COVID-19 Has Dealt the Trumpian World a Mighty Blow

Preface
Like other posts here, this one is an essay.  It's not an academic thesis.  Essays usually contain both facts and speculation/opinion/analysis.  So, when you read below (for example) Trump & Crew are rolling back environmental-health-safety (EHS) regulations on a massive scale, don't look for footnotes verifying that.  I don't have the time or energy to do a bibliography on commonly known facts.  If you have doubts about the veracity of some statement, you'll have to do your own research.
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In regard to covid-19, Trump tried his usual (now boring) gaslighting--- lies, contradictory statements, outrageous claims, etc.  That didn't work, so here lately, he had to get off his butt and actually do something.  About 90% of his public statements now are totally scripted (to keep him from sounding like a gaslighting idiot)... and he sounds bored to death reading them.  Every so often, he briefly goes off script and returns to gaslighting; but anyone with any sense at all sees through it.  The Trumpian World is starting to collapse.  A tiny virus is bringing it down.

In the Trumpian World, phenomena such as Nature, ecosystems, conservation of natural resources, biodiversity, and the like count for little to nothing.  At the highest levels, the Trumpistas appear in general to care only about finance, economics, and corporatism.  [I imagine they care about their families, as well.]  I suspect that is why they know little to nothing about Natural Science.  Trump & Crew are rolling back environmental-health-safety (EHS) regulations on a massive scale.  As do many to most Corporatists, they believe forms of pollution are externalities... in other words, pollution need not be considered in the manufacturing, distribution, and pricing of consumer goods.  It's someone else's problem.

The elected and appointed Trumpistas say they represent the common people, but the EHS regulations and standards they're eliminating protect the health and safety of all of us.  In some cases, the health of the planet is being protected as well.  Unfortunately and necessarily, EHS regs usually increase the cost of doing business.  That's why they're being eliminated.  Never mind the health & safety of the common people.  According to the Powers-That-Be, the solution to pollution is to ignore it and/or let it dilute in Nature.  Wow, what genius thinking by ignoramuses in the Executive Branch (and a large portion of Corporate America).

Then along came covid-19.  At the highest levels, the main concern in the Trumpian World was not health, but rather the impact on Business... especially the Financial Sector.  So, the initial response was slow.  The next response was poo-pooing the disease.  The next response was a lack of test kits.  After all, we don't want people to know how widespread the bug is... that wouldn't be good for Wall Street.  [Incidentally, only about 14% (not counting 401k or Pension accounts) of Americans are invested in the Stock Market as individuals.]  All during this whole scenario, Trump is saying it's no big deal, "Relax, it will all pass.".  Off script, he's still saying that.  Meanwhile, in my opinion, the overdue Recession has begun.

Yes, Mr. Pres, just as with the Spanish Flu and the Swine Flu, this too shall pass.  But at what cost in human suffering?  Hopefully, Mr. Trump has learned the following lessons.
1.  Viruses aren't affected by childish gaslighting.
2.  Inept handling of a disease outbreak can have a severe economic impact.
3.  It's not really possible to ignore a pandemic.
4.  It's not really possible to ignore an economic and/or financial downturn.
5.  Business and Wall Street aren't the only things that matter.
6.  Lying about a situation is not usually the best way forward.
7.  Mother Nature is in charge of this planet, not Corporatists.  [By the way, Adam Smith denigrated Corporatists who thought they were "Masters of the Universe".  Some in the Trumpian World think he praised them.  He did not.]
8.  Don't try to ignore Mother Nature, or treat her badly.  You'll regret it.
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Not only my opinion.  Be Well

"The Trump Slump" -Or- The Dollar, The Bust, & The Future

I didn't coin the phrase, "The Trump Slump"; that comes from a group of International Bankers.  It resulted from the fact that the U.S. Dollar fell consistently throughout all of 2017.  2018 is boding no better.

Below is a recent email I sent to family & friends.  The title of it was "The Dollar, The Bust, & The Future".
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https://qz.com/1164158/the-us-dollar-just-had-its-worst-year-in-more-than-a-decade-and-2018-will-bring-more-of-the-same/

https://internationalbanker.com/brokerage/us-dollar-consistently-falling-throughout-2017/

And so far in 2018, price inflation has increased.

If the economy is "surging" (as stated by NBC), why is the median income here in the USA now only $32,110?  Compare that to the median income in 2000:  $31,514... a bare bones increase in 18 years.  I doubt it even covered the loss of purchasing power due to price inflation.  The economy is "surging" only for the upper 10-15% (or so) of income earners.

Just a reminder...be prepared...I'm guessing the Crash is no more than two years away.  Yes, it's only a guess, but the Stock Market is in a Bubble larger than the one just prior to the 2008 Crash; the same is true of today's Housing Bubble.  The Bond Market Bubble already has peaked & is slowly deflating.  Auto sales are down in 2018.  The PetroDollar is in its death throes.  In less than ten years, the Dollar no longer will be the world's reserve currency; the IMF is seeing to that with a program already underway.  Plus, Fed Gov't spending is increasing more under Trump & the Repub Congress than during the 1st two years of either Bush or Obama.  Our National Debt continues to increase at a phenomenal rate.  [See www.USDebtClock.org] Confidence in the Dollar is decreasing worldwide.

Corporate profits are at an all-time high, but where's the "Trickle-Down"?  Corporations are using those profits to buy back their own Stock, thus falsely inflating that Market.

The primary reason our GDP has increased is:  the Powers-That-Be still count income made by the Financial Sector as adding to the Gross Domestic Product.  In fact, though, the Financiers extract wealth from the economy.  Their income should be subtracted from the GDP.  This has been shown clearly by the economist, Professor Richard Werner.  [His interview clips/lecture clips are on YouTube.]

Finally, in the Boom-Bust Cycle since 1973, we are now overdue for the next Bust.  The only thing in question is:  how large will the next Bust be?

The good news is that it's highly likely that this next Crash finally will bring about meaningful reform in our corrupt, Crony Capitalist system...and very possibly an end to the privatizing of government.  We need to return to a Mixed Economy, like the one that produced the Golden Age of American Capitalism (1946-1972, or some say, '45 through the early '60s).

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Not only my opinion.  Be Well

"The Clown Who Plays King" - NY Daily News

The NY Daily News recently commented on the Clown King, Trump.
My reaction is---

He's got 'em all fooled.  They don't seem to realize that it's all about enriching himself even more via the Presidency.  He has played the Clown his entire life simply to get attention.  

Mega Bankers bailed him out in the '80s only because they figured the name "Trump" would get them more than his complete bankruptcy.  Then they put him on an allowance and nursed his failing business ventures back to some degree of health.  

Those Bankers are very pleased now.  Deregulation of the Financial Sector is the flavor of the day in DC.  All this other stuff, though important, is distraction and deliberate misdirection by The Don & Crew.  The Elites/Crony Capitalists/Plutocrats win again.

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

Let's All Take Our Heads Out of the Sand and Stop Drinking the...

Edward Bernays style Propaganda Kool Aid.  In addition to the National Debt numbers, the online "U.S. National Debt Clock" (in real time) has a wealth of other information.  [A small portion of it is listed below.]  As opposed to what Janet Yellen and many politicians are saying, that info gives us a genuine dose of reality...instead of propaganda.

Since the end (sometime in the early 1960's) of the Golden Age of American Capitalism, here's what Republican & Democratic politicians, the Fed Reserve, Financialization, Globalization (of a certain type), Crony Capitalism, and Corporatism have all brought us to---

1.  Our public National Debt is almost $20 trillion.  [We are now among the world's top debtor nations.]
2.  U.S. Total Debt (public & private) is now a bit over $67 trillion.
3.  42.6 million Americans are living in poverty.
4.  31.4 million Americans are without insurance (the Debt Clock doesn't specify whether that's health insurance or all types of insurance).
5.  The U.S. Gross Domestic Product (GDP) is about one trillion dollars less than the public National Debt.
6.  The Median Income in the U.S. is now $30,123.
7.  The Median New Home Price in the U.S. is now $311,015.
8.  The "Official Unemployed" number is 7.616 million.
9.  The "Actual Unemployed" number is 14.949 million.
All the above is only a tiny fraction of the valuable info found on the Debt Clock.
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Glenn Greenwald, who was on a Team that shared a Pulitzer Prize, has pointed out that the Financial Sector in the USA essentially has captured our government.  Financialization and the revolving door between Mega Banks and high Gov't positions have contributed greatly to the hollowing out of the Middle Class in this Land.  We now have a President & Executive Branch Administration who want to roll back the paltry regulatory protections of Dodd-Frank, thus giving the Financial Sector even more freedom to practice Casino Capitalism... which will further put our financial and economic systems at risk.

The rationalization for such action is that jobs will be created.  History says otherwise.  Starting with the elimination of the Glass-Steagall Act during the Bill Clinton Era and right through to the lack of prosecution of crooked bankers during the Obama Era, it's clear that:  banking needs strict regulation (enforcement and prosecution); and the Mega Banks need to be broken up.  Casino Capitalism does not create jobs for the Lower & Middle Classes; it simply enriches the Super-Rich.  That's what Trump is pushing/peddling.

Not only my opinion.  Be Well

Financial-Economic Crash Update

Below is an email I just sent to a few family and friends.  There's a tiny bit of editing... nothing important.
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Maloney is correct (see link below):  this is undeniable evidence that we're in a Recession; there is no "recovery".  Since '08-'09, we've had a series of weak "dead cat bounces", not just of the Stock Market, but of the entire economy.  They haven't been sustainable.  The current Stock Market is a poor indicator anyway--- it's in an artificial Bubble created completely by the Fed... and the chickens are coming home to roost... probably within a year or so... at most, by no later than 2020 or thereabouts.  Just a guess.  No one knows "when", but there is no more "if".  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M1He-bpM8MI

Sorry, folks, but now there's little to no doubt that we're in for really bad economic times.  Don't believe the Propaganda from the Powers-That-Be.  NeoFeudalism is on its way.

Get out of Mega Banks, get out of the Stock Market, stock up on household goods, hang onto and/or acquire as many hard assets as you can, cash in any T-Bills (Fed Bonds) you might have, squirrel away some cash, and watch the Bond Market rather than the Stock Market.  The current Housing Bubble is predicted to burst anywhere from very soon to no later than 2024.  The Dollar Crash could be anytime... all that's needed is for China, Russia, India, etc. to accumulate a little more gold.  Once China launches a (to some degree) gold-backed currency, the sound of the rush from the Dollar will be deafening.  That's only one event that could bring down the Dollar; there are several.

Once one Sector goes, the obscene, bizarre Financial Derivatives Market (estimated at $1.5 quadrillion) will bring everything down...probably worldwide.  Banks, Mega Hedge Funds, Insurance giants, et. al. are making billions off Derivatives sales (while creating essentially zero jobs in the process), but don't have enough reserves to cover all defaults.  It's 2008-09 on steroids...super steroids.  Be Prepared.

Don't let the State-Corporate Complex mold your mind anymore.  Reject all Edward Bernays style Propaganda Kool Aid.  You can't miss it; they don't even try to lie with subtlety anymore.  It's blatant lying:  "There's no price inflation worth mentioning"; "The unemployment rate is now only 5%"; "The dollar is strong"; "The Fed has it under control...they're doing a great job"; "The recovery is proceeding"; "Some banks are too big to fail [and prosecute]"; and on & on.  Please, enough of the lies.

By the way, this is not a Right v. Left issue.  Forget that paradigm; this is way above that distraction.  To use an educational metaphor:  this is at the post-doctorate level; the Right-Left paradigm is at the second grade level.

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Not only my opinion.  Be Well

The Deceitfulness of Clinton is Astounding

At the Democratic Convention, Clinton made the following statement regarding the VP choice, Kaine:  "He's a Progressive who...".  If that weren't so comical, it would be tragic.  It's a bald-faced lie.  Kaine isn't in the same ballpark as Progressives; hell, he's not even on the same planet.  I'm not a Progressive, but even I know that.  So does Hillary.  Kaine is a Corporatist of the first order.  Anyone with any astuteness at all in the field of politics knows that.  All you have to do is look at his record.

That's how the Oligarchy operates.  They make false statements, and then repeat them until people start accepting them as true.  It's a tactic as old as politics.

So we have the deception of Clinton, and the ignorance of Trump... unless Trump's pronouncements are an act... which certainly is possible.  What a choice.  Of course, there are others running for President.

[For any new readers, I'm not a Republican or a Democrat, and don't support either Clinton or Trump.  I firmly believe we all should boycott the national election in November.  The new President already has been selected... by the major Party hierarchies, the Plutocrats, the Corporate Media, and the corrupt parts of the Financial Sector.  Basically, the election is over.  Right, Madam President?]

Not only my opinion.  Be Well

Addendum to: "Corporatism Wins Again..."

According to the Wall Street Journal, Wall Street as a whole has raised $23 million for Hillary Clinton's campaign thus far.  I ask you, why would the Financial Sector do that for a supposed Populist?  [Likely answer:  because she's not any kind of Populist.]

The Political-Financial Complex

Ike was right when he warned us about the danger of acquisition of power by the Military-Industrial Complex.  Steve Keen, an Australian Economics Professor, is right when he warns us about the Political-Financial Complex...a term coined by him.

A perfect example of the Political-Financial Complex is as follows.  Not too long ago, a lobbyist for CitiBank essentially authored a Rider to a Legislative Bill in the U.S. Congress.  This was not just any old Bill the Rider was attached to---it was the Omnibus Spending Bill for the U.S. Gov't...if I recall correctly, it was a $1.1 trillion Bill.  The CitiBank Rider basically rolled back some protections that were in the Dodd-Frank law.  Dodd-Frank was nothing to write home about, but it did give some protection from out-of-control elements in the Financial Sector.

Mega Banks are major contributors to both Dems & Repubs in the U.S...at the same time; in other words, the Banks contribute to both Party candidates in the same election.  The reason for that could be innocent, but somehow I doubt it.  Then, too, we have estimates from a few different sources stating that in the 2016 national election cycle here, about $10 billion dollars will be spent by all major candidates.  That's not only a reflection of how debased the dollar has become; it's also an abomination.  It would be interesting to know how much of that total is/will be coming from Mega Banks.  At the end of 2014, five of the largest banks here had total assets of about seven trillion dollars.  Those banks are:  J.P. Morgan Chase, Bank of America, Wells Fargo, Citigroup (CitiBank), & U.S. Bancorp (U.S. Bank).  They could easily fund a very significant percentage of 2016 election expenditures.  [There are probably a dozen ways around rules limiting political contributions...if any of those rules still exist.]  I think it's very naive to believe that politicians are not influenced by major campaign contributions.  As someone (can't recall who) once stated,  "The Big Banks don't influence elections... they own them.".  Perhaps that's an exaggeration, but not by much.

According to CNBC, the banks listed above account for 45% of the banking industry.  Think: Sherman AntiTrust Act, Clayton AntiTrust Act, and Federal Trade Commission Acts.  Think: monopoly.  Think: common sense.  Since 2008, the "Too-Big-to-Fail" Mega Banks have grown by 37%.  So much for the politicians "protecting" us.  Those banks need to be broken up...ASAP.  Either that, or make banks public utilities. North Dakota has just such a public bank; it outperforms Wall Street while being heavily regulated.

All of this is not only a U.S. problem...it's a worldwide problem.  Those at the seats of public and private Power collude to convert publicly owned infrastructure into privately owned assets controlled by Mega Corporations.  "Austerity" is imposed on countries in order to save not their economies, but instead, to save the out-of-control Financial Sectors in those countries.  Banks weren't meant to be financial parasites engaged in speculating on bizarre, highly risky derivatives and other no-job-creating ventures.  They once served a legitimate, almost modest function:  servicing home, auto, and business loans.  The Mega Banks have become giant casinos... to the detriment of the Lower and Middle Classes around the world. Unfortunately, politicians everywhere aid and abet them.

Boycott Mega Banks.  They create almost zero new jobs.
Lobby to have them broken up.
Following the successful example in N. Dakota, lobby to have banks converted to public utilities. 

Not only my opinion.  Be Well

BOYCOTT Mega Banks

Shortly after WW II, the Financial Sector made up about 3% of the U.S. economy.  Today it's just under 10%, but accounts for more than 30% of all corporate profits in this country.  In the past, we had Finance Capitalism in this Land (relative to the Financial Sector).  Banks, especially large ones, served a useful function by financing businesses and their expansions...thus creating new jobs.  Now we have Casino Capitalism.  Large banks put their (and your) money into bizarre financial derivatives and bets in the Futures markets.  Estimates vary, but approximately $1.25 quadrillion in derivatives now are out in the marketplace.  That amount is many times more than the GDP of the entire world.  That's insanity, and puts us all at risk.  Worst of all, that activity does not finance new businesses, expand old ones, or create any jobs.

On top of that, at the G-20 Meeting late last year, new rules were promulgated allowing 30 mega, international banks to be "Bailed-In" in the case of a financial crisis.  That means those banks can appropriate the funds in YOUR accounts if they get into trouble.  They simply seize your money.  Supposedly then, FDIC Insurance bails you out...covers your losses, or more accurately, the theft of your money by the bank.  Unfortunately, the FDIC "kitty" is only about $46 billion, while the deposits covered are in the trillions.  The Fed Reserve could conjure-up the difference, but might not because that would make the dollar even weaker during an ongoing Crisis.  [By the way, G-20 Rules are not a Treaty.  The only approval necessary is that of the Executive Branch.]  The new rules don't specify "depositors" or "bank customers", but rather the bank's "creditors".  The largest bunch of creditors a bank has is made up of its depositors (customers).  Whether you know it or not, every time you deposit money in a bank you are loaning that money to the bank.  Your checkbook or savings book is the bank's I.O.U.  So in those transactions, you are one of the bank's creditors.  According to the G-20, your funds now can be appropriated by the bank if that bank is in crisis.

You might ask, how can this be?  The G-20 was formed after the last Crisis and created a Financial Stability Board...a "financial regulator".  They make the rules, and the G-20 leaders (of countries) usually go along automatically.  Whether they fully understand the rules or not, leaders such as our President sign on the dotted line...with no approval of Congress.  Needless to say, the process is in no way democratic.

Coupled with all of the above, in the last few years several mega banks (the corporations, not individual executives) have admitted to criminal manipulation of foreign currency exchanges, civil sub-prime mortgage fraud, other frauds, and of course, there was the Barclay's Bank LIBOR interest rate scandal.  Some analysts have described these new moguls of Finance as thinking of themselves as Financial Gods and Masters of the Universe.  Their hubris is incredible.  They all need to be taken down about 100 notches.

You might ask, so what, what effect can I have on these conceited "investment" bankers?  I would say, plenty.  We could have a great effect if all or most (or even many) of us would boycott mega banks... ASAP.  With the elimination of Glass-Steagall by Bill Clinton, Repubs, & Dems, the conceited mega bankers can & do gamble with your money.  If their bets go radically wrong, they now can (with the blessing of the G-20) simply seize any money you have in their bank.  Get out of all mega banks, NOW.  Patronize your local bank; they'll be more than happy to have you as a customer.  If at all possible, cut up your credit cards issued by mega banks.  They borrow money for as low as POINT 25 percent (.25%) interest.  What do they charge you?  Credit cards are a racket.

The so-called "investment" banks are not that for the most part...not anymore.  These mega banks are gambling in the stock market on Futures and Derivatives.  Their (& your) money goes into foreign currencies, foreign capital investments, derivatives, and other no-job-creating ventures.  They are gambling not only with individual depositor funds, but also with pension funds, and those of cities and counties.  They sometimes bet against their own customers.  They don't even especially care about the bank for which they work...it's all about getting rich quick, or richer.  Financial analysts, meaning those who study the Financial Sector, mostly all agree that (in general) mega banks are parasites on our economy.  We really have two separate economies in this country:  the one representing & serving most of us; and the one representing & serving the mega banking Oligarchy.  They are vastly different.  When the highest levels of our Gov't report that things are improving in our economy, they aren't talking about the economy in which most of us find ourselves.

Mega banks should be broken up.  They are parasites on the rest of us.
BOYCOTT them.  Start now...for the sake of future generations, start now.

Not only my opinion.  Be Well

Part III: The Bush-Obama Doctrines

1.  Give countries that in any way support fanatical Islamists a hard time... unless, of course, that country is Saudi Arabia.  The Wahhabi Sect, a radical offshoot of the Sunnis, is a State-sponsored religion in the Saudi Kingdom.  The majority of the 9-11 hijackers were from the Kingdom.  Osama bin Laden was a Saudi.  There are numerous other suggestions (not proof) that the soft dictators in Saudi Arabia don't really oppose fanatical Islamists.  The House of Saud has been bound to the House of Bush in a business sense for years and years.  When Obama met the "King" of the Kingdom, he bowed deeply to him.  Such deference coming from a President is a bit much... not especially significant, but still, a bit much.  Obama, like Bush and every other President in my long memory, ignores the downside of Saudi Arabia--- for one, the fact that it's a dictatorship... for another, the fact that it supports what is essentially a fanatical cult.  Wahhabis have zero tolerance for Christianity, Judaism, Hinduism, Shiite Islam, even some Sunnis, and democracy.  [A couple of Arab political analysts have proposed that what's currently going on in Iraq is a proxy war between Sunni Saudi Arabia and Shiite Iran.]

2.  Continue the over-half-century, outdated, vindictive U.S. Policy toward Cuba... a land where, about a hundred years ago or more, our Fed Gov't stole at gunpoint Guantanamo Bay; a land where our Fed Gov't supported the brutal dictator Batista; a land where for years & years, the CIA tried to assassinate Castro; a land where for years and years, our Govt's NeoImperialism reigned supreme.  Yes, the Castro Gov't once was a threat to us; no reasonable person thinks that now.

3.  Continue the policy of letting the Fed Reserve Board of Governors arbitrarily set interest rates... rates that should be determined by a Free Market.  The only people being served well by the Fed are the Hedge Funds and other speculators on Wall Street.  The Middle Class suffers... and those at the very bottom of the economic ladder are completely screwed.

4.  Similar to number 3, continue the policy of unsound money.

5.  Continue to allow mega banks to use depositors' money for risky, often shady so-called "investments"... instead of requiring them to raise their own capital for such activity.

6.  Continue on with the antiquated, underfunded, understaffed SEC, which cannot possibly oversee the automated, algorithm-driven, split-second, computerized Wall Street "trading" of today.

7.  Continue to promote and support the window-dressing "reform" laws relative to the out-of-control Financial Sector.  That will assure large, future campaign contributions from white-collar thieves.

8.  Continue the myth that the President can write "Executive Orders" on just about any subject he/she pleases... and that such actions are "implied" by the Constitution and have the full force and effect of Congressional Legislation, even if Congress opposes those "Orders".  That is complete nonsense and utter claptrap.  There is no such implication in the Constitution.  Again, We the People are being played for chumps. [To see exactly which Orders are permitted, go to Article II, Section 2 of the Constitution.  Only two are enumerated... no others are listed, or implied.  The first is that the President may require in writing the opinion of each Executive Department Head on any subject relating to their duties.  The second is that the President may order pardons for offenses against the U.S. (except in cases of Impeachment).  The Constitution enumerates powers, it does not imply them.  If the power isn't listed, the Feds don't have it.  To get a new, unlisted power, they must Amend the Supreme Law of the Land.  To believe that the document implies this, that, or the other is to accept the idea that it can mean pretty much anything that anyone wants it to mean.  That makes it worthless.]
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The point of this three-piece series on the Bush-Obama Doctrines is simple:  when it comes to significant and substantial matters, there is little to no difference between (at the highest levels) modern-day Republicans and Democrats.  They're merely two branches of the same (and only) major political Party in the USA.  Furthermore, it's obvious that they no longer serve the best interests of We the People.  "Voting" doesn't necessarily guarantee a representative government, especially when 99.9% of all candidates at the national level are selected, groomed, and financed by an Oligarchy of the super-rich... while the very few honest politicians are completely ignored, or smeared, or otherwise marginalized.  There is a better way, but first we must stop drinking the Edward Bernays style Propaganda Kool Aid.  That's essential if we are to generate a fair, just, prosperous, and free society.

Be Well

When Will the Feds Ever Learn!?

It was reported on the 1-9-14 CBS online news broadcast that the upsurge in violence and deaths in Iraq is NOT due primarily to Al Qaeda activity after all, but rather due to the ongoing, never ceasing clash between the Iraqi Sunnis and Shiites.  [Congratulations, CBS, you finally discovered that; independent investigative journalists have known it for a very long time.]

Meanwhile, our Fed Gov't is supplying massive arms to the Shiite Gov't of Iraq... you know, the one backed by Iran.  So once again, those at the highest levels in our Fed Gov't have (unconstitutionally) stuck their big noses into what is essentially a civil war.  I know the mega corporate Oligarchs love to sell arms and munitions, but come on, this is beyond ridiculous.

As I look back over the past decade or so, my conclusion is that an astute 12th grader could run our foreign policy better than the Bush and Obama administrations have done.  That conclusion is both tragic and comic at the same time.

I suggest to those of you still stuck in the anachronistic, basically farcical, political paradigm of Republicans v. Democrats that you seriously re-think the matter.  What's going on in the political arena should be blatantly obvious.  Never mind Iraq for the moment, let's consider probably the worst economic & financial advisors in our country's history, those of the last Bush term...then Obama, in his first term, keeps them.  So we wind up with Hank Paulson, former head of Goldman Sachs, as Secretary of the Treasury--- oh my, no conflict of interest there [:)].  He and the FED give billions to mega banks AND make trillions in loans available to them at almost zero percent interest.  At the same time or shortly thereafter, some of those elitist banks buy out other banks, thus becoming even bigger while eliminating some of their competition.  On top of all that, we later go through legislative "financial reform"... which turns out to be mere window dressing.  Finally, we're now enduring "too big to jail". 
Good grief... wake up, America. 

Just my opinion.