The Coming Depression

Eurocrisis is a Global Crisis

2012-01-26T23:06:00.000-05:00

Leo Panitch: People need to build their own political organizations that push for public banking and serious capital controls.

Only problem is that we don't truly value freedom and education in this country. People don't care about learning and actually knowing things. They just want to get rich quick, stay safe in their cushy $9.00/hr jobs, and/or focus on frivolous things like Jersey Shore or Keeping Up with the Kardashians. We have to find a way to motivate them. Read more...

The Fed's big announcement, Down the slipway

2012-01-26T22:58:00.000-05:00

“Quantitative easing” is unloved and unappreciated—but it is working

EVEN before the Federal Reserve unveiled its second round of quantitative easing (QE) on November 3rd, critics had already denounced it as ineffectual or an invitation to inflation. It cannot be both and it may not be either.

The announcement of “QE2” was hardly breathtaking. The Fed said it will buy $600 billion of Treasuries between now and next June, at about $75 billion a month, although it also said it could adjust the amount and timing if need be. That was about what markets expected but far less than the $1.75 trillion of debt it bought between early 2009 and early 2010 in its first round of QE. Yet QE2 seems already to have exceeded the low expectations it has aroused. Since Ben Bernanke, chairman of the Fed, hinted at it at Jackson Hole on August 27th, markets have all done exactly what they should (see chart). Read more....

Average Is Over

2012-01-26T22:49:00.000-05:00

In an essay, entitled “Making It in America,” in the latest issue of The Atlantic, the author Adam Davidson relates a joke from cotton country about just how much a modern textile mill has been automated: The average mill has only two employees today, “a man and a dog. The man is there to feed the dog, and the dog is there to keep the man away from the machines.”

Davidson’s article is one of a number of pieces that have recently appeared making the point that the reason we have such stubbornly high unemployment and sagging middle-class incomes today is largely because of the big drop in demand because of the Great Recession, but it is also because of the quantum advances in both globalization and the information technology revolution, which are more rapidly than ever replacing labor with machines or foreign workers. Read more....

Get to Know Newt Gingrich

2012-01-24T03:30:00.001-05:00

Tenured CFR Member Newt Gingrich has a record that speaks for itself. Are you listening? Remember the lesser of two evils, is still evil.

The Ron Party is a place for people who believe Ron Paul is the best chance we have to restore constitutionality in America to rally around him under one name that cannot be confused or condemned for being anything other than what it states. The Ron Party is intended to create separation from the Neocon Republican Party and Infiltrated "Tee" Party. We intend to help others see the clear choice to save the Republic by exposing the Establishment and it's tactical control of both political parties. In a sense our mission is to create real choice by driving home the differences between Ron Paul and the Establishment Left Right. Read more....

The Point of No Return

2012-01-24T03:24:00.001-05:00

Mr. Paine argues that November 6, 2012 will determine America's future or lack of one.
The point of no return has passed. The electronic voting machine tabulations company was sold to a foreign private company in Spain.

That company SCYTL is the only middleman access point for over 525 jurisdictions in AL, AZ, CA, CO, DC, FL, KY, MI, KS, IL, IN, NC, NM, MN, NY, SC, TX, UT, WA. And growing.

With SCYTL, there is no physical evidence, no chain of custody. No way for the public to authenticate who actually cast the votes or the count. Our elections were sold to the highest bidder. Read more....

Is Our Economy Healing?

2012-01-23T23:22:00.000-05:00

How goes the state of the union? Well, the state of the economy remains terrible. Three years after President Obama’s inauguration and two and a half years since the official end of the recession, unemployment remains painfully high.

But there are reasons to think that we’re finally on the (slow) road to better times. And we wouldn’t be on that road if Mr. Obama had given in to Republican demands that he slash spending, or the Federal Reserve had given in to Republican demands that it tighten money.

Why am I letting a bit of optimism break through the clouds? Recent economic data have been a bit better, but we’ve already had several false dawns on that front. More important, there’s evidence that the two great problems at the root of our slump — the housing bust and excessive private debt — are finally easing. Read more.....

Why GDP report won’t be sign of what’s in store

2012-01-23T23:07:00.002-05:00

Faster fourth-quarter growth unlikely to be matched in first quarter

The economy probably grew at its fastest pace in a year and a half during the fourth quarter, a key U.S. report is expected to show, but the first three months of 2012 probably won’t be as strong.

Gross domestic product for the fourth quarter — the statistics that shows how fast the economy expanded — is the biggest report of the week. Other notable data include consumer confidence, new home sales and orders for durable goods.

The current MarketWatch forecast of economists predicts 3.0% growth in the fourth quarter, well above the third-quarter level of 1.8%. That would be the fastest pace of growth in a year and a half.

A higher fourth-quarter GDP, however, doesn’t mean the economy is ready to soar after several years of mediocre growth. Indeed, the MarketWatch forecast calls for growth to slow to 1.9% in the 2012 first quarter. Read more.....

How the U.S. Economy, Americans Fared in 2011

2012-01-22T23:30:00.003-05:00

From the jobless rate to a discouraging housing market and an aggravated lot of indebted college graduates, the year's defining economic stories kept a downbeat theme. Ray Suarez discusses 2011's economic impact with The Atlantic's Don Peck, the University of Pennsylvania's Annette Lareau and The Chicago Sun-Times' Terry Savage. Read more.....

Anger Over Debt And Poor Governance

2012-01-22T23:22:00.003-05:00

European politicians, bureaucrats, bankers and assorted other lose more and more credibility each day as we are inundated each day with more lies and deliberate misdirection regarding the course of financial events within the European Union.

The key to solving the debt crisis is Germany. The Greek debt crisis is worse today than it was two years ago. 65% of Germans want out of the euro zone and the euro and want to return to the Deutschemark, but for more than two years their political representatives have denied them that. Finally breaks in the political armor are beginning to appear. All efforts to fix the Greek problem have been futile. If the Federal Reserve hadn't stepped into the breach a couple of weeks ago who could guess where things would be now. Read more.....

Why South Carolina’s unemployment may not matter

2012-01-22T23:13:00.002-05:00

Despite 9.9% jobless rate, pockets of strength in Palmetto State

South Carolina is tied for the eighth-highest jobless rate in the country, but many of the Republican voters taking part in the Palmetto State primary will head to the polls from a position of economic strength.
Take the Greenville-Mauldin-Easley metropolitan area, for example. The area’s jobless rate, not seasonally adjusted, was 7.7% in November, compared with a state rate of 9.2%, and a U.S. rate of 8.2%.

“In Greenville there is more of an air of optimism and that things are on the right track locally. People are excited about our local economy and our downtown,” said Knox White, Greenville’s mayor.

“We kind of resent that the national economy is not on track. There are cranes all over downtown. We feel that we are doing our part, and every time we turn around we are fighting headwinds from the national economy – [it] sits there like a black cloud.” Read more.....

Did You Know; Shift Happens - Globalization; Information Age

2012-01-21T00:26:00.002-05:00

Created by Karl Fisch, and modified by Scott McLeod; Globalization and The Information Age
America used to be big, but it's gone dreadfully far down on the scale, almost becoming insignificant in terms of the worldwide education system. The world's population of 6 billion is rising at extraordinary amounts each day.
All technology will be outdated at most two years after its released, including what is taught to kids.
More money is put into video games than education. Computation power has gone beyond anyone's wildest dreams. Amazing, in all uses of the word. Read more.....

The Coming Starvation in AMERICA

2012-01-21T00:03:00.000-05:00

I just bought a plot for this coming spring at this community garden since I live in an apartment. Cant grow my own things here. I've also been stocking up many non perishables. Nuts, grains, and am learning how to can. Ppl dont believe me when I say this is coming. And they'll be the 1st to be knocking on my door. But I have to look out for me and my babies 1st. Read more....

Welcome To The Third World, Part 4: Boomers Reap What They’ve Sown

2012-01-20T23:53:00.000-05:00

It was fun while it lasted. We Baby Boomers got to diss our elders when we were young and borrow without restraint through middle-age. Few generations have traveled such a smooth stretch of financial/psychological highway.

But now that we’re…old…the world we created isn’t so congenial. Our savings are inadequate, jobs are scarce, and retirement, as a result, is out of reach for many of us. We are, in short, reaping what we’ve sown these past four decades. From today’s Wall Street Journal:

Oldest Baby Boomers Face Jobs Bust
Many older Americans fear they will be working well into their 60s because they didn’t save enough to retire. Millions more wish they were that lucky: Without full-time jobs, they are short of money and afraid of what lies ahead. Read more.....

U.S. Dollar Collapse 2012

2012-01-20T23:32:00.001-05:00

Devolution of the USD 2012? - As the first public article for me just before 2010, it seems appropriate for me to comment on one of the biggest stories we will be all facing – that is an end game of events leading to the end of the USD. The implications for the world are no less than Armageddon – like. I mean it.

Before we get into some details, I have been working on forecasts for 2010, and my study of the USD situation and how much time it has left.

I first came to the conclusion that it was roughly (and I am getting close here on timing, I’m sure of this) two years from 2010. Actually, the calculation is two more years of relative USD functionality before the world realizes in about a shocking week’s time that the USD is just about to really go belly up. It’s not 5 years out anymore in my calculations, we have roughly two more years left. Read more.....

G4T 2012 Update & the 100 Million Dollar Question

2012-01-19T23:29:00.002-05:00

Thanks for checking out this video! we started this blog as a way to talk with other people about the economy. It has grown to a huge community of people interested in the same things as we, freedom, family, health and travel. we've been featured on Fox News, NBC,RT, Al Jazeera, French TV and many others. If you would like to see more "on the ground" leave the comment below. Read more....

Understanding PIPA / SOPA & Why You Should Be Concerned

2012-01-19T23:23:00.001-05:00

Most everyone has noticed the wide swath of internet websites that have been blacked out in protest of the pending PIPA / SOPA legislation in congress, but not as many people understand exactly why those bills are such a problem.

This short documentary explores PIPA and SOPA, how the bills work, who's behind them, and why all internet users have reason to be concerned.

The fight to prevent online censorship in the U.S. is far from over. While SOPA's future seems increasingly bleak, PIPA has not been pulled from consideration in the senate, where it will be up for a vote later this month.

It is important to understand that PIPA has the same fundamental problems of SOPA. It is NOT a compromise bill; at this point, it is little more than a legislative strategy to abandon the SOPA branding in favor of PIPA. Read more.....

As Deflation Fears Rise, Boosting Exports Is Key to U.S. Recovery

2012-01-19T23:09:00.000-05:00

Ways to avoid a painful Japan-like deflationary spiral are gripping investors and policymakers alike following Friday's disappointing jobs report. And what more the Fed can do with maneuvers such as quantitative easing remains a big question.

Last ditch measures to avoid turning Japanese get all the attention. But the truest gauge of the U.S. turning the corner might be if it is turning German instead. Banking more on sectors like manufacturing to tap into surging global demand, as Germany is already doing, rather then finding ways to artificially prop up demand is the way to recovery over the long haul. Read more.....

The Economic Collapse is Accelerating

2012-01-18T23:33:00.001-05:00

My views on the accelerating economic collapse in both the U.S. and Europe. I discuss the power elite using a corrupt political system to attack constitutional rights, criminal bankers stealing from taxpayers, the hopelessness of many unemployment, the destructive war on drugs and much more. Read more......

GOP: "Unemployment Benefits Encourage People Not To Work" ...LIES

2012-01-18T23:17:00.001-05:00

A recent study has found that those eligible for federal unemployment benefits are MORE likely to search for a job than those who are ineligible for unemployment benefits.

I suppose all those 11.5% of veterans who are unemployed are lazy too. You know? The guys the cons are always riding on the backs of, saying they support so much. The ones with the 60-80% dropout rate when they attempt to use their post 9/11 G.I. bill. Must just be because they're lazy. Yes. That is not an oversimplification at all. Read more....

Small Business and Marketing [Infographic]

2012-01-18T23:05:00.001-05:00

What’s your small business SEO strategy? If you’re like the many small business owners, you may be wondering how you can leverage the power of social media and online marketing to get ahead. In fact, only about 27 percent of small businesses have a current SEO plan, and when you combine that surprisingly low figure with fact that only about 40 percent of marketers are using mobile marketing tactics, it’s easy to see how sound search engine optimization practices could help you get a leg up on the competition.

Small business owners are an incredibly diverse group of people who know a lot about their chosen fields. Slightly less than half of all small businesses have more than one owner, and sixty percent of small business owners have worked in their industry for more than 20 years. That’s a lot of total combined experience. These owners are always looking for new ways to connect to their customers and clients and grow their businesses. Read more....

How much is 23% savings worth to Americans?

2012-01-18T00:20:00.001-05:00

Jon Stewart sheds light on our willingness to make others suffer for our greed.

they are paid 31cents an hour and you're talking about them somehow getting access to medical rofl. 12 years for even talking about unions, hilarious. This is so much worse than 1920 in that this is not 1920, this is *** 2012. The world isn't some segregated place, 31cents an hour in a global economy essentially enslaves you.

59billion dollars for Foxconn in 08 in revenue, I'm sure it all went into costs and R&D and not into the pockets of the communists eh?

It's a good thing we've moved so far past slavery in America. Now they just ship our jobs to places that do. I guess that way the scavengers in charge of these corporations don't have to see it and if you can't see it it's not real. This is hilarious. Read more....

Newt Gingrich to Juan Williams: Americans Want Paychecks, Not Foodstamps

2012-01-18T00:10:00.002-05:00

At the Fox News Debate in Myrtle Beach, SC, Newt gets the only standing ovation of the night for defending the work ethic and saying "only the elites despise earning money." Read more......

Stressed at work? How to rekindle job satisfaction

2012-01-18T00:01:00.000-05:00

Your workload has increased, so have your boss’s expectations. But scaling back could mean losing your job.

Paul Baard, an organizational and motivational psychologist at Fordham University’s graduate business school in New York, knows just how stressful a work environment can get. He has consulted for athletes in the high-stakes, high-pressure world of professional sports.

What secret has he passed along to those clients? When you’re in a slump, you can still contribute by encouraging your teammates.

Rather than burdening a team with distracting self-doubt and pity, try to help others, he said. “In order to remain self-motivated, research has found that the innate psychological need for competence must be satisfied,” Baard said. “This drive pertains not only to the ability to do a job but to achieve something through it — to have impact, to contribute. A way an employee can expand opportunities to satisfy this need is to help her team succeed by encouraging others, even if her direct contributions are limited.”

Age, occupation and family circumstances, among other factors, can all play a part in how workers respond to different stressors. But experts say there are steps that can help you take control of your happiness at work.

1. Find meaning in your tasks

Commitment to a goal beyond self-promotion can help a worker manage stress levels, said John Weaver, a psychologist at Psychology For Business, a Brookfield, Wis.-based employment consultancy. Read more....

Need food stamps in Florida? Prepare to be drug tested

2012-01-16T23:38:00.001-05:00

If you find yourself falling on hard times in Florida and need to apply for food assistance, you’d better be prepared to pee in a cup. Gov. Scott on Tuesday signed a law requiring drug testing of welfare recipients.
The Scott campaign website (which is now run by the Republican Party of Florida) posted a statement from Scott boasting about the bill signing, calling it a “promise kept”:

Today, I signed HB 353, keeping my promise to require drug screening for welfare recipients.
The bill is designed to increase personal accountability and prevent Florida’s tax dollars from subsidizing drug addiction, while still providing for needy children. Parents failing the required drug test may designate another individual to receive the benefits on behalf of the children. Read more....

DEBT LIMIT - A GUIDE TO AMERICAN FEDERAL DEBT MADE EASY

2012-01-16T23:10:00.002-05:00

A satirical short film taking a look at the national debt and how it applies to just one family. Starring Brian Stepanek & Eddie Jemison, Produced by Seth William Meier, DP/Edited by Craig Evans, 1st AC Brian Andrews, Sound Mixer Gus Salazar, Written and Directed by Brian Stepanek. Read more....