revised 4.9% jump from December to January, fueled by wage gains, solid hiring and more money in banking accounts, according to the Commerce Department. January’s increase was the biggest jump in spending since last March, when American households received a final federal stimulus check of $1,400.

Business at furniture and home furnishing stores fell 1% in February, while sales at consumer electronics and appliance stores slipped 0.6%. General merchandise stores saw business down 0.2%, while online sales fell 3.7%. Restaurant sales rose 2.5% as shoppers shift more of their spending to services as the threat of COVID-19 fades. (read more)

Take the figures above and compare them to the sector inflation in February (Table-2, BLS Report)  – Just sticking to what is above:

  • Furniture prices rose 0.8% in Feb, total furniture sales dropped 1.0%
  • Electronics and appliances rose around 1.8% in Feb, sales dropped 0.6%
  • Online sales items rose in price around 0.5%, sales dropped 3.7%

.

What this reflects is an actual contraction much greater than the dollar drop in sales.   In most cases the unit sales dropped at a rate six times the price difference.  If you reverse engineer the math, the average is approximately a 15% reduction in durable good units purchased.

In a very macro perspective, that means the U.S. economy overall has approximately 15% too much labor in the sectors associated with the categories of goods that people have stopped purchasing.  This means people working in the durable goods sector, production, assembly, transportation, delivery and retail sales staff, are about to get laid off work, RIF’d and downsized.

Math is math, and inflation clouds the realities of the economy.

Ordinary people are prioritizing spending and watching their wages get chewed up by higher prices for food, energy, fuel and housing.  If you live in a predominantly working class or blue-collar area, when you start seeing contraction locally, you can be sure it will show up nationally.

Prepare for a long-duration recession, combined with increasingly costly energy costs.

However, do not distress yourself with dark imaginings.  Instead, empower yourself.  Take action today to evaluate your expenses and then ask how can I lower those expense costs by modifying my habits?  Think strategically about convenience -vs- costs -vs- how much your own time is worth.

You may not need to modify anything.  Or you may need to reevaluate priorities in order to help your kids or grandkids.

Be wise.

Be the hero for your family.

Be strong.

Be proactive.

Above all, be thankful to a loving God.  No weapon formed against you shall prosper.

Stay humble in your expectations, stay connected to your stabilized core self, and embrace fellowship.

This too shall pass.

#FJB

Mar 17 2022

Joe Biden Says Every American Knows Someone Blackmailed by Intimate, Naked and Sexually Explicit Pictures


Posted originally on the conservative tree house on March 16, 2022 | Sundance

This is really weird folks, and not just the part I am highlighting here.   In a very creepy public presentation today by Joe Biden highlighting the extension of the ‘violence against women act‘, Biden went through the stages of shouting then whispering as he delivered remarks about abuse and exploitation based on gender.

In part of his remarks, and trust me, the entire remarks were seriously disturbing, Joe Biden said, “I’ll bet everybody knows someone, somewhere along the line, that in an intimate relationship what happened was the guy takes a revealing picture of a naked friend, or whatever, in a compromising position, and then literally in a sense blackmails them or mortifies them.”  WATCH: 26:55 prompted:

https://youtube.com/watch?v=dnjNvic4JjE%3Fstart%3D1615%26feature%3Doembed

Maybe it’s my own naiveté, but I don’t know a single person this would relate to.

Perhaps this says something about the culture in/around Washington DC that sexploitation is such a familiar topic.  Regardless, if these comments were in his teleprompter, that tells us a lot about the people surrounding the office of the president, and it is not good.

Mar 17 2022

Inflection Point Maximum, Volodymyr Zelenskyy Addresses a Joint Session of Congress


Posted originally on the conservative tree hose on March 16, 2022 | Sundance 

There is so much that needs to be said about this.  It is almost impossible to put into an appropriate context, knowing that history will look upon this moment as the inflection point of no return.

Here is what took place in Washington DC, earlier today, as Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy addressed a joint session of congress. WATCH:

https://youtube.com/watch?v=zZOjM6zvK0Q%3Fstart%3D15%26feature%3Doembed
https://youtube.com/watch?v=nNFC7IWXQfo%3Ffeature%3Doembed

Perhaps, pictures are worth more words….

Mar 16 2022

World Bank Warns Against Hoarding and Russia Turns to the Yuan


Armstrong Economics Blog/Capital Flow Re-Posted Mar 16, 2022 by Martin Armstrong

There will be a run on gas and food, the World Bank inadvertently reported. World Bank President David Malpass is warning people not to hoard essentials amid runaway inflation and monetary policies that continue to worsen every variable of the situation. Malpass simply said he expects nations to begin or continue resourcing energy and food/food supplies outside of Russia. “The right thing to do in these current circumstances is not to go out and buy extra flour or extra gasoline, it’s to recognize that the world is a dynamic global economy and will respond. There’ll be enough to go around,” he warned.

As our models predicted, China will soon become the financial capital of the world. The yuan accounted for 13.1% of Russia’s central bank’s foreign currency as of June 2021, compared to only 0.1% during the same month of 2017. China remains Russia’s top gas export, ahead of even the EU, with China purchasing $79.3 billion in 2021 (56% solely from energy exports). Russia is now using the yuan as its foreign reserve currency. China is not confiscating assets from Russian civilians under the infuriating theory of conspiracy.

The situation for many will only deteriorate from here. I wish I could provide a more optimistic forecast, but I must go off what the models state rather than my own hopes or opinions. Again, the World Bank is now acknowledging that food and energy will become scarce.

Mar 16 2022

Their Medicine is Poison


Armstrong Economics Blog/Vaccine Re-Posted Mar 16, 2022 by Martin Armstrong

Pfizer chief Albert Bourla is now insisting that the COVID vaccine will be needed annually, akin to a flu shot. “It is necessary, a fourth booster right now,” Bourla said. “The protection that you are getting from the third, it is good enough, actually quite good for hospitalizations and deaths.” It is quite good for hospitalizations and deaths. VAERS has reported that myocarditis is on the rise, especially among otherwise healthy teenagers.

VAERS found that myocarditis alarmingly rose by 47% in the first two months of 2022. VAERS recorded 24,177 cases of pericarditis/myocarditis in 2021 but tallied 11,289 cases in the first eight weeks of the new year. Before Pfizer released their vaccine, 23% of those in the trial group experienced adverse events,  while over 1,200 people died. Any other trial would have been immediately discontinued. Health agencies would, under other circumstances, approve a “medicine” with such a high probability of causing death or extreme adverse side effects.

Sadly, young people are much more likely to experience pericarditis/myocarditis. This is a ticking time bomb. When an increasing number of otherwise healthy teens and young adults begin dying from heart problems, there will be a price to pay. Big Pharma may be immune but the people who forced the population to take this poison are not. The side effects from the gene-editing vaccine are in no way comparable to the flu vaccine, as the data notes, with people of all ages experiencing far worse side effects.

These are only the short-term side effects, but if this trend continues we should expect many more vaccine victims to step forward. Our model warned that Pfizer would peak in 2022. I do not understand how anyone could sign up for a fourth dose of this poison when there is evidence that it is killing people.

Mar 16 2022

Uber and Lyft Charging Gas Surcharge Fees


Armstrong Economics Blog/Energy Re-Posted Mar 16, 2022 by Martin Armstrong

Both Uber and Lyft announced plans to add a fuel surcharge for all rides and deliveries. The average driver in the US is now paying $4.32 per gallon of regular-grade fuel. In comparison, the average driver was only paying $2.86 for regular fuel one year ago, which was considered high at the time.

Uber will add a fee of $0.45 to $0.55 per trip, and deliveries will cost an additional $0.35 to $0.45. The company is implementing surcharges in the US, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand. They believe the surcharge will last for two months, which seems baseless considering the energy crisis shows no signs of slowing. The surcharge will apply to electric vehicles as well.

Lyft followed suit and added a surcharge as well. “Driver earnings overall remain elevated compared to last year, but given the rapid rise in gas prices we’ll be asking riders to pay a temporary fuel surcharge, all of which will go to drivers,” CEO CJ Macklin said. Both companies said that the extra payment will go directly to their drivers, but driving for either company may seem less appealing. The average cost of gas is up over $0.26 in the past week, and the surcharge is likely not enough to account for the extra costs that drivers will face at the pump.

Mar 16 2022

Poking the Panda


Armstrong Economics Blog/China Re-Posted Mar 16, 2022 by Martin Armstrong

Japan has made the very same mistake just the following orders from Washington about seizing Russian assets. The Japanese government is freezing the assets of 17 more Russian politicians tycoons, and their relatives to step up sanctions and pressure Moscow to end its invasion of Ukraine. Russia froze, in turn, a list of US politicians which interestingly included Hillary Clinton because she was behind the whole 2000 attempt to blackmail Yeltsin which the American Press will never report no less investigate

Meanwhile, things are heating now around Taiwan as the US has for the first time in several years, sent an American aircraft carrier just outside China’s maritime waters demonstrating its’s read to launch World War III. China’s military leadership has put the country’s Armed Forces on alert for 12 days while they have now ordered the largest airborne and amphibious landing exercise in their military history.

China is moving rapidly to circumvent not just the SWIFT clearing system, but also to establish the Yuan as the next coming leading currency. The Euro has failed and China is negotiating even the purchase of oil from Saudi Arabia denominated in Yuan. The arrogance of the Neocons in really running the country has become well known outside the USA. They think they really can defeat both China and Russia and then Build Back Better with w new Bretton Woods. All I can say is they are seriously wrong and they will only create World War III, they will lose, and the financial capital of the world will shift to China. That has been the forecast of our computer for decades now and instead of listening, they try to defeat it.

The Chinese economy will peak in 2036 but the West in 2032. We are in the last three waves and 2023 does not look good around the world.

Mar 16 2022

The ECM & March 14th


Armstrong Economics Blog/ECM Re-Posted Mar 15, 2022 by Martin Armstrong

There are so many events that took place on the ECM turning point it is hard to cover them all. Aside from the fact that this target will most likely also see the first interest rate rise by the Fed signally that this trend has changed, the SEC came out in full force warning about count-party risks and that brokers need to collect full margins as they see a host of companies that were in Russia taking major losses just as Blackrock on its emerging market investment portfolio. Do not forget that Blackrock is a money manager and the loss in one fund cannot be covered by taking money from another separate fund. Hence, the bigger they are, the harder they do fall and we must be mindful of a crisis that can easily appear based upon a run on one entity.

We have bond markets crashing and the stocks have continued to decline in many areas because of the profound damage the Biden Administration has done globally that nobody in Washington seems to even comprehend. We are facing shortages in everything from aluminum cans to paper cups which now even Starbucks is discontinuing.

Then the London Metals Exchange (LME) for the FIRST time in history imposed a fixed price range for trading Nickel after extreme volatility in prices triggered a rare market shut down last week. The LME halted nickel trading and canceled trades after prices doubled on March 8 to more than $100,000 per tonne in a matter of hours. Naturally, they have blamed short-covering by one of the world’s top producers. Nevertheless, we are looking at a permanent disruption to world supplies and August looks to be exceptionally challenging ahead.

The LME also imposed 15% limits on other base metals including aluminum, copper, lead, tin, and zinc. This is the FIRST time in its 145-year history the LME has ever placed limits on outright contracts. This conflict in Ukraine has driven the prices of commodities higher from food to industrial metals with many reaching record highs supply from Russia has declined. Russia is a key world producer of aluminum, copper, and nickel. The price swings in Nickel last week saw the price jump more than $18,000 on Monday and then over $50,000 a day later which has sent the LME into a crisis adopting the suspension of trading.

What is unfolding is that the arrogance of the Neocons and their personal hatred of Russia and China has run its course. They are now setting in motion the decline and fall of the West. A crisis is unfolding. This crisis of commodities that our computer has been forecasting for this wave 2020-2024, is actually helping to undermine the world economy and shifting even the use of the dollar internationally. Saudi Arabia has agreed to accept the Chinese Yuan in return for oil. That is the start of this shift and this too took place on this turning point. The seizure of private Russian assets was such a profound violation of international law, that international capital realizes that the SWIFT system is now political and no longer trustworthy. The very foundation of the G7 has been undermined by the seizure of Russia’s FX reserves.

The United States has also announced a ban on Russian oil and, along with other Group of Seven (G-7) nations, moved to end Russia’s normal trade relation status, making it more difficult for Russia to do business with the West. While the US points to the collapse of the Russian Ruble and the Russian stock market remaining closed as evidence of the effectiveness of sanctions, they have not understood that they have severed the entire world economy and this has ended the dominance of Western multinational companies. Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov expressed confidence to reporters Tuesday that Russia will “find a way to eliminate” its economic dependence on the West. Indeed, we are already seeing signs that China is following the same directions. This is not a one-sided victory for the Biden Administration. They have completely destroyed the world economy in precisely three years. Decades of building international trade and trying to create free trade agreements of the past several administrations are now completely destroyed.

While Psaki told reporters that: “We’ve made President Putin’s war of choice a strategic failure,” she had better look at the catastrophic collapse unfolding in the world economy. We have the Neocons to thank for this for all they have seen is hatred for Russia and China. They have NEVER been for peace and they have always needed an enemy. The press will not report the truth that there is rising discontent among Ukrainians against Zelensky when he was elected to reduce tensions with China but has done nothing but try to create World War III. Zelensky has finally admitted that Ukraine will not join NATO – something he cause a war over which violated the principles of the 2014 Minsk Agreement.

It has been the military that has been throwing cold water on this thirst for war driven by the Neocons who run their own government within the government regardless of the administration’s objectives. This time the Neocons have gone to war too far and have placed in harm’s way, not just the Ukrainian people, by the future of the world all for their personal hatred. This is why our model shows the Decline & Fall of the West post-2032. Our politicians have allowed the Neocons to run their own secret agenda whereas the American people are tired of their endless wars.

Mar 16 2022

The Insanity of the Biden Administration – Decline & Fall of the West


Armstrong Economics Blog/Neocons Re-Posted Mar 15, 2022 by Martin Armstrong

The Biden Administration has been fully subordinated to the Great Reset. It is highly debatable if Joe is really doing anything. During an international crisis, he still takes off weekends and heads to Delaware. Gee, perhaps I should run for President and get weekends off instead of having to work 7 days a week during a crisis. OMG – I never knew I could work less as a leader of the questionable free world given the 2 years of COVID imprisonment.

Biden’s pick of Sarah Bloom Raskin for the Chair of the Federal Reserve will completely destroy the integrity of the Federal Reserve. Installing another Climate Change zealot is just beyond belief. There is no aspect of the economy that the Biden Administration has not undermined which he is desperately trying to blame inflation of Putin. From the perspective of China and Russia, they are watching their greatest adversary commit suicide. One does not step in to prevent that for it becomes an easy victory. Biden is even trying to cut a nuclear deal with Iran, which is the leading terrorist nation that was kept at bay by Saddam in Iraq who we removed. Biden will hand them money which will only be used against the United States. They will join Russia and China against the West – make no stupid mistake about that.

In all honesty, I have NEVER seen such total propaganda coming from ANY Administration as that of this one. No lie was told by any previous administration Republican or Democrat that has ever reached the level of total absurdity as what is coming from Biden and Pelosi. Pelosi actually said that government spending no longer increases the National Debt. The only possible way for that to happen is you stop borrowing and just create money. The end of Keynesian Economics. In Pelosi’s own words she actually said:

“When we’re having this discussion, it’s important to dispel some of those who say, well it’s the government spending. No, it isn’t. The government spending is doing the exact reverse, reducing the national debt. It is not inflationary.”

Then Pelosi claims that it is “Global Inflation” and that is why this is Putin’s fault. But sanctions have never work not even once in history, and they knew imposing these drastic sanctions would further the commodity shortage they already caused with the lockdowns. Then in the middle of international war, the Navy actually refused to deploy a warship because its Commander remained Unvaccinated! So you cannot defend the country unless you are vaccinated? I am sure Xi and Putin are having the biggest laugh of their life.

We are heading into war because this is not just part of the Great Reset to recreate another Bretton Woods and default on National Debts that have become no longer sustainable, but the Biolabs conducting “research” as the Neocons claim, were involved in creating Bioweapons that genetically target specific ethnic groups. They have collected a lot of DNA samples with all the COVID tests. Remember Macron refused a COVID Test by Russia because they would then have his DNA. Once you have a person’s DNA, you can create a disease that is targeted that will kill just that person. The biological weapons have advanced and this is what Russia and China are concerned about where the Neocons refuse to allow inspections.

Putin has been very consistent about stopping the advancement of NATO. It was 51.6 weeks into the Biden Administration when Russia insisted that Finland not join NATO which they rejected. In the Balkans, the Russian invasion of Ukraine has obscured the intentions of Bosnia and Herzegovina to also join NATO, which Moscow vehemently opposes. We are looking at Serbia, which is pro-Russian, also looking to oppose NATO on their border. While the West claims that NATO is defensive and not offensive, that is not what their actions suggest. They have kept trying to move forward against Russia and once NATO troops enter, they bring mobile nuclear weapons. For Ukraine to have entered NATO, that would have been the same threat to Russia as when they attempted to install nuclear weapons in Cuba during the Kennedy Administration.

In war, both sides twist the facts to support their own agenda. These Neocons have been pushing US policy regardless of the administration. The only one who stood up against them was Trump which is why they had to ensure he was removed.  Presidents appear to be afraid of the Neocons for they are a government of their own within the government.

Here is that interview where Chuck Schumer confirms that no politician will EVER investigate the intelligence branch or the Neocons for they hold unbridled power to do as they like when they like. The Neocons create the narrative and they direct the country to their agenda.

We must be focused on the weeks of 03/28, 06/06, and 09/12 geopolitically looking ahead and 2023 looks crazy both in geopolitical terms as well as economically.

Mar 16 2022

Col Douglas Macgregor Gives His Current Status Perspective on Ukraine Conflict


Posted originally on the conservative tree house on March 16, 2022 | Sundance

Trying to provide alternate perspectives on the status of the conflict in Ukraine, Aaron Mate of the Grayzone asks Col Douglas Macgregor his take on the dominate narrative in the US that militarily this is a disaster for Russia.  Colonel Macgregor outlines that western media has a specific narrative diminishing reality and filled with wishful thinking. Max Blumenthal follows up with a question on the military situation.

Col Macgregor’s take is the entire Russian Operation is focused on the Military Destruction of the Ukrainian Army. The Russian Army is largely successful in this goal, but it is going slow, because of the Russian intent to maintain critical infrastructure. The Azov Battalion’s operations Mariupol also comes up as point of discussion as one of the dynamics of the conflict.  WATCH:

https://youtube.com/watch?v=_Iw0m-Pc08Q%3Ffeature%3Doembed

The Full Two Hour Podcast Interview is HERE