tagged w/ Michael T. Snyder
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Most Americans do not know this, but a single EMP attack could potentially wipe out most of the electronics in the United States and instantly send this nation back to the 1800s. If a nuclear bomb was exploded high enough in the atmosphere over the middle part of the country, the electromagnetic pulse would fry electronic devices from coast to coast. The damage would be millions of times worse than 9/11. Just imagine a world where nobody has power, most cars will not start, the Internet has been fried, the financial system is offline indefinitely, nobody can make any phone calls and virtually all commerce across the entire country is brought to a complete stop. A nation that does not know how to live without technology would be almost entirely stripped of it at that point. Yes, this could really happen. An EMP attack is America's "Achilles heel", and everyone around the world knows it. It is only a matter of time before someone uses an EMP weapon against us, and at this point we are pretty much completely unprepared.Most Americans do not know this, but a single EMP attack could potentially wipe out... more
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Every single day, we are getting closer to a horrific global water crisis. This world was blessed with an awesome amount of fresh water, but because of our foolishness it is rapidly disappearing. Rivers, lakes and major underground aquifers all over the globe are drying up, and many of the fresh water sources that we still have available are so incredibly polluted that we simply cannot use them anymore. Without fresh water, we simply cannot function. Just imagine what would happen if the water got cut off in your house and you were not able to go out and buy any. Just think about it. How long would you be able to last? Well, as sources of fresh water all over the globe dry up, we are seeing drought conditions spread. We are starting to see massive "dust storms" in areas where we have never seem them before. Every single year, most of the major deserts around the world are getting bigger and the amount of usable agricultural land in most areas is becoming smaller. Whether you are aware of this or not, the truth is that we are rapidly approaching a breaking point.Every single day, we are getting closer to a horrific global water crisis. This world... more
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The NFL has announced that it will be implementing "enhanced" pat-downs at all 32 NFL stadiums. Once this is fully implemented, the 16 million fans that attend games each season will be frisked from the ankles to the knees and from the waist up. Apparently this new level of security was brought on by a recent incident where a Cowboys fan smuggled a stun gun into a game between the New York Jets and the Dallas Cowboys and started zapping other fans with it. As usual, authorities have responded to a minor security incident by massively overreacting to it. In the post-9/11 world in which we live, paranoia is standard operating procedure. Those that are responsible for security are far more interested in "covering their backsides" than they are in respecting the liberty, freedom and dignity of average Americans. America is rapidly turning into a high-security prison. When naked body scanners and "enhanced pat-downs" went into U.S. airports, those that warned that we would soon see these types of "Big Brother" security measures pop up at train stations, bus stations, shopping malls and sporting events were dismissed as "conspiracy theorists". But it turns out that the "conspiracy theorists" did not even fully understand how quickly all of this nonsense was going to spread. How much "security" is going to be enough? Where in the world is the line going to be drawn? If groping all fans is "necessary" for security at all NFL games, how long will it be before it is implemented at all other sporting events across the United States?The NFL has announced that it will be implementing "enhanced" pat-downs at... more
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Have you ever thought about getting your food out of a trash can? Don't laugh. Dumpster diving has become a hot new trend in America. In fact, dumpster divers even have a trendy new name. They call themselves "freegans", and as the economy crumbles their numbers are multiplying. Many freegans consider dumpster diving to be a great way to save money on groceries. Others do it because they want to live more simply. Freegans that are concerned about the environment view dumpster diving as a great way to "recycle" and other politically-minded freegans consider dumpster diving to be a form of political protest. But whatever you want to call it, the reality is that thousands upon thousands of Americans will break out their boots, rubber gloves and flashlights and will be jumping into dumpsters looking for food once again tonight.Have you ever thought about getting your food out of a trash can? Don't laugh.... more
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The debate about Rick Perry and the HPV vaccine is a battle for the very soul of the Republican Party. Right now, Rick Perry is parading around the country talking about how "conservative" he is, but would a real conservative attempt to forcibly vaccinate 12 year old girls for a sexually transmitted disease? If Rick Perry really wants government to be as "inconsequential" in our lives as possible, then why did he issue an executive order that mandated that 12 year old girls in the state of Texas be injected with a highly controversial vaccine? Rick Perry did not even consult the Texas legislature and he spat right in the face of parental rights when he did this. Conservatives in the United States love to talk about how much they love individual liberty and about how much they love parental rights, but they keep supporting candidates that are trampling on our liberties and our freedoms. Forcing young girls to be injected with a highly controversial government-mandated STD vaccine is something that we would expect Barack Obama to do. Rick Perry keeps saying that he wishes he would "have done it differently", but you will notice that he is not saying that he was wrong for trying to do it at all.The debate about Rick Perry and the HPV vaccine is a battle for the very soul of the... more
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America is getting poorer. The U.S. government has just released a bunch of new statistics about poverty in America, and once again this year the news is not good. According to a special report from the U.S. Census Bureau, 46.2 million Americans are now living in poverty. The number of those living in poverty in America has grown by 2.6 million in just the last 12 months, and that is the largest increase that we have ever seen since the U.S. government began calculating poverty figures back in 1959. Not only that, median household income has also fallen once again. In case you are keeping track, that makes three years in a row. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, median household income in the United States dropped 2.3% in 2010 after accounting for inflation. Overall, median household income in the United States has declined by a total of 6.8% once you account for inflation since December 2007. So should we be excited that our incomes are going down and that a record number of Americans slipped into poverty last year? Should we be thrilled that the economic pie is shrinking and that our debt levels are exploding? All of those that claimed that the U.S. economy was recovering and that everything was going to be just fine have some explaining to do.America is getting poorer. The U.S. government has just released a bunch of new... more
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All over America today, desperate people are doing desperate things. As the economy continues to crumble, the American people are starting to become very frustrated. Millions have lost their homes and millions have lost their jobs. As hopelessness and despair rise, an increasing number of Americans are turning to crime or are lashing out in unpredictable ways. Many parts of America are rapidly turning into lawless hellholes. In some of the areas that have been the hardest hit by the declining economy, police forces are being severely cut back and desperate criminals are being given a lot of freedom to roam. In fact, in some major cities (such as Oakland, California), the police have announced that there are certain types of crime that they will not even respond to any more. For a couple of decades, crime had been steadily declining in the United States, but now we are seeing very disturbing reports from all over the nation of desperate people doing desperate things as they scramble to survive or as they vent their frustrations. If the examples that you are about to read are any indication, then America is headed down a very dark path.All over America today, desperate people are doing desperate things. As the economy... more
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Are we on the verge of a massive financial collapse in Europe? Rumors of an imminent default by Greece are flying around all over the place and Greek government officials are openly admitting that they are running out of money. Without more bailout funds it is absolutely certain that Greece will soon default on their debts. But German officials are threatening to hold up more bailout payments until the Greeks "do what they agreed to do". The attitude in Germany is that the Greeks must now pay the price for going into so much debt. Officials in the Greek government are becoming frustrated because the more austerity measures they implement, the more their economy shrinks. As the economy shrinks, so do tax payments and the budget deficit gets even larger. Meanwhile, hordes of very angry Greek citizens are violently protesting in the streets. If Germany allows Greece to default, that is going to start financial dominoes tumbling around the globe and it is going to be a signal to the financial markets that there is a very real possibility that Portugal, Italy and Spain will be allowed to default as well. Needless to say, all hell would break loose at that point.Are we on the verge of a massive financial collapse in Europe? Rumors of an imminent... more
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Are we about to see a huge push for a "United States of Europe"? As the sovereign debt crisis in Europe continues to spiral out of control, suddenly this term is popping up in the New York Times and in major newspapers all over Europe. So is this by accident? Surely not. The truth is that there is an overwhelming consensus among the political and financial elite of Europe that a "United States of Europe" is what would be best for the eurozone. However, they are likely going to need a massive financial crisis in order to reach their goal. Right now, the citizens of the countries that make up the eurozone are overwhelmingly against deeper European integration. Without experiencing a massive amount of financial pain, they are unlikely to change their minds any time soon. So who is going to win in the end? Unfortunately, the clock is ticking because Greece is on the verge of defaulting on their debts and several other countries are not that far behind. If Europe does not decide on a course of action soon, the euro is going to collapse and financial institutions all over Europe are going to come crashing down.Are we about to see a huge push for a "United States of Europe"? As the... more
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Every single day, America is becoming a little bit more divided. It is probably not a stretch to say that there could be more political hatred in this country today than at any time since the Civil War. In fact, there are some very disturbing signs that the very heated war of words between the two major political parties could soon spill over into very real violence in the streets. Instead of uniting and focusing on our real enemies and on our real problems, the left and the right in America seem ready to go to war with each other. The mainstream media and those that control both political parties love to play "divide and conquer", and in America today we are taught to pick one political "team" and to absolutely hate those on the other side. But instead of two real choices, what we really have is a false left/right paradigm. The reality is that the two political parties are controlled by the same people at the highest levels. For example, did you know that 3 of the top 7 donors to Barack Obama's campaign in 2008 were major Wall Street banks? Both the Republicans and the Democrats are very tightly controlled. That is why nothing seems to really change no matter who we elect. But rather than waking up and uniting to take on our real problems, the American people are increasingly choosing to hate one another.Every single day, America is becoming a little bit more divided. It is probably not a... more
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So that was what we have been waiting for? That was what all the hype was about? With a little over a year until the next election, that was the "best shot" that Obama has for fixing the unemployment crisis in this country? The Obama Jobs Plan (also now known as "the American Jobs Act") is going to cost $447 billion and it is going to do next to nothing to create more jobs. Many Americans were hoping for something bold and new from Obama, but instead what they got was a bad joke. When Obama stated that there is "nothing radical in this bill", he was not kidding. Instead of addressing the fundamental issues that are causing job loss, Obama wants us to spend half a trillion dollars on measures that will only create a very small number of jobs. Sadly, much of what Obama is proposing actually consists of huge bribes to middle class voters. Obama is trying to keep his own job, and he appears willing to pile up even more debt in order to make that happen.So that was what we have been waiting for? That was what all the hype was about?... more
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There has been a natural disaster that has caused at least a billion dollars of damage inside the United States every single month so far this year. According to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, there have been 10 major disasters in the United States this year. On average, usually there are only about 3 major disasters a year. At this point, disasters are happening inside the United States so frequently that there seems to be no gap between them. We just seem to go from one major disaster to the next. Last year, FEMA declared an all-time record of 81 disasters inside the United States. This year, we are on pace for well over 100. We just got done dealing with Hurricane Irene, and now we are dealing with historic wildfires in Texas and unprecedented flooding up in the northeast part of the country. This has been the worst year for natural disasters in U.S. history, and we still have nearly four months left to go. Hopefully after everything that has happened this year it has become abundantly clear to all of us why we need to prepare for emergencies. The world is becoming an increasingly unstable place, and you never know what is going to happen next.There has been a natural disaster that has caused at least a billion dollars of damage... more
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Those without a lot of wealth or a lot of power are getting absolutely killed in America today. The big corporations, the major financial institutions, the ultra-wealthy and those connected to the top levels of government are absolutely thriving even though the economy overall is in shambles. Meanwhile, "the little guy" is being abused, harassed, regulated, taxed and mistreated like never before. In general, the big corporations and the government don't spend a lot of time tangling with each other. Instead, mostly they seem content with attacking the weak members of the herd (the rest of us). In the United States today, wealth and power have become more concentrated than ever, and the big corporations and the government have figured out thousands of different ways to drain even more wealth and power away from the rest of us. Most of the time, "the little guy" is not even able to fight back. Most Americans have very limited resources and a very limited knowledge of the law. Meanwhile, the "big guys" have almost unlimited resources and can hire huge numbers of lawyers. So what does that mean for the rest of us? Well, it means that until society becomes a lot more just, you better do your best to keep from becoming a target of the "big guys".Those without a lot of wealth or a lot of power are getting absolutely killed in... more
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The United States is negotiating one of the biggest free trade agreements in history and there is barely a peep about it on the news. Years ago, Ross Perot warned that if NAFTA was implemented there would be a "giant sucking sound" as millions of jobs left this country. It turns out that he was right. Starting on Tuesday, the next round of negotiations on the Trans-Pacific Partnership (also known as the "NAFTA of the Pacific") will begin in Chicago. We have already seen the Obama administration push hard for free trade agreements with Panama, South Korea and Colombia and the administration is making the Trans-Pacific Partnership a very high priority. Membership in the "NAFTA of the Pacific" already includes Brunei, Chile, New Zealand and Singapore. The United States, Australia, Peru, Malaysia and Vietnam are scheduled to join. Canada, Japan and South Korea are also reportedly considering membership. So once this "free trade" agreement is ratified, will we hear another "giant sucking sound" as millions more of our jobs are shipped overseas?The United States is negotiating one of the biggest free trade agreements in history... more
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Sorry to break this to you, but the future for most Americans is going to be pretty crappy. Unless you are independently wealthy, the chances are good that you will have a low paying job, that you will be drowning in a sea of bad debts and that you will have to go on government assistance at some point.Sorry to break this to you, but the future for most Americans is going to be pretty... more
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The financial crisis in Europe has become so severe that it has put the future of the euro, and indeed the future of the EU itself, in doubt. If the financial system in Europe collapses, it is going to plunge the entire globe into chaos. The EU has a larger economy and a larger population than the United States does. The EU also has more Fortune 500 companies that the United States does. If the financial system in Europe breaks down, we are all doomed. An economic collapse in Europe would unleash a financial tsunami that would sweep across the globe. As I wrote about yesterday, the nightmarish sovereign debt crisis in Europe could potentially bring about the end of the euro. The future of the monetary union in Europe is being questioned all over the continent. Without massive bailouts, there are at least 5 or 6 nations in Europe that will likely soon default. The political will for continued bailouts is rapidly failing in northern Europe, so something needs to be done quickly to avert disaster. Unfortunately, as anyone that has ever lived in Europe knows, things tend to move very, very slowly in Europe.The financial crisis in Europe has become so severe that it has put the future of the... more
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Should we just expect mass chaos on the streets of America every time a major holiday rolls around? At least 42 people were hit by gunfire in New York City over the Labor Day weekend. The violence got so bad that even the mayor felt compelled to publicly address it. In Chicago, at least 6 people (including a man in a wheelchair) were killed over the Labor Day weekend. Sadly, this is just a continuation of a trend that we have seen build over the past few years. At the beginning of the summer, there was terrible violence all over America during the Memorial Day weekend. We also saw violence break out during 4th of July celebrations. It appears that wherever large groups of young people gather in America today, there is going to be a very good chance that chaos is going to erupt.Should we just expect mass chaos on the streets of America every time a major holiday... more
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The future of the euro is hanging by a thread at the moment. The massive debt problems of nations such as Greece, Italy and Portugal are dragging down the rest of the Europe, and the political will in northern Europe to continue to bail out these debt-ridden countries is rapidly failing. Could the end of the euro actually be in sight? The euro was really a very interesting experiment. Never before had we seen a situation where monetary union was tried without political and fiscal union along with it on such a large scale. The euro worked fairly well for a while as long as everyone was paying their debts. But now Greece has collapsed financially, and several other countries in the eurozone (including Italy) are on the way. Right now the only thing holding back a complete financial disaster in Europe are the massive bailouts that the wealthier nations such as Germany have been financing. But now a wave of anti-bailout sentiment is sweeping Germany and the future of any European bailouts is in doubt. So what does that mean for the euro? It appears that there are two choices. Either we will see much deeper fiscal and political integration in Europe (which does not seem likely at this point), or we will see the end of the euro.The future of the euro is hanging by a thread at the moment. The massive debt... more
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What is the true legacy of 9/11? Unfortunately, it may be how the American people have responded to that event. 10 years after 9/11, is America a better place? Sadly, the answer clearly is no. In the ten years that have passed, a fundamental shift in our culture has occurred. The American people have eagerly given up large amounts of liberty and freedom in exchange for vague promises of increased security. We were once the land of the free and the home of the brave, but now we are the land of the scared and the home of the slave and we seem to like it that way. Most of us don't even remember how to act like Americans anymore. American culture has moved so far in the direction of communist China, the USSR and Nazi Germany that it is absolutely frightening. When most of us were growing up, we were taught that the enemies of America were "totalitarian police states" that did not give liberties and freedoms to their people. Well, today nearly everything that we do is watched, monitored, tracked and tightly controlled. 10 years after 9/11, the American people are living in fear, the federal government is run by control freaks and paranoia has become standard operating procedure. What we have allowed to happen to this nation is absolutely shameful.What is the true legacy of 9/11? Unfortunately, it may be how the American people... more
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If you still have a good job, you certainly have something to celebrate on Labor Day 2011. So far you have survived the decline of the U.S. economy. But your day may be coming soon. This weekend, there will be millions of Americans that will not be doing any celebrating. They are not enjoying a break from their jobs because they don't have any jobs. In fact, it seems kind of heartless for the rest of us to be celebrating while so many of our countrymen are destitute. What are we celebrating on Labor Day 2011? The lack of jobs in America? At this point, the U.S. economy closely resembles a gigantic game of musical chairs. Every time the music stops, even more good jobs are pulled out of the game and even more workers are added. Once upon a time, if you really wanted a job in America you could get one. But now the competition for even the most basic jobs is absolutely brutal. If you gathered together all of the unemployed people in the United States, they would constitute the 68th largest country in the world. It would be a nation larger than Greece. All of those unemployed people are not going to be taking trips with their families this holiday weekend. Instead, most of them are going to be trying to figure out what to do with their shattered lives.If you still have a good job, you certainly have something to celebrate on Labor Day... more
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