Financial topics

[Reality Check]

The Collapse of Western Civilization: A View from the Future

http://history.ucsd.edu/_files/oreskes/daedalus.pdf

I did not read very much of it.

It just appears to be a scare piece about global warming.

Is there any value in actually reading it ???

[aedens]

This covers it RC http://www.realclearpolitics.com/articl ... 13783.html

In politics, few talents are as richly rewarded as the ability to convince parasites that they are victims. Welfare states on both sides of the Atlantic have discovered that largesse to losers does not reduce their hostility to society, but only increases it. Far from producing gratitude, generosity is seen as an admission of guilt, and the reparations as inadequate compensations for injustices -- leading to worsening behavior by the recipients.
Some people say that taxes are the price we pay for civilization. But the runaway taxes of our time are the price we pay for being gullible.
Whatever the ideology or rhetoric of the political left, their agenda around the world has been preempting other people's decisions and regimenting their lives.

http://www.veteranstoday.com/2013/07/13 ... m-lynched/

1. never let crisis go to waste - check
2. Cloward-Piven strategy - check
3. must disarm free people - check
4. global village of uneducated serfs - check
http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/200 ... -strategy/

The organization previously known as ACORN is reportedly alive and well, just known by many different names.
The list of still-active ACORN entities, allies and rebranded organizations was compiled by Cause of Action, a nonprofit watchdog group that aims to expose waste, fraud and abuse of government funds.
Karen Groen, chief oversight counsel, explains that "Congress passed a law saying that ACORN wasn't to be funded with federal dollars. And what we found is that, with respect to some of these entities, they're claiming a tax-exempt status. And from some of the paperwork it looks like what they are essentially doing is taking tax-exempt donations and shuffling those toward political activity."
Cause of Action has made three requests to the IRS to investigate three ACORN-related groups in particular: the Texas Organizing Project (TOP), the Alliance of Californians for Community Empowerment (ACCE) and New York Communities for Change (NYCC).
"From our investigation, it looked like these entities could be essentially conducting a shell-game with their tax-deductible donations that they're receiving," Groen reports. At least two of the groups, Mutual Housing Association of New York and Affordable Housing Centers of America in Chicago, have received federal dollars.

Stench of 1975 NYC collapse all over again with a massive political kill switch with the irstasi at the helm.
Been there seen that process. Taxpayers are idiots as the tiolet bowl called dc over flows again. Rhetoric never
changes just the operation of the scale and swirl.

[gerald]

The Collapse of Western Civilization: A View from the Future

http://history.ucsd.edu/_files/oreskes/daedalus.pdf

I did not read very much of it.

It just appears to be a scare piece about global warming.

Is there any value in actually reading it ???

Well -- H & RC if you are looking for a global dark age I may have found a possible trigger for such an event http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_yy3YJBO ... e=youtu.be
and some additional and some redundant information http://www.youtube.com/watch?annotation ... uYTcnN7TQk

The above deals with "space weather"and it's effect on earth and its climate, using data from NASA and other sources. It touches on topics such as the variability of solar output, cosmic rays and cloud cover , Co2, the shrinking atmosphere, the shifting magnetic pole, and sunspot activity similar to the beginning of the Maunder minimum, and consequently a possible mini ice age around 2030. If we have a mini ice age as in the Maunder minimum we could have a major reduction in arable land leading to food shortages. Which could provide for "interesting times" as the old Chinese curse goes.

[Higgenbotham]

Is there any value in actually reading it ???

Only from the standpoint of assessing the level of thinking that went into it, then to question why MIT Press published it. My thoughts were more along the lines of why this and why now, when to this point academia hasn't gone so far as to predict a dark age for any reason and global warming has been a major topic for some time.

Well -- H & RC if you are looking for a global dark age I may have found a possible trigger for such an event. If we have a mini ice age as in the Maunder minimum we could have a major reduction in arable land leading to food shortages.

I agree that's the bigger risk - by far.

[aedens]

http://www.donttaxmycreditunion.org/
The problem is this stuff today.
Example:
Had dinner with Mom last night. She's 82 years old and slowly dying of skin cancer and congestive heart failure. She was feeling fine last night.
After dinner she asked me to look at something. She shoves a Chase Bank (JP Morgue) account statement in front of my face and asks if it looks right.
I serve as her financial advior and executor of her estate. Didn't even know she had this account.
She had rolled over a CD paying zero interest and the bank thief rep had advised to her to put into a JPM bond fund to "get a better yield".
Since beginning of year bond fund had lost principal due to rising interest rates, but here is the kicker...
These guys had been consistently charging her $50 a month, yes, that's right $50 a MONTH, to "manage" her measley account. Current balance $13,500. $600/year (4.4%) in management fees for the privelage of losing her hard earned money?
I was livid and asked If she wanted me to call this asshat up and ask him why he was stealing my $82 year old mothers money.
She convinced me that she would do that herself. Think she saw the anger in my eyes and was worried what I might do. This won't make a difference in her short remaining life.
The boldness of these thieves is extraordinary.

wake up

[Higgenbotham]

Your story illustrates why I say you can kiss this thing goodbye. Deceit. No rule of law. No observance of the golden rule. Nothing left to rein in the corruption.

On another but related note, Hussman states in his weekly missive that the Fed is most likely technically insolvent at this point.

[gerald]

Your story illustrates why I say you can kiss this thing goodbye. Deceit. No rule of law. No observance of the golden rule. Nothing left to rein in the corruption.

On another but related note, Hussman states in his weekly missive that the Fed is most likely technically insolvent at this point.

Well the fed can sort-a do like the Spanish banks

Spanish Banks Petition To Convert Historical Losses Into Bank Capital http://www.zerohedge.com/news/2013-07-1 ... nk-capital

[Higgenbotham]

If the Fed is technically showing losses on their balance sheet that would be one possible explanation for why QE will not stop and the unwind will not happen while those who created the mess are still there to hide it.

[aedens]

http://www.ahametals.com/copper-pulls-b ... rial-data/

[Higgenbotham]

Just noted this from the site you linked, a.

Fed governor Tarullo, speaking this morning said policy will remain accommodative, noting that nobody on the FOMC is talking about selling assets. In other words, the Fed’s balance sheet isn’t going to shrink in the foreseeable future.

http://www.ahametals.com/monday-july-15-market-updates/

This is starting to remind me of Atlas Shrugged was my thought.