Few people understand what is happening and about to happen. One of these is Chris Martenson who foresaw the crisis, adjusted his lifestyle completely in advance of it and has [...]
Persons
Jan 292012
Most people consider themselves liberal or conservative without fully understanding the assumptions upon which these beliefs rest. Parental beliefs or a choice of one of the two major political parties is often as deep as their understanding goes. Another motive is driven by self-interest — which party will benefit me the most.
To these folks, their political philosophy is selected on a truly thoughtless basis. For some, it parallels how they chose a favorite sports team — I root for Team X because my parents did or I live closest to them or some other equally innocuous method. For others, it is akin to a young child judging relatives on the basis of who provided the best Christmas gifts.
Thomas Sowell
Few truly fully explore either the implications of accepting political beliefs or the tenets upon which they rest. The origins of liberalism and conservatism are difficult to explore. To understand them means getting away from “American Idol” and other air-headed pursuits and reading. In other words, it requires some effort beyond that of mind-numbing diversions that pass for today’s entertainment and time consumption. It also involves some danger, because it forces one to explore the underlying principles behind both political philosophies.
Such a “scientific” approach breaks complex political beliefs down into a series of assumptions regarding the nature of man. Thomas Sowell’s Conflict of Visions does just that. It utilizes history and philosophy to identify the underlying assumptions upon which both liberalism and conservatism rest. It is highly recommended as a book for those who wish to pursue such an adventure. The first few chapters are all that is required for you to understand what you implicitly assume by taking one side or the other.
Here is an approach from a different angle from American Thinker’s Paul Shlichta. His essay approaches the issue from the influence that religious beliefs play in determining which side of the spectrum you fall:
The Roots of Liberalism and Conservatism
Conservative writers sometimes complain about the obstinacy of liberals — how they persist in their beliefs despite the flagrant misdeeds of their politicians and the collapse of welfare states, as is now happening in Europe. Since false conclusions are often the result of false initial assumptions, I tried to find the cause of this persistence by tracing back to the roots of liberal and conservative thought.
I concluded that conservatism is based on the concept that “all men are equal but not necessarily good,” while liberalism is derived from the idea that “all men are good but not necessarily equal.”
Conservatism is the logical consequence of two Christian doctrines: universal equal rights and original sin. As Wikipedia puts it:
The concept of universal human rights was not known in the ancient world, not in Ancient Greece and Rome, Ancient India, Ancient China, nor among the Hebrews; slavery, for instance, was justified in ancient times as a natural condition.
The concept of universal equal rights is implicit in the New Testament and was discussed by Augustine and Thomas Aquinas. However, few organized attempts were made to put the doctrine into practice until the issue of slavery in the Spanish colonies induced Dominican missionary Bartolomé de Las Casas to plead Continue reading »
Jan 172012
Doug Casey has a lengthy piece on government spending, what is wasted and what can be done about it. Sadly, he concludes as I have, that there is nothing we can do and nothing will be done:
So what can you do about it? Well, actually, there is nothing you can do about it. At least as far as changing the course of history is concerned. The best you can do is to speculate intelligently on further, new distortions that will be cranked into the system, as well as others that are inevitably going to be liquidated.
It seems to me that this is a trend that can no longer be turned around. The US government’s budget is, in fact, the biggest thing in the world; it won’t be turned around, because it is like a gigantic snowball rolling down a hill. It will only stop when it smashes into the village at the bottom of the valley. The best thing you can do is capitalize on it as well as you can and get out of its way while you do.
Mr. Casey sees what he describes as “The Greater Depression” ahead with dangerous implications for our form of government.
Jan 112012
We are living through the death throes of an empire. For those citizens who understand what is occurring, the process is akin to being trapped in a taxicab where the meter is on and running at an infinite pace. We cannot get out; nor will we be able to pay when the bill is submitted.
Government Duplicity
The duplicity and outright lies of government are becoming more apparent. There are too many to list here. Here are a few:
- Favorable forecasts regarding the economy are cruel jokes to everyone, but especially to those unemployed and underemployed. The country is told that the economy is out of the woods and on its way, recovering from the worst recession since the 1930s. No one with an IQ higher than room temperature or the ability to see should believe that.
- The Obama Administration stumbled badly with their first major promise. We were told that if the stimulus package was passed, unemployment would not exceed 7%. It was passed and unemployment soared over 10%. The package had no promised shovel-ready jobs and turned out to be the biggest pork bill ever. Virtually nothing went to Main Street to help individuals. Unions, government employees and other Democrat constituents were the primary beneficiaries along with the banking industry. President Reagan, like President Obama, inherited a difficult situation when he entered office. To the right is a comparison
of what happened under Reagan and under Obama. The chart compares unemployment rates. Changes in the manner in which unemployment is currently measured favorably distort the unmitigated disaster that is Obama’s economic policy. Adjusting data to the same basis, would make the comparison even worse. - To issue such an unemployment forecast, the Obama Administration had to be either desperate, economically illiterate, lying or just stupid. Feel free to pick from multiple categories is making your judgment. If that one forecast were all that was involved, there would be little need to harp. Yet every subsequent pronouncement or projection has similarly been wrong, often in similar magnitude. I have not checked all the statements, projections and claims, but I do not recall a single major economic promise or projection being correct. Many have resulted in additional outright lies to cover the impotency of this administration.
- The projections of Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke are no better. He is the only one who might be able to compete with Administration economists for worst forecaster of all time. Again, without checking every major item, I think he is batting 1,000 in terms of incorrect projections. YouTube and other websites provide ample evidence, mocking his dismal forecasting record.
Despite record stimulus, both fiscal and monetary, the economy has not improved. The declaration of the end of the recession was reminiscent of George W. Bush’s premature claims of victory in Iraq but was a necessary part of of the pretend and extend game that government must play. There is no escape from an economic apocalypse, hence much of the duplicity.
An Economic Collapse Is Unavoidable
It would not be too late to avoid this collapse if this were a corporation operating in a free market. In that case, a hard-nosed, savvy turnaround specialist could come in and save the company by slashing spending mercilessly. But we are dealing with a political entity run by political animals who are neither very smart nor very brave. In such a situation and especially today where leadership is absent in either political party, there will be no solution. Competing interests and entitlements are too entrenched. Politicians behave only to get re-elected and no one has ever run for office successfully by promising to cut programs. Imagine the slogan: “Vote for me and this is a list of things I will take away from you.” Thus, it is impossible to avoid the coming disaster.
The economy continues to worsen because we have squandered and continue to squander valuable resources in an attempt to avoid doing the right things. The political class has chosen to protect their positions by pretending that matters are getting better. The economic system is now so burdened with debt, price distortions and asset mis-allocations that we are on the verge of an economic collapse. When this happens or what of the many incidents that might trigger it is anyone’s guess.
The best efforts of both government and their media cronies are devoted to covering up Continue reading »
Dec 262011
If you don’t hold it, you may not own it.
This video is an interview of Ann Barnhardt by Peter Schiff where Ms. Barnhardt expresses in a “no-holds barred” manner her opinions on what is happening.
She is one angry woman with every right to be so. Her views should be heard by every American whether they invest or not. While the interview deals specifically with MF Global, the implications of what happened here are important to us all.
The Rule of Law no longer is honored. Without that, we are no better than a third-world banana republic subject to the whims of a dictator or dictator-class. Contracts and agreements have no meaning without the effective and impartial force of Law.
Every piece of paper is a contract waiting to be abrogated — stocks, bonds etc. Even segregated, identifiable, tagged assets are at risk. Even they were confiscated (stolen).
How many people are aware that brokerage funds are at risk? What about storage accounts at bullion houses? Is there any place where assets are safe other than buried in your backyard? When the government is starving, it goes hunting. We, unfortunately, are the prey. To the ruling class, we are nothing more than the feedstock to keep their plunder going.
Listen to Ms. Barnhardt and be aware of how far down the slippery slope we have already slid.
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