tagged w/ Collapse
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The always vote the wealthy politician into office, that helps, and lets, the wealthy do what they want. Americans bought homes they could not afford, and live beyond their means. They have a serious economical disease called, “Credititus.” Yes wall street are crooks, but the American voters put the “upper class” crooks in Congress, that allow the wall streets crooks to operate, and the special interest groups to pay for what they want congress to do.
http://charliebigfeet.blogspot.com/2012/02/who-caused-economic-collapse.htmlThe always vote the wealthy politician into office, that helps, and lets, the wealthy... more
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In yet another attempt to ‘ensure our liberties’, congress is currently debating Stop Online Piracy Act – aka SOPA. The very fact that their current laws are unenforceable due to a lack of personnel and funding, congress apparently feels that more laws are the answer…again. In their twisted heads, they seem to believe that by denying a dns (domain name service) entry onto the web via its ISP (Internet Service Provider), they can somehow save money. Just a few minor holes into this thing that I would like to shoot down right now.
1 – Smaller ISP’s are to be more impacted by this than the larger ones – small wonder as to why the big dogs in the major Companies support this nonsense (for a list of supporting companies, go t......
http://peacefreedomprosperity.com/6151/12-reasons-why-sopa-is-worse-than-you-think/In yet another attempt to ‘ensure our liberties’, congress is currently... more
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Oli Garch says former Countrywide Financial CEO Angelo Mozilo is brilliant. At the height of the mortgage writing business Angelo Mozilo's Countrywide Financial Corp was originating 20% of all home loans in America...
On that chapter on genius businessmen in America—you completely overlooked Angelo Mozilo-- this guy has a genius for being always ahead of the curve .
At the height of the mortgage writing business his company, Countrywide , was originating 20% of all home loans in America. And by the time it had all blown up Angelo had already cashed out personally for $600 million dollars in salary and options.
He even sold Countrywide to Bank of America at the very moment the housing market collapsed. Now that is anticipation!
A couple of years later the SEC decides to try and flex their muscles and go after him for fraud. To go after a business man like him who simply trying to get people into homes and make a little money in doing it just seems wrong to me...
But Angelo settles in a civil suit and the fine is $22.5 million...now to really appreciate his true genius, when Angeleo sold to Bank of America, he put it in the contract that if any fraud charges cropped up the bank was on the hook for most of it. So Bank of America paid $20 million and Angelo only paid $2.5 million, with no criminal wrongdoing, and now he is sitting on an island enjoying his $600 million
Now that is a guy who's earned at least a chapter in my book.
http://www.thenakedemperor.com/oligarch/angelo-moziloOli Garch says former Countrywide Financial CEO Angelo Mozilo is brilliant. At the... more
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This is a question that would not have held as much weight a decade ago in the previous administration. However, as we're closing in on 2012, we have come to a point where We the People are losing control of the steering wheel that drives our nation through history. At the rate our "money" is being printed, our nation's wealth gap is growing, and our voices are falling on deaf ears in Washington, it wouldn't come as a surprise to me if people began asking what kind of system is really carrying this country forward, because it is clearly not a true, representative democracy.
We are, right now, fighting two, enormously expensive wars against the will of the American populous: The Iraq War and the War on Drugs. In early 2005, we learned of the $1.4 billion vacation Halliburton took on the taxpayer's dime. Soon afterwards, we learned that Dick Cheney directly profited from Halliburton's no-bid contracts and spending frenzy in Iraq. Since this scandal, American support for the War in Iraq started a more rapid decline. By October of the same year, more than half of America was in favor of ending the war we are just wrapping up now. Who should be calling the shots when it comes to a war we are fighting with our loved ones and our money? Where was our representation when we said "nay" to the War in Iraq?
In October, 2008, a Zogby poll was released showing 76% of voters believed the War on Drugs was a complete failure. Since then, an estimated $38 billion has been spent fighting the War on Drugs each year. What's worse is, not only are our tax dollars not going where we want them, but we're funding our own nation’s war against our own people. I have much to say on this issue, however, someone has already said it best. Below is a very well-delivered video of Graham Hancock speaking on this issue.
(BRIEF LANGUAGE WARNING) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yk3EBmiURgw
It completely baffled me to read Hillary Clinton say she didn't want drugs legalized for personal consumption simply because "there is just too much money in it," when she had no problem receiving over $500,000 in campaign contributions from the pharmaceutical industry. They are the situations like these that cause me to raise an eyebrow and ask myself how our nation's leaders can promise to lead The United States towards such a bright future, yet be so hypocritical in the process.
Where was our representation when we said "nay" to the War on Drugs?
When you begin to add the desire for wealth into the equation, it all adds up (no pun intended).
All of us as consumers were slapped in the face when President Obama bailed out Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, Goldman Sachs, Citigroup, Merrill Lynch, and General Motors. These companies should be bankrupt right now. The American people's buying and spending habits announced to these companies, "We no longer demand your services." However, when companies like these spend tens of thousands of dollars to put Barack Obama in the white house, you can bet your last dollar they will expect some sort of monetary compensation from him when they need it and he has the ability to give it to them.
We now live in a system where tax dollars can go to the largest campaign contributor and an entire company's votes can go to the highest bidder. Granted, this is nothing new, but in this day and age, it is more transparent than ever. In my opinion, this transparency is what sparked the Occupy Wall Street movement. People really started to see how much louder our currency speaks over our ballots. When you have top 10% of the nation controlling 93% of this nation's wealth and conducting multi-million dollar transactions with such ease, people are going to start asking questions when the same top 10% tier of the wealth divide receive bailouts, tax breaks, and no-bid defense contracts while 99% of the American people have no control over what our money is being spent on and who it's being shipped out to.
Who or what is to blame for this quagmire that we have found ourselves in? Many blame the free market based economic system we're built on. But that's just it: a capitalist economic structure is only an economic platform a problem is built on, not the problem itself. It is true that our capitalist foundation provided the framework for our current aristocracy to be built on it. However, the aristocracy we are now governed under stemmed from greed, not capitalism.
Greed (both on a corporate and individual level) is not a product of our economic system. Capitalism does not create greedy citizens. Greedy citizens create greedy citizens. Greedy families create greedy families. Although I believe our society is house of cards on the verge of a possible collapse, I do not believe capitalism is the issue. I believe the primary issue stemmed from decades of teaching of poor values such as materialism, unfriendly competition, and excessive pride (arrogance). In my opinion, these are fundamental ingredients that, over time, have lead people to establish class statuses and assign top priority to their physical assets.
Feedback is, of course, welcomed. I’d love to know what you all think!
Written by: Steven C. Manausa
References:
http://www.drugsense.org/cms/wodclock
http://www.zogby.com/news/2008/10/02/zogbyinter-american-dialogue-survey-public-views-clash-with-us-policy-on-cuba-immigration-and-drugs/
http://reason.com/blog/2011/02/07/hillary-clinton-we-cant-legali
http://www.cnbc.com/id/24708976
http://www.mybudget360.com/top-1-percent-control-42-percent-of-financial-wealth-in-the-us-how-average-americans-are-lured-into-debt-servitude-by-promises-of-mega-wealth/This is a question that would not have held as much weight a decade ago in the... more
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An analyst informs that the US has its army on standby against the Occupy and student movement as the economic situation in America deteriorates day by day. 1033 was passed by Congress in 1997 to help law-enforcement fight terrorism and drugs, but despite a 40-year low in violent crime, police are snapping up hardware like never before. While this year's staggering take topped the charts, next year's orders are up 400 percent over the same period. This upswing coincides with an increasingly military-like style of law enforcement most recently seen in the Occupy Wall Street crackdowns. http://www.makeahistory.com/index.php/recent-news/43038-us-set-to-use-army-to-put-down-protestsAn analyst informs that the US has its army on standby against the Occupy and student... more
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worrg
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added this
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2 months ago
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An Italian radio program’s story about Iceland’s on-going revolution is a stunning example of how little our media tells us about the rest of the world. Americans may remember that at the start of the 2008 financial crisis, Iceland literally went bankrupt. The reasons were mentioned only in passing, and since then, this little-known member of the European Union fell back into oblivion. As one European country after another fails or risks failing, imperiling the Euro, with repercussions for the entire world, the last thing the powers that be want is for Iceland to become an example. Here’s why: http://www.makeahistory.com/index.php/recent-news/43029-why-iceland-should-be-in-the-news-but-is-notAn Italian radio program’s story about Iceland’s on-going revolution is a... more
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worrg
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added this
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3 months ago
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it's the system that's the problem not an economic system - barking up the wrong tree if we are pointed to 'fine tuning' the economy, we need to shrink the system into manageable parts, not the way it is now.it's the system that's the problem not an economic system - barking up the... more
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When people cannot for some reason govern themselves – they turn to a small group of people to do it for them. They lack the belief in their own abilities to fix something, so they turn to an outside force to level the playing field. The irony here is that the playing field itself was never tilted to begin with. As such, it is the idea that everyon
http://peacefreedomprosperity.com/5785/the-plight-of-mariestown/When people cannot for some reason govern themselves – they turn to a small... more
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George Papandreou has announced that there will be a Greek referendum to approve the EU bail-out deal
GREECE'S astonishing decision to call a referendum – "a supreme act of democracy and of patriotism", in the words of premier George Papandreou – has more or less killed last week’s EU summit deal.
The markets cannot wait three months to find out the result, and nor is China going to lend much money to the EFSF bail-out fund until this is cleared up. The whole edifice is already at risk of crumbling. Société Générale is down 15pc this morning. The FTSE MIB index in Milan has crashed 7pc. Italian bond spreads have jumped to 450 basis points.
Unless the European Central Bank step in very soon and on a massive scale to shore up Italy, the game is up. We will have a spectacular smash-up.
If handled badly, the disorderly insolvency of the world’s third largest debtor with €1.9 trillion in public debt and nearer €3.5 trillion in total debt would be a much greater event than the fall of Credit Anstalt in 1931. (Let me add that Italy is not fundamentally insolvent. It is only in these straits because it does not have a lender of last resort, a sovereign central bank, or a sovereign currency. The euro structure itself has turned a solvent state into an insolvent state. It is reverse alchemy.)
The Anstalt debacle triggered the European banking collapse, set off tremors in London and New York, and turned recession into depression. Within four months the global financial order had essentially disintegrated.
That is the risk right now as the reality of Europe’s make-up becomes clear.
The Greek referendum – if it is not overtaken by a collapse of the government first – has left officials in Paris, Berlin, and Brussels speechless with rage. The ingratitude of them.
The spokesman of French president Nicolas Sarkozy (himself half Greek, from Thessaloniki) said the move was “irrational and dangerous”. Rainer Brüderle, Bundestag leader of the Free Democrats, said the Greeks appear to be “wriggling out” of a solemn commitment. They face outright bankruptcy, he blustered.
Well yes, but at least the Greeks are stripping away the self-serving claims of the creditor states that their “rescue” loan packages are to “save Greece”.
They are nothing of the sort. Greece has been subjected to the greatest fiscal squeeze ever attempted in a modern industrial state, without any offsetting monetary stimulus or devaluation.
The economy has so far collapsed by 14pc to 16pc since the peak – depending who you ask – and is spiralling downwards at a vertiginous pace.
The debt has exploded under the EU-IMF Troika programme. It is heading for 180pc of GDP by next year. Even under the haircut deal, Greek debt will be 120pc of GDP in 2020 after nine years of depression. That is not cure, it is a punitive sentence.
Every major claim by the inspectors at the outset of the Memorandum has turned out to be untrue. The facts are so far from the truth that it is hard to believe they ever thought it could work. The Greeks were made to suffer IMF austerity without the usual IMF cure. This was done for one purpose only, to buy time for banks and other Club Med states to beef up their defences.
It was not an unreasonable strategy (though a BIG LIE), and might not have failed entirely if the global economy recovered briskly this year and if the ECB had behaved with an ounce of common sense. Instead the ECB choose to tighten.
When the history books are written, I think scholarship will be very harsh on the handful of men running EMU monetary policy over the last three to four years. They are not as bad as the Chicago Fed of 1930 to 1932, but not much better.
So no, like the Spartans, Thebans, and Thespians at the Pass of Thermopylae, the Greeks were sacrificed to buy time for the alliance.
The referendum is a healthy reminder that Europe is a collection of sovereign democracies, tied by treaty law for certain arrangements. It is a union only in name.George Papandreou has announced that there will be a Greek referendum to approve the... more
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Anarchist Artist Victor Pross takes on a few common objections to the idea of a stateless society, philosophical anarchism. Those objections remain the same, forever spinning out on a hamster wheel, repeatedly and persistently: “What about the roads? What about the poor? What about violent crimes? What about theft?”
Listen to this video for a different perspective to the nature of the issue.
http://peacefreedomprosperity.com/5782/objections-to-the-freedom-movement/Anarchist Artist Victor Pross takes on a few common objections to the idea of a... more
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I like number 18. Here's it is: 18. The rise of a powerful, new democratic United Nations
After the megacrash, international cooperation will be more essential than ever.
You might read all 20 of them...I like number 18. Here's it is: 18. The rise of a powerful, new democratic... more
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The hyphenated anarchists can be a combative bunch. I’ve done my share of arguing from an Ancap perspective, against sects of the movement I believe wish to achieve freedom- so long as it is done their way. Tired and stale as the news on it may be, the Occupy Movement lends itself well to unification behind a few vital, strategy-related principles for pushing back the state. Libertarian and anarchist circles have reacted to the Movement in a number of ways, ranging from complete dismissal to complete embrace. The implications of the current Movement, which has now spread to Europe, are too large not to take advantage of, but in a measured way. Because the Movement presents an opportuni.......
http://peacefreedomprosperity.com/5749/ows-an-anti-state-perspective/The hyphenated anarchists can be a combative bunch. I’ve done my share of... more
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After breaking $4 a gallon for a short time in may, the steady decline in gas prices over the last five months has come as a breath of fresh air to commuters and consumers everywhere. The current average is hovering around $3.46 a gallon.
In such times it is far too easy to look at the current price and gain false hope in a recovering market. For example in July 2008, gas prices were pushing $4.12 a gallon. In a highly unusual dip the prices fell to nearly $1.60 a gallon in less than 6 months – something that has never happened in at least over 7 years.
Why? Well, the price of light crude on the WTI at the time was at an all time high in July, and made a very sudden decline from $133/barrel monthly average to $41/barrel monthly average in less than 5 months – right before elections. While it was noticeable at the time, it was hardly used then as a political stateme
http://peacefreedomprosperity.com/5738/on-oil-and-gas/After breaking $4 a gallon for a short time in may, the steady decline in gas prices... more
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“I, David P Shirk, do solemnly swear that I will support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic; that I will bear true faith and allegiance to the same; and that I will obey the orders of the President of the United States and the orders of the officers appointed over me, according to regulations and the Uniform Code of Military Justice. So help me God.” – August 8, 1998.
If there is one regret I have had in my lifetime, it was the utterance of those words. My intentions were good, after all, I wanted to protect people and serve them – just as so many I knew and respected who came before me. What I didn’t know at the time was my countries history (great job public school system), and the full actions taken by the government since its founding.
Before 9-11, I started seeing my job as having no real point. I was good at it to be sure, but could not see its use. We were not under attack, and the US seemed to be doing okay without using us. Then 9-11 happened, and everything changed. At first, I was eager to find the people responsible, and go earn my pay. Thank goodness my name was never called up for the task. I never would have thought at the time that the attack on the towers was the result of foreign meddling for the better part of 50 years.
Yet that one event set off a red flag in my head, and it was during that time tha.......
http://peacefreedomprosperity.com/5734/oathbreaker/“I, David P Shirk, do solemnly swear that I will support and defend the... more
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Wealth and power are rapidly becoming concentrated at the top and the large global corporations are making massive amounts of money. Meanwhile, the American middle class is being systematically wiped out of existence as U.S. workers are slowly being merged into the new “global” labor pool.
Corporations are moving operations out of the U.S. at breathtaking speed. Since the U.S. government does not penalize them for doing so, there really is no incentive for them to stay.
Meanwhile, the richest 1% of Americans — those making $380,000 or more — have seen their incomes grow 33% over the last 20 years, leaving average Americans in the dust.
http://rtruth.blog.com/2011/09/28/the-great-exterminationthe-middle-class-in-america/Wealth and power are rapidly becoming concentrated at the top and the large global... more
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mab001
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added this
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4 months ago
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October 7th 2011 will mark the 10 year anniversary of the war in the Middle East. This 10 years of war, has gone on for far too long.
War has a heavy cost, a heavy cost that we don’t think about in our daily busy lives. That cost is your children or your grandchildren dying before their time, being severely injured or mentally scarred for life.
War is your brothers and sisters being taught to kill other people — and to hate people who are just like themselves and who don’t want to kill anyone either.
War is your children seeing their friends killed before their very eyes or seeing their limbs blown off their bodies.
War is genocide; it is hundreds of thousands of human beings dying years before their time.
War is millions of people separated forever from their loved ones.
War is the destruction of homes which people worked for.
War is the end of careers that meant as much to others as your career means to you.
You cannot put a cost on a human life, but the financial cost on war is now running into the trillions of dollars. As illustrated by Cost Of War Dot Com.
War is the imposition of heavy taxes on you, other Americans, and on people in other countries — taxes that remain long after the war is over.
War is the suppression of free speech and the jailing of people who criticize the government.
War is the imposition of slavery when young men and women serve in the military.
War is goading the public to hate foreign people and races.
It is time to end the war and bring the troops home.
If you like the majority of Americans want to end the bombing and occupation of the Middle East.
Visit http://www.AntiWar.com, or Call Angela at: 1-323-512-7095
http://peacefreedomprosperity.com/5719/10-years-in-the-middle-east-is-far-too-long-antiwar/October 7th 2011 will mark the 10 year anniversary of the war in the Middle East.... more
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SPECIAL REPORT: Poor fireproofing brought down the World Trade Center, a top NIST adviser says. Ten years after 9/11, some of the nation's leading engineers speak out for the first time, saying the spray on foam insulation used on the Twin Towers simply wasn't thick enough. If enough material had been on the building, it would still be standing today, they say. "One could say the building was poorly designed."
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SGBR149eD3wSPECIAL REPORT: Poor fireproofing brought down the World Trade Center, a top NIST... more
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Methodology – a set or system of methods, principles, and rules for regulating a given discipline; the underlying principles and rules of organization of a philosophical system or inquiry procedure; a branch of pedagogics dealing with analysis and evaluation of subjects to be taught and of the methods of teaching them.
Policy – a definite course of action adopted for the sake of expediency, facility, etc; a course of action adopted and pursued by a government, ruler, political party, etc.; action or procedure conforming to or considered with reference to prudence or expediency.
In the army, training doctrine is drawn and taught with a methodology that is set forth as a policy. On the most basic of levels, it is slimmed down and simple. This is not because it assumes a new recruit is stupid. It is done because in order for a large body of people to act in a coordinated and efficient manner, the more synchronized they have to be. The only way to do this, is to teach all recruits the basics, and grind them so far in that what is learned becomes almost as natural as breathing. You are taught to obey, not to question. This is on the premise that th....
http://peacefreedomprosperity.com/5642/the-failed-policy-called-government/Methodology – a set or system of methods, principles, and rules for regulating a... more
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