Exactly what will it take for...

1.  Biden, DeSantis, Trump and all the other dogmatic, linear-thinking politicians around the globe to recognize we're in a climate emergency?  Biden should be declaring one.

https://www.democracynow.org/2023/7/28/headlines/un_leader_declares_new_era_of_global_boiling_amid_hottest_month_in_human_history

2.  mega companies such as Amazon to realize they need to hire more employees rather than laying off ones they now have on staff? That is to say, IF they really want to have a decent company, then that's what they should do.  Not just more warehouse workers, but more customer service reps as well.  Algorithms rarely can handle customer service adequately.  Of course, such hiring would mean slightly reducing the gazillionaire status of the owners.  Such is not worth consideration by said owners, I guess, eh?

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jeff_Bezos#:~:text=With%20a%20net%20worth%20of,Bloomberg%20Billionaires%20Index%20and%20Forbes.

3.  politicians in countries with nuke weapons to realize how ignorant and/or stupid it is to have such weapons?

https://www.newsobserver.com/news/state/north-carolina/article271584102.html

https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1988-01-22-mn-25349-story.html

https://www.armscontrol.org/act/2022-04/news/biden-policy-allows-first-use-nuclear-weapons

I must confess, I don't know the definitive answers to those questions.  I only can guess.  One such guess:  unprecedented, massive disasters.

.....................

Be Well

So-called "A.I." ALREADY is replacing humans in the workplace

Best guess:  the situation only will get worse. 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9reoRGBydrU

The title of this piece reads "So-called..." because the original definition of Artificial Intelligence was:  a machine which recognizes itself as a separate being.  To my knowledge, we're not yet anywhere near that scenario.

Nevertheless, what we have now can be a bane to society, and potentially dangerous beyond the pale.  Politicians worldwide need to get a handle on the use of A.I.  What are they waiting for - the first disaster?  Even the creators of A.I. already are warning us.  Who would know of the dangers better than them?  Nobody.

.......................

Not only my opinion.  Take Care

"12 Myths About Taxing the Rich"

 At the link below, Prof. Reich blows away the misleading statements and outright propaganda coming from the Rich and the Media pundits who favor them.  The short clip is four years old, but about 99.9% of it still applies today.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pnoLAMHwf2I&list=WL&index=68&t=5s

While a few of those myths most likely are known as such by Main Street, I'm guessing the majority of them are not.  Every voter (in particular) will be better informed after watching this piece.  The arguments used by the Rich against a "wealth tax" simply don't hold up under scrutiny.  Have a look, and see if you agree.

..................

Not only my opinion.  Be Well

The Corporatocracy doesn't want you to know this about economics & the economy

In general, the Powers-That-Be (both public & private) almost constantly mislead us regarding whether or not the economy is doing well.  That's because they measure such all wrong.

Robert Reich tells it like it is---

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tFjoDq0HfFw&list=WL&index=71

To have an economics as if all people and the entire ecosphere matter, we must adhere to the parameters described/endorsed by Prof. Reich in the short clip above.  Anything else is mostly propaganda.

.................

Not only my opinion.  Take Care

How most billionaires damage the economy

 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2_Mx1koLOGc

Unfortunately, too many people believe the myth that billionaires help the economy.  This short clip (7.5 minutes) from Wired magazine explains why a "wealth tax" is necessary.  [As I stated in the previous post, the first permanent Income Tax in the USA was such a tax.  It applied to only 2% of the population.  Not long after that, legislators were lobbied over & over by the Rich, and we wound up with the current set-up.]

There's nothing wrong with being rich if one acts responsibly and helps society by paying their fair share.  To get where they are, billionaires stood on the shoulders of society via education, infrastructure, networks, communication, civility in our habitat & relations, etc.  In addition, perhaps they had a bit of luck:  maybe born on third base, maybe smarter than the average person, or taken under the wing of someone with wealth/influence/power.  In any case, there's no such thing as a "self-made" billionaire.  That's another myth.  

Any super-rich person should be willing & happy to help out society by means of a wealth tax.  Humans are a social species, and that includes those in the Upper Crust. 

Watch the clip at the link above; see if it makes sense to you.

From Inequality.org---

67%.  Now, someone please tell me how anyone still believes our elected politicians in DC represent the Will of the People.  It doesn't appear they do in this instance.

.........................

Not only my opinion.  Be Well

Mnuchin is Wrong About Both COVID-19 & the Recession

He recently claimed---
1.  The economy should rebound once the new virus is "contained".  [There are two assumptions in that view:  the bug will be contained; and our economy will or should rebound.]
2.  The designation, Recession, is not "terribly relevant" because it's the gov't that is effectively shutting down large parts of the economy.  The downturn is not due to underlying economic conditions.  Instead, it's due to measures necessary to slow down the spread of the virus.
...............................
All the above sounds reasonable, but is it?  Consider the following.

1.  Containment does not mean eradication.  It means limiting the virus to a smaller number of areas.  The way things are looking, it's too late for that.  [Nevertheless, "flattening the curve" is important.]  This virus, officially designated by WHO as SARS CoV-2 or SARS 2, spreads easily and rapidly.  [SARS = Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome.]  Too many younger people (in particular) appear to be spreading it all over...because, since most cases of infection are mild to moderate, the younger crowd seems to think it's no big deal.  The fact is, covid-19 (SARS CoV-2) is spreading like wildfire both here and globally.  Containment is not likely.  The best we can hope for is slowing the spread and rate of infection (flattening the curve), thus giving the medical establishment time to get caught up, so to speak.  That means rapid testing, isolation, and more PPE (Personal Protective Equipment...for health care staff).

2.  The slow initial response re testing, and the continued slowness of testing, means that this virus is now in all 50 States here...and in people who currently are showing no symptoms whatsoever.  Add to that the instances where people simply are not practicing social distancing at all.  Except for the three cities with large numbers of known infections, I'm mostly convinced that too many people (everywhere else) are not taking proper precautions.  I know for sure they're not in this little valley where I live.

3.  An unknown number of people infected with this bug are going to work.  They're showing no symptoms yet.  Some people with symptoms are going to work anyway; they have little financial choice.

4.  Bottom line re covid-19 in the USA:  it already has become widely spread, and continues to do so.

5.  The Administration is reluctant to use the word, Recession (which we're already in); arguably, we're rapidly approaching a full-blown, economic Depression.  [The 1930's Great Depression, which lasted about ten years, was not so named until halfway through it.]  There are at least two economies in the USA:  one for the top 20% (or so) of income earners; and one for the bottom 80%.  When Trump & Crew refer to "our great economy, the greatest in our history", they're referencing the economy of the top tier, not that of the overwhelming majority of Americans.  Even then, they're inaccurate.  Our greatest economy was during the Golden Age of American Capitalism, from about 1946 to the "Nixon Shock" in 1971.  The Trump years aren't even in the same universe, never mind ballpark, as that economic boom.  By the way, mega biz was taxed at up to 90% then... and they still prospered.

6.  In several fairly recent past posts, I've detailed the reasons for the contention immediately above.  No time or energy to repeat all that, but here's a partial, truncated list of those reasons.

a.  Record national/public, corporate, and personal DEBT...and it's all coming home to roost.  U.S. TOTAL Debt is now over $76.8 trillion.

b.  50% of workers in the USA make less than $33,882 per year.  The Middle Class continues to shrink.  (See:  usdebtclock.org)

c.  The Gov't Jobs Report fails to identify how many jobs are part-time, temporary, or both.  Too many people are struggling with two or more jobs.

d.  The unemployment stats put out by the Feds are always way too low.  See this post:  http://individualsovereignty.blogspot.com/2018/02/the-real-state-of-union-rather-than.html

e.  Many countries are dumping Dollars, forming their own currency exchange agreements, and their own Trade agreements.  Trump has so alienated them that they are by-passing the USA.  Even prior to The Don, the same thing was going on in order to oppose American hegemony.  We are becoming isolated in the world economy.  Other countries are tired of our Govt's bullying.

In addition---

7.  Mega Banks and other Mega Corporations do little to nothing to help increase the number of good-paying jobs and manufacturing in this country.  Despite the current Admin's rhetoric, factories & jobs continue to flow South or overseas.

8.  Bizarre financial Derivatives continue to threaten our Financial Sector and/or our economy and the world's, as well.  Essentially nothing is being done to correct that situation.

9.  Mega monopolization in the Business world is stifling small businesses in the USA.

10.  Rampant Financialization (since the 1970's) continues to destroy jobs and manufacturing, suck up Middle and Lower Class income, and cause an exponential rise in income inequality.

11.  Bottom line re Recession:  even without the covid-19 trigger, we were right on the cusp of the overdue Recession.  The virus wasn't the cause of the Recession we're in now; it was merely the trigger.  The causes I just listed above.  Our economy is not resilient.  Even the workers are always in a precarious situation--- insecure jobs, poor benefits, essentially flat wages, low wages, obscene health care costs, etc.  The economist, Guy Standing, refers to them being in the Precariat Class.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nnYhZCUYOxs
Even people who are doing okay, living paycheck to paycheck, have little to no way of saving for a rainy day.  The Establishment doesn't want them to save.  It wants them to spend, spend, spend... and to increase their debt... so that the consumer society can expand, expand, expand.  Debt will be our downfall.

12.  Finally, on both the disease and economic fronts, this is not about only the USA.  It's worldwide.  On the economic front, most of the "Developed" countries (not only here in the U.S.) are on the cusp of--- or already in ---a Recession.  We in the USA cannot be unaffected by that.  The next Depression, like the last, will be worldwide.
.......................
p.s.  The reason the Dems in Congress haven't yet (as of about 7 AM) agreed to pass the COVID-19 Relief Bill--- or whatever it's called ---is because the money going to corporations has too few to zero conditions on it.  Remember the last Bailout Congress passed re the Mega Banks?  No restrictions as to use of that money.  Did they loan it out to stimulate the economy?  Answer:  very little of it.
......................
Not only my opinion.  Be Well

It's Not Fake News - It's Incomplete News

Anyone who has followed this blog for the last twelve years knows that I'm no fan of the Corporate Media, aka, the Mainstream Media.  Unlike the Trumpistas, however, my reasons for that dislike are grounded in reality rather than the psychological gaslighting of the current Oval Office Occupier.

A "free press" is known as the Fourth Estate, and it serves a valuable function in our society:  making sure that government is accountable and transparent.  In many/most democratic countries (including the USA), the Corporate Media comprise the Fourth Estate.  Over many decades, their failure has given rise to the Fifth Estate:  "acceptable" critics of the Fourth Estate.  Examples here would be:  PBS, NPR, The Intercept, Democracy Now, Reason.com, BillMoyers.com, David Stockman, Jim Rickards, Paul Craig Roberts, and many, many others.

Fake News does exist, but it's very rare and put out by pretty much unknown nutcakes.  One exception:  probably 99.999% of all Fake News (originating in the USA) comes from a well-known person--- our Fake President.  It's not a practice of the Corporate Media.  Their sin is putting out Incomplete News, and being mouthpieces for the Crony Capitalists and Corporatists in government.  Examples follow.

I'll exaggerate for effect.  When the Jobs Report comes out, it is reported something like this:  "The Labor Dept. reports that a gazillion jobs were added last month.  That will boost our current booming economy.  Blah-blah-blah.".  What's left out is the following.  How many of those jobs are temporary, or part-time, or both?  How many are low-paying?  How many have any associated benefits to speak of?  How many people still are grossly underemployed?  Another example:  "The economy is booming this year...blah-blah-blah.".  What's left out is---booming for whom?  In fact, there are two economies in the USA:  the one that's booming encompasses only the top 15-20% or so of income earners.  The rest of us are either barely hanging on, or in poverty, or both.  Another example:  violations of the Constitution of the United States are rarely ever reported.  I easily could cite dozens & dozens more examples, but time and energy constraints prohibit that.

Sure, once in a blue moon, someone in the Corporate Media puts out a factually incorrect piece of news...inadvertently.  Once in maybe twelve blue moons, the same thing happens...but on purpose.  That person becomes thoroughly disgraced by the News industry.  So, the current Fourth Estate rarely ever creates Fake News; but there's a serial liar in DC who does so on an almost regular basis.  That's a common characteristic of gaslighters:  whatever they falsely accuse others of doing is precisely what they are doing...knowingly.

Not only my opinion.  Be Well

More Bald-Faced LIES From Trump & Crew

1.  Regarding separating little kids from their parents at the border, and then shipping the kids all across the country---

The Don claims it's all the fault of the Democrats because:  a) they passed a Law requiring that be done; and b) they are obstructing a new, proposed Law to correct the situation.  Usually Pence is in the background nodding his head in agreement. 

Let's see, first of all, there is no such requirement in any immigration Law passed by the Dems.  The requirement was for separation of children from smugglers, not PARENTS.  There is only Trump & Crew's screwy interpretation of the Law.  This is similar to John Yoo's screwy interpretations of Law during the Dubya Admin.  Yoo claimed the Geneva Conventions of treatment of war prisoners did not apply to Afghanistan or Iraq.  He also claimed that despite the Fourth Amendment, warrantless wiretapping of citizens was legal.

As to obstructionism by the Dems regarding a new Law on immigration, exactly how does that happen when Repubs hold majorities in both Houses of Congress?  Seems to me it can happen only if some Repubs join the Dems in opposition to whatever The Don & Crew are proposing.

The fact is:  this cruel practice (in a supposedly Christian nation) is totally the creation of Trump and Sessions.  It's their policy, and no one else's.  Even many/most high-level Repubs abhor it.  Finally, it's State-sponsored child abuse.

2.  Regarding claims that "the economy is doing great"---

Lately, Trump & Crew are claiming exactly that on an almost regular basis.  Let's see, we have a Stock Market Bubble that's worse than the one just prior to the 2008 Crash.  The same is true of the current Housing Market Bubble.  The Derivatives Bubble is alive and rolling on.  The Bond Market Bubble is starting to collapse.  The National Debt is nothing short of astonishing.  All that begs an answer to this question:  are Trump & Crew so ignorant that they believe none of the above are Bubbles?

Answer:  Of course not.  They all know they're Bubbles, and that those Bubbles will burst relatively soon..."They" being the ones who are deceitfully selling: the "good economic times are here".  Shades of 1929, 1973-'75, 1981-'82, 1986-'87, '97-2001, & 2007-'09.

Add to the above the fact that the rising price inflation rate has almost totally wiped out any wage increases of late.  Add to that:  Trump's Trade War will harm both consumers and businesses.  Then add this:  the Fed Government's Jobs Report and Unemployment numbers are almost always wrong.  Unemployment is at least double the number given by the Feds.  Finally, add this:  for the first time in our history, the Middle Class comprises less than 50% of our population.

..............................................

Conclusion:  Mr. President, you are flat-out lying about both numbers 1. & 2. above.  Either that, or you are the most ignorant Oval Office Occupier we've ever had.

..............................................

Suggestion to everyone:  don't take on more debt, pay down what you can, and hang on to every hard asset possible.  The next Crash is overdue.

Not only my opinion.  Be Well

The BIG Lie

About a month or two ago, Trump & Crew, Big Biz, & the Corporate Media claimed that one of the main reasons our economy is "recovering" was this:  wages have increased 2.9% (I forget over what time span).  Here's what they left out--- price inflation is now at about 2.4%...and rising.  

In addition, the Bond Market is collapsing, the Stock Market is still (despite corrections) overvalued partly or mostly because Corps. are buying back their own stock (thus falsely inflating its value), Debt is increasing (our Public Debt is now well over $21 trillion & rising rapidly, while total public & private USA Debt is a bit over $70 trillion), there are 27 million part-time workers in the USA, half of all the workers here make less than $32K per year, the IMF has launched a 10-year program to replace the Dollar as the world's reserve currency, housing rentals are sky-high, the home-owner Housing Market is in a giant Bubble, and Mega Banks continue to gamble with bizarre financial derivatives...thus continuing the Casino Capitalism that resulted in the 2008 Crash.  Meanwhile, Trump & Crew are busily reducing regulations...especially those on the Financial Sector.

The next Crash---meaning, the next transfer of wealth to the top echelon of the Upper Crust---is both overdue and unavoidable.  Ever since the 1973-1975 Recession, we've had an economic/financial Crash every 7-12 years.  The next one looks to be larger than any since (& including) '73-'75.  There's no reason at all to believe that the Boom-Bust Cycle is suddenly going to stop.  There are many reasons to believe that the next Crash will be the worst in at least the last 45 years. 

Be prepared.

Not only my opinion.  Be Well

Claiming We're in an Economic Recovery is Absurd

Nevertheless, that's what the Corporate Media, the Fed Reserve, DC politicians, and the rest of the Establishment are doing.  It goes back to the last part of the Obama Era, and now includes Trump & Crew.  Let's examine several of the reasons why such a claim is absolutely false...at least, false when it comes to the overwhelming majority of Americans.  Not all, but much of the info below is taken from the U.S. National Debt Clock... usdebtclock.org

[NOTE:  Number 1 below was edited on 2-24-18.  Number 3 was edited 3-14-18...the amount of our National Debt, now just a hair away from $21 trillion.]
.....................................................
1.  The current median income for individual workers is $31,654 per year; in the year 2000, it was $31,229.  Wow, what a booming increase... not.  For those who may have forgotten parts of their old math & statistics courses, "median" gives a better sense of things than does "average".  With "average", the millionaires & billionaires skew the results.  When we use "median income", that means half the workers make less than $31K+change.  HALF.  There was a time when $31K/year was a decent income; that's long gone.

2.  The current number of unemployed is more than double the number claimed by the Feds/Trump.  [See the piece/post immediately prior to this one... and the Debt Clock.]

3.  The National Debt was $2.6 trillion in 1988, and the Debt to GDP ratio was 49%.  Currently, the National Debt is $20.96 trillion (edited 3-14-18), and the Debt to GDP ratio is about 105% (the last number is for 2017).  [In 1980, our National Debt was only $906 billion, not even one trillion.  The Reagan Era more than doubled that number.]  The point being:  these numbers are a major reason for the world losing confidence in the Dollar... with fiat currency having no intrinsic worth, the only reason people value it is because of confidence.  Trump & Crew are well on their way to increasing the National Debt by trillions more.  Don't believe the Propaganda that all will balance out because of increased jobs resulting in more income tax revenue.  Reagan said the same thing, but the Debt almost tripled.

4.  The IMF has launched a ten-year program/plan that will replace the Dollar as the world's reserve currency.  The negative impact on our economy will be significant.

5.  The Establishment touts the claim that wages have risen 2.9%.  [I don't recall over what time span.]  Never mind about half of that is lost to the hidden tax known as price inflation.  With the current median income (see number 1 above), the increase comes to $76 per month... not too exciting.  With the minimum wage, the increase comes to 21 cents per hour... appreciated, I imagine, but not cause for celebration.

6.  Toward the end of March (next month),  several countries will start accepting Chinese Yuan in exchange for oil.  That will be the beginning of the end for the almighty PetroDollar.  Within a very short time, the Bretton Woods international monetary system will be no more.  The Dollar will suffer significantly; because of increased inflation, it will lose even more of its purchasing power than it already has lost.

7.  The overall worldwide Debt Bubble (public & private debt) is at a record high level.  All financial bubbles burst; in all of history, there hasn't been one that didn't.  The Debt Bubble dwarfs all the others; that's true even if only public debt is considered.

8.  The U.S. Bond Market is collapsing.  It's not the only one in the world doing so.  Bond markets collapse because of approaching insolvency... at least, that's one of the major reasons.

9.  Bizarre financial derivatives still are running at full speed.  They have only window dressing restraints from the Feds.

10.  When the Establishment reveals the monthly Jobs Report, it never gives important details:  how many of those jobs are minimum wage, and/or part-time, and/or temporary?  Currently, there are over 27 million part-time workers in the USA.  The Debt Clock doesn't indicate how many of those would prefer a full-time job... but I suspect that most would.

11.  Trump & Crew are making it easier for the Fed and Mega Banks to transfer wealth from the majority of Americans to those in the Upper Crust.

12.  In general, the permanent Tax Cut gift given to the Rich by Trump & Congress will not result in capital expansion of business enterprises.  The Rich and Super-Rich will put those tax break savings elsewhere.  I suspect every one of them knows that a Crash is coming... and that it's unavoidable.  Their primary concern is to protect their families & their wealth.
......................................................
Not only my opinion.  Be Well

The Republican and Democratic March to NeoFeudalism

Here we go again--- the Trickle-Down Theory from the Repubs.  Too bad the Theory doesn't work.  The billions given to the Rich with the proposed Tax Cut will not be spent on generating jobs.  Instead, here's where the money will go:

1.  Corporations will buy back their own stock, thus falsely inflating the value of it.  The Stock Market Bubble continues.

2.  The Rich will invest in foreign currencies and bonds.

3.  They'll invest in real money...silver & gold...the way JP Morgan Chase Bank has done.

4.  They'll invest in other no-job-producing, hard assets... or in Financial Derivatives (the bizarre kind that resulted in the 2008 Crash).

5.  They'll sock it away in offshore tax havens.

6.  They'll spend it merging, downsizing, and moving businesses South or overseas.  The current Tax Bill rewards them for doing that.

Let's wake up to the fact that in this Age of Financialization, Mega Corporations don't need many American workers in order to be successful anymore.  Until the next Crash, they can make a bundle via Asset Bubbles...or loaning "money" to consumers.  [General Motors is more of a GMAC Bank than a vehicle manufacturer.]

Any cuts in Middle Class taxes are temporary, but those for the Rich are permanent.  This is an old story; it's nothing new.

While the Dems at least often do work for a safety net for the People, nevertheless, they (like the Repubs) essentially are supporting a move toward NeoFeudalism...two classes:  the very Rich and the relatively poor.  The advantage the Dems have is that they TALK a good game.  Like the Repubs, they make people think they're on the side of the Middle Class...but they have a better spiel than the Repubs.  Keep in mind, they won the popular vote in the last election... not by 100,000...by 3,000,000.  [Some Repubs, including our Liar-in-Chief, believe that was due to 3,000,000 "illegals" voting.  That's hilarious.  Many American citizens were kept from voting, so the likelihood of such a huge number of non-citizens being able to vote is pretty much ZERO.  Many of Trump's pronouncements remind me of the old Nazi theory on Propaganda---the bigger the Lie, the more people will believe it.]

Unfortunately, no one in the Upper Crust of DC politics is on the side of the hollowed out Middle.  Both Clinton & Obama each were in power for 8 yrs...both became multi-millionaires.  Middle Class wages remained basically flat.  The Rich got richer.  Two major Crashes happened.  The National Security & Surveillance State grew.  Wars did not not abate.  Obama launched a 10-yr program to update our nuclear arsenal.  The National Debt ballooned.  The Rich got richer...& the Middle Class continued to shrink...just like it did during 8 yrs of Dubya.  People like Schumer & Pelosi being touted as "Liberals" is laughable.  People such as McConnell & Ryan being touted as "Conservatives" also is laughable.  As for Trump, he's nothing but an ego-centric, mentally unbalanced opportunist.  They all are Corporatists of the highest order, and in general, none of them are working for us.  The fact that any of them even are in political office is a testament to the power of Edward Bernays style Propaganda. 

Presently, the Middle Class comprises less than 50% (just barely) of our population; the Corporate Media make it appear as though it's 80% or more.  For the last 30 years or so, the greatest transfer of wealth in Human history has continually increased...whether Dems or Repubs were in power in DC.  It didn't matter which Party held the reins... and still doesn't.

Too many Main Street Progressives (just like Main Street Right-Wingers) are stuck in the Repub v. Dem political paradigm.  As long as that continues, the Oligarchs' march toward NeoFeudalism will be the only thing that progresses.  Divide and conquer...they're Masters at it.  Most Americans at the level of Main Street appear to no longer even consider a Middle Way...even though 41-42% of registered voters are Independents.  Only 25% are Repubs, and only 31% are Dems.  It's blatantly obvious that no matter which major Party is in power in DC, the Oligarchs make the Rules.  

Voting won't change that...because 99.99% of national political candidates are selected, groomed, financed by, and beholden to the Oligarchy.  Not only that, but almost all national elections of late turn out to be rigged in some way or another...or in several different ways.  Only peaceful protests/activism, boycotts, and shunning from the outside ever will make a difference.  Forget "working within the Political System" to change it.  That System is totally controlled and/or corrupt.

Not only my opinion.  Be Well

What Our Tweety-Bird President & His Administration Don't Seem to Grasp

During his Address to Congress at least, King Donald did almost zero whining.  Thank Heaven for that.  I'm guessing the primary reason for that blessing was the fact that the speech was 100% scripted, and Trump pretty much read it word for word.  The content (and other statements), however, revealed some genuine flaws in the thinking of this Corporatist Administration.  Here's what they don't appear to grasp...or they do and they're simply presenting a fraud.  It's hard to know which one.

1.  Trump and some of his staff claim that the budget increases for the Defense Dept. (which should go back to its original name, War Dept.) and for Homeland Security will be offset by cuts in other Depts./Agencies.  Since they claim that, they must already have the numbers.  Let's see those numbers.  I very seriously doubt their claim to be true.  My guess is that all the cuts won't amount to even 10% of the billions in increases.  Furthermore, the proposed cuts undoubtedly will be in social programs and environmental/health/safety (EHS) programs... you know, those programs that improve the lives of common people.  The combined budgets of all those programs already are dwarfed by the Defense Dept. budget before the increase (never mind Homeland Security's budget).  In addition, our "Defense" Budget already is larger than the next seven largest in the world COMBINED.

2.  Along those same lines, Trump & staff are proposing a TRILLION Dollar infrastructure re-building program.  At the same time, they're proposing a massive tax cut.  Supposedly, the economy will boom so greatly that the trillion dollar expenditure will be covered by tax revenue generated by all the unemployed we have now, those who soon will have full-time permanent jobs.  The Don appears to believe that tax cuts and regulation reduction will result in Mega & Mid-Size Corporations making capital investments and thus creating many new jobs.  Fairly recent history suggests otherwise.  In this sorry Age of Financialization, mega & mid-size companies no longer need to hire more people in order to increase company profits.  Instead, they downsize, or ship facilities overseas (cheaper labor there), or invest in Hedge Funds, or become a bank (General Motors makes just as much money on car loans as it does on car production), or invest in foreign factories or real estate, or invest in foreign currencies or bonds, or become corporate raiders buying up companies and then downsizing or dismantling them, or simply bank the extra cash...usually offshore.

3.  As David Stockman (formerly of the Reagan Administration) wisely points out, a crucial date is looming--- March 15, 2017.  That's the day when the Debt Ceiling "Holiday" (developed by Obama & Boehner) ends.  After that, the National Debt by law cannot exceed $20 trillion unless a Republican Congress raises that Ceiling and thus kicks the can down the road again.  By summer, the Fed Gov't will be out of cash for everything but absolutely essential services.  According to Stockman, tax cuts will not yet be in place, ObamaCare will not yet be replaced, and any job-producing Infrastructure activities will have to be postponed.  As of tonight, the National Debt is $19.981 trillion dollars and increasing at a phenomenal rate.  It won't be long at all before it hits $20 trillion.

4.  To avoid the Mother of all Fiscal Crises, it seems to me the Congress will be forced to raise the Debt Ceiling yet again.  [They always do.]  Most likely, that will result in foreign governments and banks dumping the Dollar even faster than they are now.  That will bring the demise of the Dollar ever closer.  The Petro-Dollar already is on its last legs.  These events will hasten the culmination of the worldwide economic crisis already in progress... and will render Trump's vague economic plan useless.

5.  Trump's proposed slashing of the EPA will freeze the SuperFund Toxic Waste Cleanup Program (that's already happened), the Radon Program, the Brownfields Redevelopment Program, and several other programs that greatly contribute to clean air, clean water, and unpolluted land.  The result will be a poorer quality of life for everyone.  Trump mistakenly believes that any money saved by companies being able to avoid EHS regulatory compliance will be used to create jobs.  That's the great myth.  See the second half of number 2. above for the reality.

6.  Except for bashing immigrants & refugees and beating the Perpetual War drums, Trump & Crew seem to have no focus.  Rarely resolving anything, they jump from one item to the next.  That's especially true of the Don.  Yes, it's early yet in his Kingship; however, if the first forty or so days are any indication, the man won't accomplish much at all that's positive and good for We the People.  On top of that, the Executive staff slots still aren't all filled.  Plus, with seemingly sincere & consistent---but incompetent & narrow-minded---people like Jefferson Beauregard Sessions in place, the whole Reality Show of an Administration becomes a circus.
..................................................
Finally, a few closing observations (and reminders)---
1.  During the Golden Age of American Capitalism (from the end of WW II through the 1950's & into the early 1960's), the greatest economic expansion in our history as a nation, with few exceptions corporations were taxed at a 90% rate.  They now pay (if at all) 35%.
2.  Politically speaking, I'm not Red or Blue; I prefer Purple.  So do 41% of American adults.  25% are Red and 31% are Blue.  3% don't give a damn, and given our recent history (30-40 years), can't say that I blame them much for that view.  :)
3.  Trump & Company are either incompetent, ignorant, or devious fraudsters... or some combination of those.  In any case, they are wrong for this country and the world.

Not only my opinion.  Be Well

Here's the REAL Clinton...and Obama

The piece (at the link) below is from Bill Moyers and the publisher of Harper's, John R. MacArthur.  It's almost two years old, so it gives insight into the fact that the Dem Party higher-ups promoted the Corporatists and marginalized the Populists regarding this current election.

Once Madam Pres gets elected, she'll again change her mind about the TPP & be in favor of it...more jobs will evaporate, & more factories will move overseas (most likely to Malaysia and Vietnam).  Count on it.  Low-paying service jobs and part-time and/or temp. positions here will expand.

"Free Trade" Agreements are not primarily about Trade; instead, they're about investments and proprietary agreements.  They enable the hollowing out of the Middle Class in our country.  They overwhelmingly benefit the Oligarchy, not Main Street.  They evaporate American manufacturing and jobs.  Clinton, Obama, Schumer, McConnell, McCain, and many other Corporatist national politicians promote and support them.

This all reminds me of Ross Perot & Al Gore discussing NAFTA---Perot was right on the mark ("All you'll hear is the loud sucking sound of jobs rushing to Mexico..."), and Gore was dead wrong ("NAFTA will create more jobs here").  As predicted by Perot, one million jobs were lost here because of NAFTA.  The TPP will be much worse.

Trump (for other reasons) AND Clinton = disaster for the Lower & Middle Classes in this country.  Boycott the election, or vote for a worthy alternative candidate.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U0rA1oCp4_g&list=WL&index=38

Not only my opinion.  Be Well

"An Economy for the 1%: How Privilege and Power...

in the Economy Drive Extreme Inequality and How This Can Be Stopped".  That's the title of a new Oxfam America report.  From the Report and as reported on Democracy Now, the 62 richest billionaires in the world (a majority of them in the USA) now are as wealthy as the poorest 3.6 billion people worldwide combined.  The inequality is due primarily to:  deregulation (i.e., Crony Capitalism), privatization (more Crony Capitalism), and offshore tax havens (even more Crony Capitalism).  [Those are key components of Neoliberalism...which is subscribed to by most Democrats and Republicans (at the highest levels) here in the USA.]

In one such tax haven, the British Virgin Islands (population 24,000), there are 800,000 shell corporations associated with real corporations from around the world.  Anxious to get in on the action, there also are a total of fifty banks there.  Here in the USA for the last 20 years, politicians have talked about closing the loopholes in the Tax Code that allow tax havens.  In that timespan, there have been periods when both the Repubs and the Dems each have controlled Congress separately.  Nothing has been done.  Lobbyists.  More Crony Capitalism.  Democrats and Republicans both are to blame.

Some here would argue that the corporations need every break they can get, and that allows them to expand and create more jobs.  It's the old "Trickle Down Theory of Economics".  Unfortunately, nothing much is trickling down anymore.  The tax avoidance wealth is either being held offshore, or being used to close, dismantle, & ship factories out of the country, or buy/lease existing factories in another country, or raid companies here & the downsize them, or invest in bizarre financial derivatives, or in foreign currencies, or in foreign bonds, or in a number of other ventures that also create zero jobs in the USA.  So much for the Trickle Down argument.  Mega Corporations seem to rarely invest in their communities anymore (or even in the USA); instead, they move their operations to wherever the labor is the cheapest.  Apple Computer is a prime example:  they don't make even one of their products in this country...not one.  Remember that the next time you buy something from Apple.

Meanwhile, the Middle Class here shrinks, wages essentially are stagnant (& have been for 30 yrs), our manufacturing base rapidly is disappearing, jobs are becoming more & more inferior, employee benefits are shrinking, and the income of the Upper Crust has increased 700% in the last thirty years.  Plus because of the crashing economy, in 2016 alone many 401ks already have lost from $2,000 to $6,000.

While eight million jobs here evaporated after the 2008 Crisis, the Mega Banks grew by 37%, significantly increasing their profits.  At the same time, their Executives avoided prosecution for what was blatant FRAUD during the time leading up to the Crisis.  More Crony Capitalism.  Politicians know on which side their bread is buttered.  SSDD.

NeoFeudalism is well on its way to being here.

Not only my opinion.  Be Well

The Truth is Being Sidestepped, Omitted by Politicians & the Corporate Media

Those at the highest levels in politics, along with the Corporate Media, are avoiding talking about the Economic Crisis in this great Land.  For most people here, the American Dream has turned into the Nightmare of the Working Poor.

Fifty percent of working households in the USA now are economically insecure.  They are just getting by... barely.  Many of them have two part-time jobs because they can't find a decent-paying, full-time gig.  Many companies nowadays prefer part-time workers...fewer employee benefits to cut into corporate profits.  Ask the Great Wall of Mart...the largest private employer in the world.  Because these workers are only scraping by, they can't save for emergencies...or anything else.

Many college graduates now are working as bartenders, or waiting tables in restaurants, or working as CSRs in "call centers", or as security guards (the minimum wage type), or as part-time cashiers in retail stores.  Not only have wages across the board stagnated for the last thirty years, but adjusted for inflation, the minimum wage in this country is the same as it was in the 1960's.  Meanwhile, those few in the Upper Crust here have seen their incomes go up by 700% in the same time period.

Ever since NAFTA and other "Free Trade" Agreements were approved, millions of jobs have evaporated from our economic landscape.  Since the year 2000, about 60,000 factories have closed or been moved out of the country.  The TPP will exacerbate the problem.  The jobs replacing those generally good-paying manufacturing positions are mostly, to be blunt, shite...crap...bullshit.  For the most part, they are low-paying, often part-time, and sometimes temporary.  They rarely match the jobs lost in terms of pay & benefits.

The 2008 Crisis resulted in the loss of eight million jobs.  It's clear by now that the cause of that Crisis was not only "greed".  Massive fraud was involved...by Mega Banks, by stock-rating agencies, by real estate brokers, by due diligence companies, etc.  On top of all that, the highest levels of the Fed Gov't were not paying attention to the developing Crisis.  Worse yet, at the beginning of the meltdown and in between the times when TARP was voted down by the Congress and when it finally was passed, the Fed Reserve made between $12 trillion and $13 trillion (estimates vary) available to several Mega Banks in loans at point two-five percent (.25%) interest.  That amount of money is equal to all Fed Gov't expenditures from the Revolutionary War to the beginning of 2008.  Think about that.  It turns out that the overwhelming bulk of those loans was not converted into loans for businesses or consumers.  The Mega Banks either hung onto it or used it for more stock market casino gambling.  Neither action created any jobs.  The Fed saved the Mega Banks instead of the economy of our Land.

What should have happened is QE for the People instead of the Mega Banks.  All those trillions of dollars did not "trickle down" to the economy of We the People; those dollars stayed in the Big Banks.  QE for the People would have saved the economy.  About 70% of our economy is driven by consumer spending.  It isn't driven by Mega Banks or the Stock Market...and especially, not by the Casino Gambling done by Wall Street ever since the invention of bizarre financial derivatives.  Those derivatives now infect almost all commodities and stock transactions to the tune of $1.25 quadrillion (best estimate by experts).

Estimates of the real unemployment rate are at about 20%.  Some people have given up looking.  I remember looking in 1997 for what turned out to be my last wage-slave job...the last before I retired in 2004.  I sent out 88 inquiries & resumes, had 16 different interviews, and finally secured a job after about five months of effort.  I was getting fairly discouraged just prior to being hired.  Some people today have been looking for two years; imagine how they feel.

Despite what the highest levels of the Gov't and the Corporate Media tell us, there is no Recovery going on in the U.S.  Any honest evaluation of our economic condition shows that.  In addition, the world economy and financial situation appear to be imploding.  The whole scenario, according to many reputable analysts, is so fragile that we are a hair's breadth away from another Great Depression.  Unfortunately, too many people in Power seem to have their heads in the sand.  Either that, or they don't want to risk putting us into a panic.  Or, worst case, they are keeping us in the dark until they and their Big Business Cronies can suck as much wealth as possible out of the economy before the Crash.  [The last choice probably is unlikely...but I would never say that it's impossible.]

Not only my opinion.  Be Well

Small Business, Workers, Industry, and the Public Lose Again

It looks as though the Oligarchs Obama and McConnell are going to get their NAFTA-on-steroids-deal, otherwise known as the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP).  Our House of Lords (i.e., the U.S. Senate) finally managed to ram through so-called Fast-Track Authority for our King.  That means there will be no debate when the latest Free Trade Abomination comes up for a final vote in both Houses of Congress.
Here's what Citizen.org/TPP had to say about the Agreement:
"In one fell swoop, this secretive deal could:

offshore American jobs and increase income inequality, jack up the cost of medicines, sneak in SOPA-like threats to Internet freedom, empower corporations to attack our environmental and health safeguards, expose the U.S. to unsafe food and products, roll back Wall Street reforms, ban Buy American policies needed to create green jobs. "                                                                                                                                                                                                                               Every indication I've seen is that the overwhelming majority of the U.S. public are not in favor of the TPP.  And so it goes...more evidence that we have a non-representative Gov't.  When the choices at the voting booth consist only of Oligarchs or the puppets of Oligarchs, how could it be any other way?                                                                                       Not just my opinion.          Be Well

National Politics in the USA is Utterly Disgusting...and Harmful

Again, I emphasize that I'm not a Republican or a Democrat... thank "God".  With the world's greatest library (the internet) at our fingertips and a fairly good grasp of both History and Logic, it's beyond my comprehension how anyone could belong to a limited, specific political group.  To do so almost certainly would require one to be an idealogue, a blindly partisan advocate & adherent... not a good thing.

Here's why national politics in the USA is both disgusting and harmful---

1.  Wall Street runs the show.  Anyone who still doubts that either is not paying attention, or is propagandized beyond the point of no return, or both.  Not only does the Financial Sector run the show, it is waging war on both workers and industry.  The USA rapidly is being reduced to a NeoFeudal State.

2.  With the help of politicians at the highest levels, Mega Banks continue to run amok.  Wealth continues to be transferred from the poor and middle classes to the upper crust at an unprecedented rate.  This is being accomplished largely by Financialization, which extracts income from the 99% and then does not use that money for the creation of jobs.  Instead, funds are invested in bizarre financial derivatives, or foreign currency speculation, or foreign capital investments in manufacturing overseas, or socked away offshore to avoid taxes, or in raiding existing domestic companies & then downsizing or dismantling them.

3.  There's a revolving door between private corporation, CEO (& lesser) positions and appointed, high-level U.S. Government positions.  Men such as Hank Paulson, Tim Geithner, Robert Gates, and others should have been disqualified from government service due to conflict of interest.  Especially Paulson, who previously was Goldman Sachs' CEO, and then essentially gave mega banks billions of taxpayer $$$.  [Ben Bernanke, a non-corporate appointee, topped Paulson:  he made $13.1 TRILLION available in loans to mega banks at POINT 25% (.25%) interest just before TARP.  That makes one wonder why the banks needed the "paltry" TARP funds.]

4.  Politicians at the highest levels (in general) are notorious liars.  They say anything to get elected.  Obama is a prime example.  The 2008 Obama-worshippers have to be the most disappointed people in American political history.  Obama, the corporatist and warmonger... posing as some sort of Leftist.  Obama, who (contrary to the Constitution) chooses which people (including Americans) are to be killed by drone attacks.  Obama, who is waging war on US workers and industry.  Obama, persecutor of Fed Whistleblowers.  Obama, who joins with McConnell to push for the TPP abomination.  Obama, who fines crooked mega banks billions & billions of dollars for FRAUD, but jails not one of their top execs.  And on & on.  The guy is the greatest flim-flam artist in the history of our politics.  Bar none.  He even beats out Bush-Cheney for that title... which I didn't think was possible.

5.  Politicians at the highest levels (in general) mostly ignore about half the U.S. Constitution, especially Article I Section 8, Article II Section 2, and the First, Fourth, Fifth, Sixth, and Ninth Amendments.  Each therefore is violating his/her Oath of Office.  Put bluntly, essentially they are Outlaws.  Where the hell is Law Enforcement?  Where is Justice?
.........................................................................................

So, what can we do?  Here's a start...just a start---

1.  Ignore the Edward Bernays style Propaganda.  Don't automatically believe anything a high-level politician says until you check it out using multiple, diverse sources.  Additionally, stop relying on one or two sources for your national news.  For one thing, the Corporate Media outlets (ABC, NBC, CBS, CNN, Fox News, MSNBC, etc.) omit so much that you can't possibly have an accurate picture of what's going on if you rely only on them.

2.  This one seems counterintuitive, but don't vote in national elections.  A national election is a Rigged Game; don't play.  That's the best way to make the Oligarchy pay attention to We the People.  Everyone who is a "true believer" in some political ideology (& thus a "voter") is perpetuating the Rigged Game.  The Neoliberal Coup that has taken place here and throughout most of the world cannot be overturned by voting.  National candidates for office are selected from the top down, not the bottom up.  Even if, by some miracle, a "genuine Populist" or a "good person" gets elected, that person will be marginalized completely by the Rotten System.  That won't be true forever, but it certainly is now and for the near future.

3.  Educate yourself and others.  With the world's greatest library in front of you, you have no excuse not to.

4.  Be an Activist... organize around just causes.  Do something, something peaceful, even if it's anonymously and by yourself.  If group protests are not your bag, there's nothing wrong with that.  There are plenty of other things that can be done:  boycotting, writing, all types of Art, discussions, commercial ads, speeches, stickers (Street Art), flyers, business-type cards (of a political nature), videos, or ???  Be imaginative.

5.  The Neoliberals have won because basically they have distracted and divided us.  That has to end.  I'm guessing that most of us don't want pointless war, or jobs shipped overseas, or an ever-intrusive Surveillance State, or unsafe food, or a completely debased dollar, or stagnant wages, or economic bubbles, or de-industrialization, or never-ending debt, or ever-increasing price inflation, or the ridiculously high cost of higher education, or a war against workers, or inferior, meaningless jobs, or the rip-off, add-on fees imposed upon us by Big Business, or major rivers & rainwater owned by corporations.  If that's all true...that we don't want those things, then we have to stop being so fragmented when it comes to politics.  Democrats AND Republicans have brought us to the point where we are now.  They need a message sent to them...and quickly.

Not just my opinion.
Happy Trails

The Biggest Lie

Let's begin with the premise that what I'm about to say is a generality.  There are always exceptions (usually minor) to any general truism; however, exceptions don't disprove the overall general statement... if the general statement is true.  This one is true.  We also need to accept the premise that this piece is an essay, not a scholarly research paper.  Even though I've done the research, you won't find footnotes and a bibliography; they're simply too time-consuming.  You may take my word for the accuracy of the info, or not.  In either case, you certainly can do your own research... and you'll come to the same conclusions.

So, what is the biggest lie currently being told by Oligarchs in the Fed Gov't of the USA, the Corporate Media, and the advertising depts of mega corporations (Goldman Sachs is probably the most egregious offender in that last category)???  It's not that we're in a legitimate, constitutional "war" with someone.  No, that's not it, but that was a close second.  It's not that the fairly recent bailout of health insurance companies, otherwise known as the Affordable Care Act, improved health CARE in the U.S.  Nope, that's not it.  It's not that "inflation" is low and unemployment is decreasing.  Although those all are lies, not one of them is the biggest lie.

The biggest lie (in my estimation) is that the U.S. economy is slowly improving.  You see, when Oligarchs talk about the "economy", they're NOT talking about manufacturing, or jobs that have worth, or the expansion of the shrinking Middle Class, or an increase in the quality of life for the average American (which would be a reversal of the current situation).  No, no, no.  What they're talking about is this:  the incomes of the super-rich are continuing to increase, and the whole process of Financialization is causing the GDP to grow...while manufacturing and decent jobs for the "little people" continue to shrink.  That's the reality of our "improving" economy.  Financialization does not produce anything except wealth for insiders.  It's paper creation and paper shuffling.  The idea began to take hold in the '70s, grew tremendously in the '80s and '90s (helped by deregulation of financial institutions), and exploded in terms of growth since the Millenium.  AT THE SAME TIME, wages stagnated, manufacturing and jobs were exported, the Middle Class decreased in size, and oligarchical propaganda increased exponentially.  It all continues today.

Along with "the biggest lie" is the associated lie/propaganda that the super-rich "create jobs".  In general, that's simply not true; perhaps it was decades ago, but no longer.  In this day & age, they ship manufacturing & jobs to Third World countries or China, they buy companies here and downsize them, and they merge companies and downsize them.  They take some of their money and invest in bizarre financial instruments (securitized bundles) that are shuffled around by insiders and result in no production and no jobs.  Worse, they've turned our economy (such as it is) into a giant casino.

All of the above has happened because of the fraudulent politics of both Republicans and Democrats at the highest levels.  None of it is a "conspiracy".  It's simply due to the common interests and objectives of the Oligarchs, their short-sightedness, and their greed.  To them, it's just good business.  Making it all possible has been the Edward Bernays style propaganda with which we've been bombarded for well over half a century.  There's no question whatsoever that it has been wildly successful.  Union busting, unconstitutional wars, deregulation (especially of financial institutions), so-called Free Trade agreements, our China Trade Policy, mega corporation lobbyists, Legislative Absolutism, Executive Absolutism (including Executive Orders), Judicial changing of the Constitution in place of Amendments, the Fed Reserve manipulating our currency, fractional reserve banking, the WTO, the IMF, etc., etc., ad nauseum all have contributed to not only the marginalizing of our system of gov't, but also to the ruination of our economy.

There is a better way, but first we must stop drinking the Propaganda Kool Aid.  Oligarchs rule this country; that's an axiom, accept it.  More axioms:  Republicans v. Democrats or "Conservatives" v. "Liberals" is a farce; Oligarchs choose, groom, and finance probably 99% of national political candidates; Oligarchs usually don't care who wins an election...they basically own any winner...through various means; the State-Corporate Complex essentially castrates or otherwise marginalizes any politician who isn't on board with the Oligarchs; the Game is rigged...and not in your favor; voting doesn't matter at all...there is no "lesser evil" anymore; those at the highest level in the Fed Gov't lie almost every day; those at the highest level in mega corporations lie every day; the Middle Class continues to shrink; we're rapidly moving to an economic Feudal Society; and finally, American politics is an utter fraud.

My best guess is that about 50% of our adult population already believes the above.  I'm guessing that the 25% fanatical "Conservatives" (which means Neoconservatives nowadays) and the 25% fanatical "Liberals" (both of whom are still in a dead political paradigm strictly because of propaganda) don't believe any of it...or at least, don't believe most of it.  Furthermore, they never will.  Myopic on their part.  The 50% of us who do believe it probably mostly feel that the situation is hopeless, that there's nothing significant to be done about it.  I no longer think that.  I now believe that it's possible to correct the situation with peaceful means...in big ways and in tiny ways.  Unfortunately, it will take a tremendous, sustained effort...over a significant time period.   Remember, no institutional system is carved in stone (so to speak).  One doesn't have to be a fanatic to contribute to the peaceful change of an institution; one only has to want something better and be willing to work toward it...to whatever degree with which you're comfortable.  As an East Indian activist once said, "...we be many, and they be few."...a big Amen to that.  :)

Partly just my opinion.
Happy Trails