News Items

When Lindsay Graham and Barrack Obama Agree…Run the Other Way Fast

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The easiest way for a patriotic, civil liberties defending U.S. citizen to know whether to support or oppose an issue is when two of the most authoritative, narcissistic politicians from the two controlled political in America are in strong agreement. In this case, I am referring to Lindsay Graham and Barrack Obama’s recent love fest … Read more

Of Course, J.P. Morgan is Right at the Center of the Latest Italian Bank Scandal

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This should come as no surprise to anyone paying even the slightest bit of attention to the ongoing theft and fraud being perpetrated by the “too big to jail” financial oligarchs.  J.P. Morgan in particular these days seems to have its grubby, crony paws in almost every degree of theft one can imagine.  From Vatican … Read more

Dogs in England Must Have Microchips by 2016

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Nice work England.  After all, why should anyone have the right to make any decisions of their own anymore?  I’m just surprised NYC Mayor Michael Bloomberg didn’t come up with this plan first.  Today it will be animals, tomorrow it will be people.  This stinks of a conditioning program to me.  For example, one of the main reasons cited for this is that: “Microchipping is a simple solution that gives peace of mind to owners.”  Wouldn’t chipping children give also give peace of mind to parents?  My issue isn’t that people may want to use this technology, but they should not be forced to by law.  Apparently, the fine for not chipping your dog with be $800.  Is this a per year amount, or will they charge you $800 when caught and then take your dog and chip it?  This is extremely disturbing.  From CBS News:

All dogs in England will have to be fitted with microchips by 2016, authorities said, meaning that canines across the country will be chasing cars with a tiny circuit embedded in the back of their necks.

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Virginia Moves Closer to Creating an “Alternative Currency”

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There seems to be something in the air in the state of Virginia these days.  First, we heard that Charlottesville, Va., became the first city to formally pass an anti-drone resolution, and now we discover the proposal to study an alternative to the dollar has passed the State House with a two-to-one majority.  It’s really interesting that all of this is happening in a state with such proximity to our very own national cancer, Washington D.C.  From the Washington Post:

The idea that Virginia should consider issuing its own money was dismissed as just another quixotic quest by one of the most conservative members of the state legislature when Marshall introduced it three years ago. But it has since gained traction not only in Virginia, but also in states across the country as Americans have grown increasingly suspicious of the institutions entrusted with safeguarding the economy.

This week, the proposal by the Prince William Republican sailed through the House of Delegates with a two-to-one majority.

But the fact that the debate is happening at all reflects a deep-seated distrust in the very foundation of the country’s economic system — the dollar.

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Congratulations Charlottesville, Virginia! The First City to Pass Anti-Drone Legislation

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This simple piece of legislation proves that you can make a difference at the local level.  We need a lot more of this type of thing all over these United States.  As I have said many times, it’s not that I am against drones in all capacities; however, we must be vigilant about how these things are used and must have serious safeguards in place to protect civil liberties.  Kudos to the Rutherford Institute for leading the charge here.

From US News:

Charlottesville, Va., has become the first city in the United States to formally pass an anti-drone resolution.

The resolution passed by a 3-2 vote and was brought to the city council by activist David Swanson and the Rutherford Institute, a civil liberties group based in the city. The measure also endorses a proposed two-year moratorium on drones in Virginia.

Councilmember Dede Smith, who voted in favor of the bill, says that drones are “pretty clearly a threat to our constitutional right to privacy.”

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Mark Zuckerberg is Watching You: Facebook to Create “Mobile Location-Tracking App”

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I am very particular about my social media.  I love Twitter and very much dislike Facebook. Twitter is efficient, Facebook is inefficient.  With Twitter you have easy access to serious people talking about serious things.  Facebook is a lot of noise and you have no interest in 99% of it.  It is the junk food of social media.  The best quote I ever heard about the two services that I think is entirely accurate is:

“Facebook is where you lie to your friends and Twitter is where you tell truth to strangers.”

While I do have a personal Facebook profile that I created many years ago, I do not use it.  I have thought about creating a page for my blog because it remains a powerful way to spread information, but I have yet to do so.

Sorry for going off on a tangent, this post was supposed to be about Facebook’s continued violation of user privacy, which appears to be continuing in an unabashed fashion.  From Bloomberg:

Facebook Inc. (FB) is developing a smartphone application that will track the location of users, two people with knowledge of the matter said, bolstering efforts to benefit from growing use of social media on mobile computers.

The app, scheduled for release by mid-March, is designed to help users find nearby friends and would run even when the program isn’t open on a handset, said one of the people, who asked not to be identified because the plans aren’t public.

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Canada Kills the Penny…Is the U.S. Next?

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Yesterday was a historic day in Canadian monetary history, as the mint stopped distributing pennies.  As expected, this sparked a debate in some mainstream media outlets in these United States as to whether it was time for us to do the same. I have been interested in the metal content of U.S. coins for many … Read more

Brilliant Interview: “The Paranoia of the Superrich and Superpowerful”

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Huge efforts have been devoted since to inculcating the New Spirit of the Age. Major industries are devoted to the task: public relations, advertising, marketing generally, all of which add up to a very large component of the Gross Domestic Product. They are dedicated to what the great political economist Thorstein Veblen called “fabricating wants.” In the words of business leaders themselves, the task is to direct people to “the superficial things” of life, like “fashionable consumption.” That way people can be atomized, separated from one another, seeking personal gain alone, diverted from dangerous efforts to think for themselves and challenge authority.

– Noam Chomsky from his amazing essay, How the Magna Carta became a Minor Carta

I remember that back when I was younger, whenever I heard the name Noam Chomsky the words “anti-American radical” would pop into my head.  This is despite the fact that I had never read anything he ever wrote, nor ever heard him speak.  Looking back, I realize that this is how powerful brainwashing functions  The most effective propaganda is the one that makes you think your opinions and biases come from your own mind.  No matter what you think you think of Noam Chomsky, this interview is a must read.  He even exposes fake liberals for the frauds they are.

From the Huffington Post:

Question: Does the United States still have the same level of control over the energy resources of the Middle East as it once had?

Chomsky:  The major energy-producing countries are still firmly under the control of the Western-backed dictatorships. So, actually, the progress made by the Arab Spring is limited, but it’s not insignificant. The Western-controlled dictatorial system is eroding. In fact, it’s been eroding for some time. So, for example, if you go back 50 years, the energy resources — the main concern of U.S. planners — have been mostly nationalized. There are constantly attempts to reverse that, but they have not succeeded.

Take the U.S. invasion of Iraq, for example. To everyone except a dedicated ideologue, it was pretty obvious that we invaded Iraq not because of our love of democracy but because it’s maybe the second- or third-largest source of oil in the world, and is right in the middle of the major energy-producing region. You’re not supposed to say this. It’s considered a conspiracy theory.

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It’s About Time: JP Morgan Enters the Housing Slumlord Trade

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It was just a matter of time before the most powerful crony capitalist bank in America decided to join the housing trade.  Making money running the food stamp program just wasn’t enough for Your Crony Highness Jaime Dimon and company, it’s time to join his financial oligarch brothers in the bidding war to corner the housing market and become your overlord.  That way they can control how you eat (food stamps) and where you sleep.  It’s become very clear what the large financial interests in these United States are attempting.  Funnel all the low interest crony American money, with a dash of Chinese laundered money, into the “housing recovery.”  From Bloomberg:

JPMorgan Chase & Co. (JPM) is giving its wealthiest clients the chance to invest in the single-family rental market after other investments linked to the U.S. housing recovery jumped in value.

The firm’s unit that caters to individuals and families with more than $5 million, put client money in a partnership that bought more than 5,000 single family homes to rent in Florida, Arizona, Nevada and California, said David Lyon, a managing director and investment specialist at J.P. Morgan Private Bank. Investors can expect returns of as much as 8 percent annually from rental income as well as part of the profits when the homes are sold, he said.

The bank’s wealthy clients are joining a growing number of private-equity firms and individuals buying rental homes in the regions hardest hit by the U.S. housing crash. Blackstone Group LP (BX) has spent $2.7 billion, and said last month it accelerated purchases as home prices rise faster than anticipated. Even after home values in November gained by the most in six years, investors are wagering on rental properties as an alternative to housing-related stocks and mortgage debt that’s already soared.

The strategy is similar to institutional buyers including Blackstone, the world’s largest buyout firm, Thomas Barrack’s Colony Capital LLC, and Oaktree Capital Group LLC. (OAK) They’re aiming to profit from low prices on distressed properties, often those in foreclosure and sold at auction — and the demand for rentals from people who don’t want to own a home or can’t qualify for a mortgage.

Now here’s where the article gets really interesting.

“It’s hard to find a private-equity firm on the planet that doesn’t have a strategy in this space,” Gary Beasley, chief executive officer at Waypoint Homes, said last week at the American Securitization Forum’s annual conference in Las Vegas. The Oakland, California-based company has bought homes in California, Arizona, Illinois and Georgia.

Sure seems like the right time to buy housing.  You know, after every single pool of aggressive private capital in the nation and abroad is already bidding.

Now take a look at how poor the returns are.  This is what happens when things get too crowded.

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It’s Coming: The Government Wants to “Help Manage” Retirement Accounts

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Many people, including myself, have discussed this threat over the past several years.  The obvious concept is that when the government runs out of money, or they face a drying up in interest for its debt, they will come for the $19.4 trillion in American’s retirement accounts.  It seems that day may be finally drawing near.

I stopped contributing to my 401k back when I worked at Bernstein, and I will probably now have to give more serious consideration whether I want to take the penalty and move the funds out of my retirement account entirely.  I haven’t made any decisions, but will be watching closely.

I’m sure the government is just trying to protect your retirement account from terrorists.

From Bloomberg:

The U.S. Consumer Financial Protection Bureau is weighing whether it should take on a role in helping Americans manage the $19.4 trillion they have put into retirement savings, a move that would be the agency’s first foray into consumer investments.

“That’s one of the things we’ve been exploring and are interested in in terms of whether and what authority we have,” bureau director Richard Cordray said in an interview. He didn’t provide additional details.

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