Thursday, January 29, 2015

SO YOU DON'T BELIEVE MAN IS AFFECTING CLIMATE CHANGE

Well just take a look at this set of graphs and ask yourself a question. Is their something different about the last rise in temp or co2 levels.   Please notice the huge spike in co2 that is occurring now, this has never happened in 100's and 1000's of years.  Only man can have caused this to happen.
THE EVIL TWIN OF CLIMATE CHANGE
Now I will admit if you don't want to believe in man made climate change ,sometimes you to take have to take the blinders off and look around you.  Strange things are happening in the oceans, coral reefs are dying, hard shelled critters are in trouble , strange die offs of star fish and on and on.

GLACIER VOLUME OVER TIME
On top of the above environmental changes we have man's interference with Mother's Natures plan.  We are filling the oceans with miles and miles of our plastic wastes.  At the same time we have over fished the oceans to the point that 90% of most species are gone.  While methods of fish harvest have changed in favor of man the number of boats chasing a decreasing number of fish the absence of which will also have effects on ocean health.

Now I know the deniers out there (mostly  republicans) don't believe in man's contribution to the destruction of the planet based on god knows what.  Some believe they hold those beliefs because God controls what happens and he'll be coming soon so it doesn't matter if we destroy the earth.  Giving them their beliefs shouldn't keep one from acknowledging that the change is happening and we can argue who is to blame.  As long as we do what we can to stop the change..    







RATIONING MEDICARE

Earlier this month the Obama administration met with medical providers namely insurance companies to announce a new plan to ration services given to Medicare patients.  The plan will ration doctors , hospital, and drugs given to these patients.

Strangely not one word of this has been seen in the conventional press and once again had to rely on the Net to provide the information.

Being an old couple , my wife and I have enjoyed having three insurance plans and have an almost 0 medical expenses.  Now I have to worry how this change will affect us.  I already have seen how this works with private health insurances limiting the services a doctor can provide.  One example I know of an older man needed a hip replacement , there were several surgeons locally that could do the work but the insurance company insisted that their the only surgeon on their list be used.  The guy had a very bad track record.  Even though my doc fought hard he lost.. Fortunately the group he belonged to quit servicing those companies.

With mergers taken place throughout health services they become bigger bullies with each merger.  A personal example was with medications I have taken for many years, of course cheaper drugs became available and they wanted me to switch, I would try but had reactions to these new drugs and had to fight to go back to my old meds.  The story they always gave me that these new meds were the same that didn't sound logical because if they were why the bad reaction.  A little research showed they in fact were marginally different , but that little change made the difference.  Never the less a few times each year they would subsist generic drugs.  So the annual fight always got the drugs back.  Point being that under the type system these ACO's will provide will be less than we have not.

Not a surprise for Obama to put this into play and give the repubicans another win.  This is the door to killing Medicare in the end , bit by bit.  My experience is that doctors are not going to like this one bit, essentially this shifts medical decisions to outside forces that tie the doctors hands.

At this writing I don't have a lot of info as I just found our about this today.  One of the things mentioned is to monitor hospitals for readmitting patients within a 30 day period.  Pretend your a hospital who now gets rid of patients as quick as they can, if they get punished for having to readmit  within the month will only serve for longer hospital stays and a increase in cost.

It is already hard enough to find a good doctor that takes Medicare (not all do) this ACO we know nothing about will make that harder.

MEDICARE WORKS JUST LIKE IT IS- SCRAPE A FEW BUCKS FROM DEFENSE AND PAY FOR IT.  HERE'S THE LINK TO THE STORY

HERE'S THE LINK TO THE STORY

Wednesday, January 28, 2015

SANCTIONS ON RUSSIA A BIG MISTAKE

While most of the US is supporting the sanctions on Russia , they need to take a time out and see how they are going to affect our PIVOT TO ASIA.

First you need to understand what the Pivot to Asia was meant to do.  It was an effort to control the sea lanes to be able to block China's access to energy supplies. If you remember what we did to Japan to get them to go to war against us.  We cut off the oil supplies to Japan.  That did the trick they attacked us.

So here we go again, preparing to cut off energy to China to limit their world reach.  Well hello Dummies , this brought China and  Russia to sign huge deals for oil and gas, started them selling oil for other than dollars.  They formed what is now called the BRIC economic group to counter the IMF.

While the sanctions undoubtedly have an effect on Russia , the people seem to still be behind Putin.
The unsought problems the sanctions have caused , the current unstable EU.  Italy for instance have lost 50% of their exports and are hurting to begin with.  They don't need more problems causeed by the US an an attempt to bankrupt Russia.

There are other deals being cut between Russia and China giving China the new Russian anti missile systems, the building of a high speed rain system from Russia to China (chins is providing the cash)
with other deals in the works.

Other things not being talked about at all may in fact be more important than the above.  Russia with huge stacks of American dollars (that are high at the moment) are buying Gold and their own Rubles (at an all time low) getting the maximum bang for their bucks. The sanctions have a big new oil deal with Exxon that will now be done by more friendly folks.

When all the above is added up you have to be a math wizard to believe this is a good deal for anybody.  It could in fact be the straw that broke the camels back.  You see Sweden bailing out the the Euro which will most likely bring others to the same conclusion.  The EU was shaky before this event it might be the end.

This sanction business which our government has said don't  work (Cuba) we place them on Russia what will make this time different , nothing they will fail too , hurting many who will not forget who brought the pain.

THE AMERICAN REVOLUTION

This week the History Channel presented a 3 part mini series depicting the beginning of the American Revolution.   It presented a view of the event not usually seen in the history books.  It pointed out just how the bravery of just one man brought about the insurrection.  Sam Adams against great odds kept organizing and eventually at Independence Hall in Pennsylvania brought about  the Declaration of Independence.

It showed the bravery of the colonists thru defeat after defeat they kept going toward their goal of a new nation.  The KOCH brother have pledged 900 million dollars to the 2016 campaign. The brothers coupled with other right wing crazies are out to buy their way with brute cash.

While watching the series I got to thinking that those colonists were rebelling the oppression of the king who taxed them, usurped their rights.  It came quite naturally to compare those days to today.  Inch by inch we are loosing rights not taken by a king but taken by corporations buying their way thru the purchasing of politicians to grease their way to new riches.

A few very rich people have been purchasing power for decades but 2016 is shaping up to be the biggest buy off in history of our country.  By providing masses of money they will control the media which in turn will control how they will vote with 30 second tv adds that will persuade us to vote with them.  I hold that the Koch brothers can be compared to the King of England.

So if one man could start our great revolution (Sam Adams) could one man bring about the second American Revolution.. We have seen groups right and left pop up in the recent past and fade into the sunset ,in my opinion they did not succeed from the lack of a powerful leader.  I'm waiting.

Sunday, January 25, 2015

WHEN HALF IS NOT ENOUGHdi

Since I became aware of the fact that there were wealthy people in the world, and that they did not share their well being very well, that I could live with their abundance of money and things as long as they let me have a comfortable life.. That consisting of a home, enough food, enough money to live a comfortable life, education for out kids, and a few toys along the way.

All was well and good until 1980 and The Regan revolution.  Trickle down economics was the trick phrase used to disguise the raping of the middle class.  It's about that time I became interested in economics and commenced a study of how things worked in the real world.  The gurus of the day spun a fairy tale that convinced many that the trickle down thing would make them rich.  Our only problem was we thought the them was us.  WRONG

In a recent report by OXFAM  80 people own more than the bottom 50% and the gap is widening every year.  This number wakes you up to understand trickle down meant that we were getting pissed on from those above us.

Which brings to ask the question "WHAT IS ENOUGH"?  Apparently there is no upper limit of their greed, which is shown by the massive amounts of money they spend to craft legislation that makes them richer.  The amount of money flowing into our political system has so corrupted the country that one can not see a way to change anything.

So where do these rich folk spend their money?

BELOW IS MY ALL TIME FAVORITE

The above boat is his fifth, a poor Russian billionaire.  I wonder if he would give me his castoffs?? 

I know you are wondering who the top rich folk are: HERE'S THE LIST OF TOP 100

I have no problem  with them being rich, I do have problem with them using that wealth to keep the rest of us from having a decent life.  I will list several of these folk understanding therre are many others in the same boat but these have been the most obvious:  The Koch Brothers, The Walton family, Sheldon Adelson among the most aggressive in attacking the middle class.

The perplexing part of their campaign is the drive to destroy unions, pensions, health benefits , retirement plans, wages , social services, infrastructure funds, destruction of the constitutional rights that have existed for a very long time.

What troubles me the most in all this, they are not satisfied yet and continue to fund the destruction o of jobs of the worker bees.  There are projections that say half the jobs that exist today will not exist 10 years from now.  We already have at least 1 million souls without work.  Nowhere is there talk of what those without work will do to survive.  They already don't want to fund the social services in place today. In fact they are actively supporting drives to dismantle Social Security and Medicare, Medicaid. 

So here we sit in 2015 wondering what the hell will become of us the people of the United 
States  in the future.  It looks pretty bleak from here.  I wish I could see a White Knight  riding to our rescue but I don't.  The daydream of a leisure society has not come to pass and probably never will surface.

One can hope that somehow a new movement will surface that gets strong enough to bring about change.  See have seen glimmering of a few , The Tea Party, The Occupy movement but they have sputtered out of being a force to just becoming a memory.  Both suffered from not having a leader strong enough to bring about a lasting change.  Will someone step forward , could that someone be  you??


Saturday, January 24, 2015

$43 HOT DOGS WITH MUSTARD AND PICKLE BUT NO CHIPS!

Times are tough in DAVOS.  The little rich guys and their families are over their for their annual "HOW WE ARE GOING TO FUCK THE REST OF THE PEOPLE" meeting where the price of a hot dog is $43.  Yep times are tough in Davos.

One of the I got rich off of Hedge Funds fellows in a speech said we are going to have to learn to do with less.  (he flew his wife, children and two nannies to Davos) yep that's less.

They meet in secret, countries craft treaties in secret, countries lie through their asses on national statistics and we the masses soak it up like good beef gravy on bread.  Some do understand we are mushrooms being fed bullshit to make us grow.  News flash , we are still being fed bullshit but it don't cause growth anymore.

2015 is not going to be a fun year by any measure.  Failures I have been talking about may finally show up this year ironically by the surprising drop in oil prices.

The drop in oil prices will make one of my very early predictions that Shale oil was not the great 100 year supply of oil and certainly  will not make us energy independent.  You can already see the decline in drilling rigs and the dramatic decline of aging wells.  Three years and done is the general rule.  Their costs run about $80/bl to produce they weren't making money at 100 oil , they sure won't make it at 40 dollar oil.  Their bankruptcies will cause huge market disruptions as they have been financed by funny money vehicles, that have the ability to bring down the TBTF banks.

Needless to say if you have been reading this blog for long you know I don't have a rosy horizon for the US or the world.

The US has mounted a ill disguised attack on Russia by using Ukraine as the bait, the anticipated results have not happened.  Instead Putin set out to make huge deals with China, Turkey and others  that will make our puny efforts to bring him down fail. In gives me great pain to root for Putin in this ill planned attempt to bring him down.  Not thought about by us was how the rest of the EU would react to the sanctions placed on Russia.  Some of the EU folks lost 50% of their exports do to those sanctions and will probably drop out one by one making us look like fools .  Which we are.

So as a reward for your faithful reading of my blog I am enclosing the following link to JAMES HOWARD KUNTSLER'S 2015 PREDICTIONS 

His piece is quite long but tough it out, you will end up with a clear picture of what to expect the coming year and how you should be planning to survive in the future.

Wednesday, January 21, 2015

DEAD ON ARRIVAL SINCE DAY ONE

On the day President Obama was sworn in a group of top republicans met at a restaurant in DC to plan how they were going to destroy his presidency.  If they had met to plan on how to fix this country things might look better today, but they didn't and there not.

Now six years out , another State of the Union speech , and another DEAD ON ARRIVAL response by the republicans.  Even though there were absolutely no programs put forth in the speech.

Anyone who has been reading this blog for any length of time knows I have no love of republican plans for this country.  Every day they prove to me that they do not deserve to serve as they clearly have their corporation ties at the forefront of their actions.

Current examples the first two bills they put forth in the congress they control were the KEYSTONE PIPELINE and  to roll back Obama's immigration reform.  Both bills that the president vows to veto.

I don't see how this country can keep on voting these smucks into office when they know their interests will not be served.

We are once again teetering on the edge of another financial collapse, a time when we need a congress working together with the president to avoid another collapse.   Somehow we need to get their attention to take action to help us not put us further in the hole..  

Monday, January 19, 2015

LOSS OF MORAL COMPASS OR JUST MEAN SPIRITED

Before you even start to think about the next elections please take a look around the country and see what our votes have bought us till now.  Inside this article are links to the views of some and to statistics that will make you cry.  So struggle through them and let me know what you think.

The first article today that smacked me in the face was this ONE.   51% of all school children qualify for free or reduced prices.  Over half , to me that was a startling fact.  Should have been because I have known for decades that a whole bunch of folks out there are not making enough money to have the basic needs of life. 
As the chart above shows median household income has fallen $5000 since 2008 that is a huge chunk of income that no longer is there.  Have you ever experience a pay cut of 50% ?  I did on leaving the Navy after 11.5 years.  Took awhile to get it back but with a little luck it was accomplished.  Point being if you have never had to rub two pennies together to make you budget work , you need to stop and think how you would handle it.

If you take a good long look at the following stats you have to wonder what the hell is going on.  In 2012 almost 25 million earn less than $25K.  46million live in poverty.  4 million single moms live in poverty. Married in poverty 2 million.  This in the proclaimed richest country in the world.  The only conclusion you can come to those that are more fortunate are stingy as hell.

The single largest employer in the US dear ole Uncle Walmart pays most less than 8 bucks an hour.Their employee indoctrination show them how to apply and qualify for government assistance, food stamps , Medicaid etc.  Do you rotting fish??

 Wealthy folk think it is too easy to be poor, and that they should have to work for the benefits or not get them at all.  They include everything in their thinking, SS, Medicare, medicaid, food stamps, unemployment, disability.  The wealthy weep at how much taxes they have to pay , but when you look at the actual numbers they don't point to that fact.  It does point to the low income bunch pay 10%  , the middle income 9% and the rich pay 5%.  So what the hell are they talking about.  Don't even look at what corporations pay , most pay next to nothing to absolutely nothing to huge rebates.

Here comes the politics folks.  Just two short years away we have to pick a new president and if we are smart we will give this person a congress he can work with.  For my money , looking at the front runners today we have little choice.  With most republicans featuring ideas like Rand Paul looking to cut social security and medicare (most of  the other contenders say the same) to pay for more tac cuts for the rich, which I have shown you they already pay less than all the rest of us.  So for my money the republicans don't deserve even a glance. 

So how about the Democrat side.  Dear ole Hillary is the supposed front runner and I don't think she is the one to do us right.  Hawkish , pro business and part of the ole boy gang rules her out of my  book.

So who is left, only two at present Bernie Sanders and Elizabeth Warren.  Elizabeth says she won't run but pressure is being put on her to run.  So there is hope, but you have to pay attention.

SPRITITED  spirited 

Friday, January 16, 2015

GLOBAL WAR 1??

The drop in oil prices we are told is due to a decrease in demand, but as I said in a recent post I believe this is a political move to bring Russia , Venezuela and Iran to their knees.  The following chart would appear to verify my findings.

This IEA chart indicated that supply and demand are pretty much in balance through 2015.  Perplexing at best because other charts would indicate something else.  IEA is generally thought of as reliable data although it sometimes misses the mark.

This article from RT call this event as geopolitical and just the first of Global commodity wars.  Water and food are also candidates for wars.   We have read in other places the shortage of water in many parts of the world.  You also have heard that the great glaciers of the world are currently in a rapid melt stage and these glaciers provide much of the water in various countries around the world.

It doesn't matter if your a believer in Global Warming or not your naked eyeball look at the great glaciers of the world shows that they are in fact melting and at a fast pace.

We all know that in many places in the world food is scarce and getting worse all the time..

So is this oil price drop just the first shoe to drop in a string of global wars.  I believe it is, and the good old USA is behind this all the way. Other countries are being hurt worse than Russia so expect sanctions to be dropped soon.

When the propaganda war against Russia using the Ukraine blow up a result of Russian interference failed to get the world against Russia we needed another tool.  Drive down the price of oil to destroy the economies of Russia , Venezuela and Iran would appear to be the next tool they are using.

While this has had an immediate effect on those economies they have not brought the Russian bear to it's knees.  In fact Putin and negotiated several huge deals for oil, formed the BRIC economic pace, created an alternative to the IMF for this group, unhinged oil from the dollar and cut off gas shipments to the EU and told them to hook up to the line to Turkey.

It would appear to me that Russia and the BRIC group are setting up long term arrangements that will effectively diminish  the US significance on the world stage.

Meantime in the war rooms of the US, they are talking WW3 and the ability to win a nuclear war.  OK so are leaders are completely bonkers and only checker players in the world game of chess.

So tighten your seat belts and get ready for a rough ride...
    

Wednesday, January 14, 2015

PIVOT TO AISA THE NEW AXIS OF EVIL

All Americans should look in the mirror to see the new Axis of Evil ,yep, it's us.   Several years back this event was announced and at the time it seemed to be a yawner.  Then Ukraine popped up on the horizon. The US engineered an overthrow of the elected government and installed a pro Nazi regime controlled and funded by the US.

The next move was a pure propaganda program to accuse Russia of invading Ukraine and taking back of the Crimea.

First Crimea wanted back under Russian control and had an election to do just that. There were all kinds of propaganda out there claiming that Russia had invaded the Ukraine,the truth being  there were already thousands of troops there for a very long time.

The next event to pop up was the shoot down of a passenger jet supposedly by a Russian missile.  When the truth came out it was actually shot down by two fighters from the Ukraine.  Rumors of Russian troops invading the Ukraine proved also to be false.  Clouded over some by some Russians going into the Ukraine to aid the rebels.

Putin of course was demonized as the Great Satan.  He proved to be much cooler under fire than all US   officials lumped together.  Russia provided evidence of what really was happening that could be easily proved.  Our evidence on the other hand got shot down time after time.  Strangely important evidence started disappearing from the scene.

As evidence appeared that the US was trying to isolate Russia and China  too of course, Putin went on the attack cutting several oil and gas deals, with China and Turkey and other trade partners.  Forming the BRIC  nation into an economic power house that threatens to remove the dollar as the worlds reserve currency.  Started trading oil in their own currencies cutting the dollar our of the mix.

Now a trump card was played by the US and Saudi allowing the dramatic fall in oil prices.  There are those that believe it was simply a matter of supply and demand and I am presenting a chart next that says that is possible.  However as you might already guess I think its much more clandestine than that.  It doesn't make sense to me that Saudi would not simply cut production to keep prices high.  Simple math says that would be the right thing to do barring politics.  If you pump 1 barrel of oil at $100 you have to pump two barrels at $ 50 which move would you have made.  Anyway here's the chart make up your own mind.
I place the following 2 pieces that shed some light on our Pivot to Asia and I believe the real driving force of all the recent events.  HERE , HERE.  This last post shows China's move to counter US moves.

If as suspect that all this action is a preplanned US plan to control Asia it would appear at this time the US is playing checkers and Putin and China are playing chess.  From the US side of things low oil prices will kill fracking and tar sands operations as their cost of production is much, much higher.  If all those fracking company folds it takes with them all those funny money derivatives packages just waiting to explode.  If they explode other derivatives packages will fold two and will probably take the rest of the market with it.

To further complicate things other commodities have fallen like a rock too. Gold, Silver and the Ruble amongst others.  I suspect manipulation by the US is behind at least Gold and Silver.  If you are a supply and demand Geek your theory falls apart when you look at gold and silver, both have demand greater than supply.

Of course all the above is just my opinion and I would love to hear yours.  I could be wrong, but don't count on it.  

Tuesday, January 13, 2015

WHAT EUROPEANS AND THIS AMERICAN ASK

An American traveling  in Europe is asked the same questions where ever he goes on the strange thinking of Americans.  They happen to be a lot like the questions I ask myself on the thinking of my fellow citizens.  The questions:

1. Whey don't we have universal health care , they all do.
2. Free education all the way through college , most of them do.
3. A strong social safety net , unemployment and unemployable.
4. Old age complete care.
5. Unexplained wars.
6. Our love of guns.
7. Deadly financial instruments.
8.  A congress which does essentially nothing.

There are obviously more questions but these are among my biggest questions and they seem to the same.  Now before you jump in and suggest if I love them so much why don't I just go there?  The answer to that is quite simple, I'd rather stay and try  to convince all of you that we are going down the right path.  Fight not run is my mantra.

When Social Safety nets free to all are suggested you hear the same cry from way to many people"nothing is free"  only in the USA is that true.  Most of Europe do, and what a relief it must be to not have to worry about health.

What those who say that there is no free lunch should be asking is :  How does an average family making $53000 pay for health care, retirement, higher education who that sum of money.
An example a Swede making the same amount of money I do pays 25K I pay only 6K but I have to pay for all the stuff they get for free.



Friday, January 9, 2015

DANGER !WILL ROBISNON-DANGER!

The drop in oil prices on the surface for the average citizen seems like a good thing.  We have a little more change in our pockets to spend on other things.  It could be the good thing that ends up biting us in the ass.

Why, you scream.  Well it's pretty simple ,really, there is 440 TRlILION dollars worth of INTEREST RATE DERIVATIVES are sitting out there on the long side of interest rates.   Cheap oil is causing many firms (like fracking firms) who have to borrow large amount of money to stay in business.  Those companies among others have large borrowing requirements which already are driving interest rates up.

Predictions that oil prices will remain low for a good while almost guarantees that those interest rate derivatives will cause a economic bust bigger than anything any of us has ever seen.

This same investment tool is behind the down grading of pension funds since they use derivatives to try and keep their returns on targets.

If interest triggers this event it will be unstoppable.

HERE'S THE STORY BEHIND THIS PIECE 

RUSSIA TO THE EU-DUMP US-JOIN THE NEW EURASIAN ECONOMIC UNION

With most countries in the EU either bankrupt or on the verge of bankruptcies, Russia's invite to join their new economic union, since their interests lie closer to the Soviets than the US, which recent appear to be true.  That may not mean much to you but it jerks me awake .

Our exports to Europe of late has been lethal financial vehicles  that have placed all of them in economic peril.  That and weapons are our major export items none of which do much for their problems.

Our next move to place sanctions on Russia that actually hurt exporters of goods to Russia worse than Russia, that after on the same day lifting sanctions in place for 50 years with Cuba , because they didn't work.   BOOM, my tiny brain goes, did I really hear what I thought I did.  Unfortunately I heard it.

It is troublesome to see our government do so many things that make no sense.  30 years of decimating the American blue collar force, killing exports, lowering wages, and a couple of wars have drug our economy into the ditch and nobody seems to care.

The above proposal actually makes sense.  Sure we have gone to Europe's rescue twice before but that didn't give us the right to destroy them economically.

Our latest adventure in the Ukraine should make you aware of how dumb our foreign policy has been.  Installing a Nazi government in Ukraine was a stupid move.

When you destroy the economic base of a territory you allow the rise of right wing groups (nazis in this case as indicated in this piece 

IF YOUR A REPUBLICAN-I WOULD SUGGEST YOU RECONSIDER

Four days after being in the majority in congress, both houses are considering a bill to raise the workweek to 40 hours to eliminate a bunch of folks working less than 40 hours. That would be all those who work for Walmart for instance.  This is on top of a news piece that in 2016 they plan to remove people from the food stamp program if they can't find w

KEEP IN MIND HERE IS THE REAL UNEMPLOYMENT RATE
MPLOYMENT RATE

Thursday, January 8, 2015

HOW DID WE SURVIVE CHILDHOOD?

The most recent trend is stupid laws is the banning of sledding on public slopes.  Really, I can't the hours that friends and I spent on the slopes (the more dangerous the better) now they want to ban sledding because they are afraid of lawsuits.  

Anyone who has been involved in community affairs knows the dread not being able to do a program because of insurance risks.  Half of the budget of the Community Center I ran were insurance costs. Over the years I have seen many events cancelled because of the insurance costs or the inability  to obtain insurance for the event.

I suppose next on their ban list will be skating on public ponds, or perhaps skating on public sidewalks. or plinking with your bb gun, perhaps swimming without a lifeguard.

One of my pet peeves has happened on my beloved Seneca Creek in Maryland where I use to rip up the creek in my dad's old 26 foot crabbing boat.  The creek then was a beehive of activity , people skiing , fishing , swimming etc.  Today cruising out the creek there is almost no activity, it brought tears to my eyes as the once thriving creek is now like a no fly zone,

We have become a nation of chickens.  Sad but true 

I AM NOT A MUSHROOM

It would appear that governments of the world are now starting to expect that we accept all their propaganda as fact and by no means are we allowed to voice an opinion.  Other nations have arrested some for online comments and various sentences have been handed down.

In the Us we now see that the cops are monitoring social media as you all know who troll the halls of Facebook like media lots of nasty stuff appears.  As a blogger I no doubt cross the line of acceptable to someone at some time and that is to be expected.  I don't expect to be arrested too soon but time will tell.

I will not slack of my comments as their is every indication that we are being lied to daily by government , MSM, and by supposed experts in a field.  The only defense we have is having folks willing to dig into news items to find the truth.

It takes a big investment of time to dig the straight dope out of the garbage we are fed.  With no intent of changing the world I blog to give the results of my research to the few who read my blog.

It gets lonely blogging some time, and I would appreciate your contribution pro or con anytime

Wednesday, January 7, 2015

ON HILLARY? I DON'T THINK SO

I is more of the same your after then Hillary is your candidate.   For me I am searching for a better choice.  My early on favorites have been  Warren and Sanders both of whom are considering a run for the gold.  Both have the same problem they have little money and not much big money support.
Both will bear watching but that's not all folks. Another name is cropping up Jim Webb a man with experience on both sides of the aisle and 8 years of combat marine. Another candidate with no money but with ideas that parallel mine.

I will be taking a serious look at my 3 candidates as time marches on.  All candidates have at some times voted against my wishes but hell you can't have anything.  I know much about Warren and Sanders and a little about Web..  His first accomplishment in the Senate was to write and get passed a very  good GI bill.  I want to know more about his domestic policy thoughts and plans to get this country rolling again.

Anti War's   Justin Raimondo piece on Jim Webb brought him to my attention once again.

Here's his announcement on his intent to be a  candidate with some of his ideas.

The underlying problem is what kind of congress will we be able to give any of the above folks?
There lies  the big problem for me compared to getting a decent congress  to allow any of the above to actually govern. If we can't do any better than we have done lately it probably not worth the effort.
For us to be successful some of us will have to hang our sacred cows in a tree and for cripes sake don't let a single issue determine your vote.

These thoughts are mine, lets hear yours in my comments section.

Saturday, January 3, 2015

A LOOK AT LAST YEAR AND THOUGHTS ON 2015

The author of this piece (a druid) might cause you not to read this piece, but trust me it is a worth while read.

Most of his thoughts you have read hear during the year and will not be new to you.  It is comforting to me at least that others out there think along the lines that I do.  Doesn't mean either of us is right, but it cannot hurt to be mindful of what could be the course we take.

It's  a long piece but interesting enough to endure the length.  So read it.

SO YOU THOUGHT US SANCTIONS AGAINST RUSSIA PUT THEM ON THE ROPES

Think again my friend.  The article compares the financial health of the US against that of Russia.  I have hinted at parts of this before but here the author presents the facts on one page,  Even a dolt can see we have made a huge mistake.  It is perplexing to see Obama lift 50 year old sanctions because they didn't work at the same time placing sanctions on Russia , and North Korea.

Russia and China  both are in a position to totally subvert our goal of world hegemony.  My  predictions is that this will come back and take a large chunk out of our collective assses.

Friday, January 2, 2015

MY 2015 WORRY LIST

Instead of making predictions for the New Year I will simply create a list of things I am concerned with for the coming year.  In this world controlled by large conglomerates that have huge caches of money , that are pursing goals we often know little about and in some cases never find out about till it's too late to stop them.  It is impossible to make predictions that will come to pass

THE ECONOMY:
 The stock market at all time highs being the most published of economic indicators that we are led to believe is do to actual market activities is actually being driven by trick vehicles used to outright manipulate the markets in a direction to bring in corporate cash . Stock buybacks, derivatives, fast track trading , insider trading make it an impossibility to predict how the markets will act in 2015.
The market is quite simply a house of cards , and it will fall , but when , who knows.

For 30+ years a coordinated attack on the American working man has been underway and it is well on the way to accomplish their end game.  6000 factories and their blue collar jobs have disappeared from the work place to be replaced by minimum wage service jobs , which provide just the minimums of life.  30% of 18 to 34 year olds are living with their parents out of necessity. If your 50 and over your chances of getting a new job are slim. If you are successful in finding one you will be making less than 20K per year.  Unemployment rate actually is around the 23% mark and has been there for 3 years with not a lot of hope for the future .

Pensions that were once a major part of our working life have been disappearing .  Killed off by mergers, bankruptcies, legislation and other means to simply take away the benefits that have been earned through our service to our employers.  Nobody is safe from this movement.  Even the largest pension funds are under attack, California government workers, teachers .  Of course if your pension gets fried you have little choice on how to accumulate enough money to retire on.

To sum it up , we have an economy  being run by and for the 1% instead of serving all  the  people.

FOREIGN AFFAIRS:
The SHIFT TO ASIA being touted by the Obama administration has turned into a not very well concealed attempt to take Russia out of the world picture and China with it.  The badly concealed attempt to get Russia to cross the line on Ukraine not only has failed but as sent Russia out into the world making big deal after , big deal to counter sanctions placed on them by US.  Confused, I don't blame you. Damn near the same day of removing sanctions on Cuba because they haven't worked in 50 years we turn around and put sanctions on Russia. The Obama brain trust did not look very closely at Russian options to counter the sanctions, relying on the threat of nuclear war as the big hammer to pull Russia into line.  With most of the EU is desperate economic straights , taken their by out crooked banks are in little mood for a land war in Europe.  So we sit here and wait for the outcome , waiting to see who will win this game.

I look at our foreign affairs and I see a child going thru a zoo poking sticks into every animal in the zoo to anger them into attacking.  That about sums up our foreign policies.  Afghanistan , Iraq, Ukraine, Iran and lots of smaller actions that make us hated over most of the world.

It looks today that Russia has out maneuvered us in this latest Game of Thrones game.  In trying to control world energy resources we have in fact pushed some big players into the Russian tent. Time will tell who wins this game.

AMERICAN LIFE IN THE 21ST CENTURY

The last 30+ years have driven the average working man from a position of financial security into a stance for some that you can only call desperate.  Job gone, pension gone, health care gone, a decent wage gone , generally gone. house gone. self respect gone.  This group is very large, one has to think that this group watching the world of the 1% getting richer and richer , while they get poorer and poorer cannot not be a recipe for a peaceful society.  When 59% of the workforce earning minimum wage , with all hands in the family working sometimes two and three jobs , leaving no family time, no hope for a future, they toil away with only hope left to drive them.

So here we sit with huge unemployment , low incomes, little chance of improvement , we are told you need to get more education and the masses set out to run up huge debts for college education.  But wait a BA is not enough, you need a MA and so you run up your bill into a huge monkey on your back when it come payback time.  Then the real ballbuster hits, you have done all the abobe and graduated with a MA only to find out that what once looked like a viable career path now provides damn few opportunities , so back to living with your parents.

When looking at career paths of the future there are damn few good paying ones left to choose from.  While you are out busting your ass to get a career, the 1% are out inventing machines to replace the job you are now doing.  Somewhere I read that in a decade half of current jobs will no longer exist.

Which leaves the question, what the hell are we going to do with all these unemployed or under employed people.  If the current atmosphere of not wanting to offer support to these people presents us with the threat of a revolt highly probable.

On top of all this we sit and watch our government armor up our police forces with combat weapons which seems to have changed the temperament of the cops to one that goes straight to deadly violence.   An example : A kid on a playground waving around a gun, cops respond and shoot the child dead in 2 seconds.  There seems to be more and more of these actions which appear to be aimed at the black community.  It is just a matter of time before this turns ugly.  Remember 1968?

I am worried about the apparent need for instant gratification in our daily lives.  Watch folk young and old alike walk down the street , face in their iphone, oblivious of all around them   They sit side by side on park benches tweeting one another , The  spoken word is disappearing.  Iphones, compuers and tablets gain our attention while our  MSM delivers the one or two top stories of the day over and over again supported by tweets and other citizen inputs, essentially makes so called news immaterial.
We watch our world where student loans have to be paid, no bankruptcies for them , Meantime company after company goes bankrupt , while stealing retirement funds, busting pay checks, shedding jobs while the masses are harassed by loan collectors.

There is more to be said but this is a start, over the year I will attempt to address areas of concern to me in the hopes I can cause you to react.