BIG BEND BIKERS FOR FREEDOM
We make no attempt to be "politically correct". Left, Right, or Center. "Argue for your limitations and they are yours" Bach
Far ir be it from us to engage in gratuitous self indulgence as an opportunity to whore our site out to the great unwashed who are still trapped In RUSHBO'S EIB (Excellence In Broadcasting) Network. But we are convinced that once exposed to our brillance, why would anyone go anywhere else. I mean after all, if we chose to we could pander/pimp w/ the best of them. From Zero Hedge
As corn prices have rolled over and even the World Bank worries over the impact of financial crises and food prices, we present, with little comment, one of the more staple sustenances - now trading at record high prices... transitory we presume?
Seems like milk is oddly correlation to periods of (actual or anticipation of) central bank largesse (green arrows)...
Spot The Deflation...
Cue gratuitous Got Milk image...
Yes my friends, with inflating food prices on the way in an exponential fashion you to can have a body reflective of starvation diets, purging and bulimia. Though we suspect we won't have the choice.
It is not the critic who counts; not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles, or where the doer of deeds could have done them better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood; who strives valiantly; who errs, who comes short again and again, because there is no effort without error and shortcoming; but who does actually strive to do the deeds; who knows great enthusiasms, the great devotions; who spends himself in a worthy cause; who at the best knows in the end the triumph of high achievement, and who at the worst, if he fails, at least fails while daring greatly, so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who neither know victory nor defeat.---Teddy Roosevelt
In light of the chart we posted here, Fools go ahead vote, first check this chart, illustrating the wealth destruction of the "middle-class" going back to the 90's we thought it appropriate to add a few links to help "dumbed down" Americans, "smart up".
With the holidays and other "stuff" crimping our lives of late, this will be more thought exercise than post. By that we mean we will not be posting as many links as usual but will rely mostly on observations and extrapolations made from past posts. Call it a thought exercise if you will. Besides we have spent a considerable amount of time in past posts linking certain truths. Keywords and search ideas can be found to the left by our search box.
The other day when consumer confidence was reported as being higher than significant periods in the past we were experiencing a bit of cognitive dissonance. After all, at the same time Sears was announcing the closure of many stores, read that numerous lost jobs. And as we search the web daily we have been particularly struck by recent layoff numbers. Most especially in the financial sector. Our thoughts might be that financial layoffs do not show up as quickly in the economy, as many have the capability to withstand immediate consequences and it does not resonate as say a factory closing. The consequences of which are almost immediately felt in the community.
The other disconnect that we have discussed with others is that the majority of the U.S. population has little comprehension of what real money and power is. There are individuals and Corporations, ex. Apple, Inc., that have enough wealth to be their own country. Money creates money. We all know that. But somewhere along the line we allowed ourselves to become convinced that the created money "trickles" down to the general population. Nothing can be further from the truth. The goal of people with real wealth is to "preserve capital". Although most of the people we know would lose money if they retired on a 3% return. Economies of scale dictate that enough money at 3 precent can be a comfortable income if that 3% is calculated on large enough stash of cash.
And we say failure because based on data people make decisions. When they have faulty data they make faulty decisions. As we type this the market is up 300+ points. Alleluia the world is saved. Though ye of commonsense may wish to ask yourselves, where can we get whatever their smoking? OR maybe, what is so different from yesterday that makes today worth that jump? Oh thats right Europe? You jest we are sure. Europe is terminal. Otherwise why did so much foreign money jump into U.S. Treasuries today at zero percent interest? Somebody somewhere is big time wrong. We suggest folk bounce on over to Compounded Interest and browse the pretty charts and the pertinent info. such as,
Todays announcement of a rally in housing starts (1 unit) of New Privately Owned Housing Units Started – 1 Unit NSA – of up 2.29% in November is grossly misleading. Why? It’s that darned seasonal adjustment again!If we use non-seasonally adjusted data (aka, raw data not tampered with), we find that 1 unit housing starts actually FELL -11.25% in November.
If you do not believe them, then google for a few more of the "not government related" sites under the topic. THeres a number of them. We just liked his pretty charts.Add to Technorati Favorites
As Economic news was coming fast and furious today we found ourselves bookmarking and clipping and geting this post, Fed Leaks global bailout out quickly as possible so people would know that the rocking and rolling stock market today was actually Karaoke as the big money was made before the market even opened. In fact that is the way it has been since Monday when the Fed first made the decision to jump in and bail out the world. Though we might add the caveat, because if you check in with us occasionally we have been saying all along, that they never stop bailing since 2008. The game has become so crooked now that the players are just blatant about it. After all, as we posted here Judge Rakoff, Citigroup and the American patsy who is actually going to go to jail? In fact, who can you name other than that minnow in the pond, Maddoff, that has gone to jail??? And that my friends is why you are going to be screwed over and over again. I grew up in the streets o.k. You lie down and let me take your wallet guess what, next time you lay down Im going to do it again. Over and Over and Over until YOU get the balls to stop me!
So a fast read without a bunch of links because we are in hurry. Google it o.k. We ain't lied to ya yet. So lets, CRANK ER UP.........
We have only mentioned oh maybe A BUNCH OF DAMN TIMES in the last couple weeks. That to save their political asses and fiat economies that Europe and the U.S. might be looking for hail mary pass. From 680 news:
The U.S. Embassy in Damascus urged
its citizens in Syria to depart "immediately," and Turkey's foreign
ministry urged Turkish pilgrims to opt for flights to return home from
Saudi Arabia to avoid travelling through Syria.
"The
U.S. Embassy continues to urge U.S. citizens in Syria to depart
immediately while commercial transportation is available," said a
statement issued to the American community in Syria Wednesday. It was
posted on the embassy's website.
O.k. so I'm thinking the humor in the title was lost on everybody. But it's o.k. because I laughed and I can do that because I'm a clown that also happens to suffer from Coulrophobia. Whoops, screwed up my word for the day. But hey, how about that super committee huh? Talk about freaking funny. Stock market takes a dump because like did anybody really think congress was actually going to accomplish something? Besides, they don't have to, we all know that the best way to improve the economy is to start a war. And since we now have two Aircraft Carriers sitting within striking distance of Iran and France hollering about Iran because, well hell, their economy sucks too we can all look forward to supporting even more veterans until we become toast cause Russia ain't real happy at the moment.
Problem is them damn poor people. Suckers are multiplying like rabbits and will probably starve before we can get the war factories back from China and up and running. But hey, that's tomorrow and we like to stay current. So today, because we have been rushed, were not going to think. Which is o.k. because most don't like what we think anyway. So were gonna throw in what we thought was a particularly good post by Phil Davis whose work we have ripped...... I mean posted before. Now fair warning right up front o.k. the dude is obviously a democrat. Now I know for some that means he was born genetically deficient and therefor should be toasts along with the rest of them dern bleeding heart liberal Mo Fk'ers. Now we don't really care much about parties and would be right proud to do a republican one if someone can find one as funny as Mr. Davis! Wait a second, I think we can do it......
Hell I don't care who you are thats funny! Anyway hers a cut version of Mr. Phils post and you can read the rest of it by hitting the link (at least check out Colberts video further down):
EXCEPT, of course, aid to the poor. THAT they can cut and cut and cut and cut. Payroll tax cuts - terminated. Unemployment extensions - terminated. US AAA rating - terminated...
And that's SMART because those poor people are EVERYWHERE these days and, the poorer they get, the more they need - it's ridiculous! The general Republican strategy is to see if we can make those nasty poor people so poor they stop bothering us completely. They can either leave, like all those immigrants we kicked out - or just get out of our way and leave us alone - just like it says in another Dickensian novel:
We personally believe the Richest of us deserve the tax payer funded subsidies contained in the following document. In fact we think they deserve more. After all, it is absurd to make a millionaire actually sleep on his/her yacht for at least to weeks out of the year before allowing them to claim it as a mortgage tax deductible second residence.
Coburn Taxes
We also understand the wisdom of paying rich land owners not to develop property until they are ready to sell the property for development. After all, this is America, land of the free, home of the brave where all are equal even if some are just a tad more equal than others. As such we must insure to maintain the status quo, i.e. If poor folk are made to bailout millionaires once they should be made to do it again and again.Add to Technorati Favorites
Every time they release the unemployment numbers, they also revise the previously reported unemployment numbers. Which to most honest economist is a freaking joke. Even the numbers they do report, despite how many times they say well "a little better" or "some improvement", are a lie. IF they were accurate we would have to ask, improvement, as compared to what? 3 nuclear meltdowns are better than 4?
262,500. This means that unless that number of jobs is created each
month for the next 5
years, America will have a higher unemployment rate
in October 2016 than it did in December 2007. How realistic is it
that the US economy can create 16.2 million jobs in the next 6261 months? We leave that answer up to the US electorate."
Um, Hello? But then hey, no matter how many studies show that repatriating billions of dollars at a lower tax rate WILL NOT be a job generator (history people, history), that's what the government wants to argue about. Amazing how with all the video, film, data, minute by minute updating of historical fact technology has provided us, we as a people will fall for the propaganda every time. And always at our expense. One of the stupidest past times people can engage in is talking about how stupid the government whores and their pimps are. They are smart enough to convince us to do things that will give them more money and power. So who are freaking dumb-asses??? And yeah, you can include this writer among the dumb-asses too.
But just as an exercise in futility we thought we would post yet another post by yet another money guy that will tell us yet again the shudder the thought the freaking government is full of CRAP. And first person reads this and can only worry about a run on sentence is dumber than the rest of us!
On October 20, 2011 we posted: MUST READ Incestous relationship between the FED and Business, the stuff of revolutions not wanting to be alarmist or anything but here we present you with the Corporate Ownership of the U.S. Treasury (What, you thought tax evader Giethner was the Boss??? You thought Obama was boss???). Funnier yet, if you have the whacked out sense of Humor we have, is that some of these corporations aren't even American??? Funnier yet, these are the same folks that got taxpayer bailouts. And you think they are finished with YOU yet???
So take the link above, combine it with this post and if you can not clearly see the Banking/Corporate Ownership of America, then take another blue pill and go back to sleep!
Below was taken directly from the the Treasury Departments website. The links we added either go to the stock price as of this writing or the corporate website.
If you want to understand the Occupy movement and how we, the baby boomer generation created it, then this is the piece to read. Initially we were only going to post excerpts from the post. That would have done it a terrible injustice. IF you, as I am, are a member of the Baby Boomer generation then this mirror . Question becomes, can you handle the truth? From the Burning Platform Blog :BAD MOON RISING
Over
the last six weeks I’ve watched as the young protestors around the
country have been called: filthy hippies, losers, lazy, coddled,
socialists, communists, spoiled college kids, parasites, useful idiots,
and tools of the left. Most of the wrath being heaped upon these young
people for exercising their Constitutional right to free speech and
freedom of assembly has been from the Baby Boom Generation, who are at
the peak of their power in our society.
I see the bad moon arising. I see trouble on the way. I see earthquakes and lightnin’. I see bad times today.
Creedence Clearwater Revival – Bad Moon Rising
“Human history seems logical in afterthought but a mystery in forethought.” –The Fourth Turning– Strauss & Howe
The above statement by historians William Strauss and Neil Howe is very significant as we try to make sense of the events unfolding before our very eyes in today’s world. On September 17, a mere six weeks ago, a few hundred young people showed up in Zuccatti Park in Lower Manhattan to protest our corrupt, broken and Wall Street manipulated economic and political system. That first night, approximately 100 protestors occupied the park and were outnumbered by the NYPD in full riot gear. The idea to Occupy Wall Street began circulating on the internet in late August. The Millenial Generation used their social networks and put their tech savvy talents to work. Before long, thousands of protestors showed up in cities across the U.S. The model for this movement was the successful demonstrations in Egypt and Tunisia, earlier in the year.
The initial reaction among mainstream media and politicians across the land was bemusement. A bunch of young hippy throwbacks were going to make a meaningless statement and then fade away. The attention span of Americans is as long as the commercial break between contestants on Dancing With the Stars. Everyone knows the Millenials aren’t to be taken seriously. They are a bunch of spoiled, coddled, lazy college kids who need to get a job. But a funny thing happened during the commercial break. The kids held their ground. They didn’t leave. More young people arrived. More young people began protesting in cities across the country. Middle aged people began to get involved. Even some older people joined the cause. Before long there were thousands of people getting involved. It spread to Europe, with young people occupying London and Rome. Donations and supplies began to pour in from around the world. There’s something happening here, but what it is ain’t exactly clear.
On thursday, Sept. 11, 2008 we posted the following, Be Afraid, be very Afraid, for it is a fools game and we played it. In it we played a little game wherein we outlined events that sounded very much like America at the time. On Sunday, September 14, 2008 we posted, The truth behind the "Be very afraid post". In it we documented the rise of Hitler and Nazi, Germany. The country behind the "Be Afraid" Post that sounded so much like America. At that time, Steve Newton, a Professor of History and Political Science and founder of the Blog, the Delaware Libertarian linked to the posts with the recommendation to his readers that they read it asap. Today on Zero Hedge you can find the post,
Now we do not put ourselves in the same league as Ray Dalio, Zero Hedge, or the Delaware Libertarian and Mr. Newton. The best we could do was get kicked out of a couple of high schools and had to finish up at night in our twenties. And no, we are not psychic either. But we do read. Considering the cow dung presented as news on the Major Networks and cable channels we have found reading to be quite necessary if we were to learn the truth of anything. Sometimes I read long boring stuff because it might just contain something I may wish or need to know. I spend a lot of time reading Zero Hedge and other stuff I don't understand half of. But what I do understand has value. Reading can help you to learn the truth of today. If you do not limit it to forwarded, forwarded, forwarded e-mails. I suppose I could better things with my time. Wash my motorcycle maybe. But considering the current status of America I feel it an obligation to read even more.
excerpts From a post by Mike Krieger on Zero Hedge Titled Rouge Traders (emphasis ours)
Unfortunately for all of us, the story of Barings bank and Nick Leeson is merely happening on a global scale. However, rather than one trader making bad bets what we are dealing with is a gigantic credit bubble ponzi scheme created by TBTF banks, or as Bill Black more appropriately refers to them, Systemically Dangerous Institutions (SDIs) that now needs to be covered up. This ponzi first started unraveling back in 2008 and rather than deal with it the best we could, global “leaders” decided to bail them out with taxpayer money and guarantees. What did we get for this act of kindness? A dead economy, monstrous unemployment, 15% of Americans on food stamps and a frightening reality that shows Americans are having a much harder time than the Chinese putting food on the table. See this articlehttp://www.shtfplan.com/headline-news/startling-survey-americans-are-str...Meanwhile, what did the banksters get? They consolidated even more power over their Washington D.C. puppets because now establishment politicians are “in” the doubled down Nick Leeson bet with Wall Street and of course they got record bonuses and no one was prosecuted.
The Video and story comes from Reuters News Service, one of the last, along with AP, reliable news services left. We have not altered or added to it. It is taken from information posted by the U.S. Government yesterday. If you have a job please count yourself as blessed.
Anyone who wants to understand the enduring nature of Occupy Wall Street and similar protests across the country need only look at the first official data on 2010 paychecks, which the U.S. government posted on the Internet on Wednesday.
The figures from payroll taxes reported to the Social Security Administration on jobs and pay are, in a word, awful.
These are important and powerful figures. Maybe the reason the government does not announce their release — and so far I am the only journalist who writes about them each year — is the data show how the United States smolders while Washington fiddles.
There were fewer jobs and they paid less last year, except at the very top where, the number of people making more than $1 million increased by 20 percent over 2009.
The median paycheck — half made more, half less — fell again in 2010, down 1.2 percent to $26,364. That works out to $507 a week, the lowest level, after adjusting for inflation, since 1999.
The number of Americans with any work fell again last year, down by more than a half million from 2009 to less than 150.4 million.
More significantly, the number of people with any work has fallen by 5.2 million since 2007, when the worst recession since the Great Depression began, with a massive taxpayer bailout of Wall Street following in late 2008.
This means 3.3 percent of people who had a job in 2007, or one in every 3330, went all of 2010 without earning a dollar. (Update: the original version of this column used the wrong ratio.)
In addition to the 5.2 million people who no longer have any work add roughly 4.5 million people who, due to population growth, would normally join the workforce in three years and you have close to 10 million workers who did not find even an hour of paid work in 2010.
SIX TRILLION DOLLARS
These figures come from the Medicare tax database at the Social Security Administration, which processes every W-2 wage form. All wages, salaries, bonuses, independent contractor net income and other compensation for services subject to the Medicare tax are added up to the penny.
In 2010 total wages and salaries came to $6,009,831,055,912.11.
That’s a bit more than $6 trillion. Adjusted for inflation, that is less than each of the previous four years and almost identical to 2005, when the U.S. population was 4.2 percent smaller.
While median pay — the halfway point on the salary ladder declined, average pay rose because of continuing increases at the top. Average pay was $39,959 last year, up $46 — or less than a buck a week — compared with 2009. Average pay peaked in 2007 at $40,764, which is $15 a week more than average weekly wage income in 2010.
The number of workers making $1 million or more rose to almost 94,000 from 78,000 in 2009. However, that was still below some earlier years, including 2007, when more than 110,000 workers made more than $1 million each.
At the very top, the number of workers making more than $50 million rose in 2010 to 81, up from 72 the year before. But average pay in this group declined $4.5 million to $79.6 million.
What these figures tell us is that there was a reason voters responded in the fall of 2010 to the Republican promise that if given control of Congress they would focus on one thing: jobs.
But while Republicans were swept into the majority in the House of Representatives, that promise has been ignored.
Not only has no jobs bill been enacted since January, but the House will not even bring up for a vote the jobs bill sponsored by President Obama. His bill is far from perfect, but where is the promised Republican legislation to get people back to work?
Instead of jobs, the focus on Capitol Hill is on tax cuts for corporations with untaxed profits held offshore, on continuing the temporary Bush administration tax cuts — especially for those making $1 million or more – and on cutting federal spending, which mean destroying more jobs in the short run.
At the same time, nonfinancial companies are sitting on more than $2 trillion of cash — nearly $7,000 per American — with no place to invest it profitably. This money cannot even be invested to earn the rate of inflation.
All this capital is sitting on the sidelines waiting for profitable opportunities to be invested, which will not and cannot happen until more people have jobs and wages rise, creating increased demand for goods and services.
More of the same approach we have had for most of the last three decades and all of the last ten years is not going to increase demand, create more jobs or enable overall prosperity. In the long run, continuing current policies will make even the richest among us less well off than they would be in a robust economy with government policies that foster job creation and the capital investment that grows from increased demand.
On top of this are the societal problems caused by something the United States has never experienced before, except during the Depression — chronic, long-term unemployment.
Having millions who want work go years without a single day on a payroll is more than just a waste of talent and time. It also can change social attitudes about work and not for the better.
The data show why protests like Occupy Wall Street have so quickly gained momentum around the country, as people who cannot find work try to focus the federal government on creating jobs and dealing with the banking sector that many demonstrators blame for the lack of jobs.
Will official Washington look at the numbers and change course? Or do voters need to change their elected representatives if they want to put America back on a path to widespread prosperity?
Most already know our opinion on this situation. We have been stating it for the last 4 years.Add to Technorati Favorites
We want to preface this post with a comment on it's irony. We have posted in the past on the Human rights violations of Apple, inc. They are legion and well documented so should anyone care, the info is readily available through a few google searches or through this site. The irony is, not only is Apple the richest country in America it is also one of the most popular. Especially among the young. We can not help but wonder how many human rights, environmental, and political activists use their products and in doing so promote Apples profit over people agenda. rc
The pimp chorus again sang the Corporate tax break mantra at the Republican presidential debates last night as per usual, with Bachman doing a solo on repatriation of corporate dollars held overseas. If one needs an argument against Corporate tax breaks they need look no further than Apple Inc, to win the debate.
We have done a number of posts on Apple inc. Including once that demonstrates that, were they to choose to do so they could build there products in the U.S. with a minimal hit to profits.
Guest post from Artie Hamlin, followed by our Response:
There is one thing that has always bothered me about the “Occupy” Movement
and continues to do so---that there is no clear cut message. There is
no clear cut message of the exact problems they seek to redress.
Therefore, there is also no clear cut workable realistic/pragmatic
answer-solution to said problems. Consequently, there can be no clear cut
goal to accomplish by purpose of this movement. Some say “so
what?--it’s getting the attention of the government and maybe they’ll do
something”.
Here’s the so what! In 1776, our forefathers drew-up a very specific
list of grievances and this became the Declaration of
Independence. They had a clearly stated problem
and a clearly stated and agreed upon solution. That
gave them a purpose to stand and fight--a just reason to lay down their lives
and at times the lives of their families. This was one of the very few
times that civil unrest led to a revolution that was successful, was not full of
widespread atrocities after the previous government had been overthrown, and
established a form of government that has not only stood a long test of time,
but has been a beacon to other nations to do the same.
Conversely while attempting to copy us, a similar revolution took place in
1789 in France—the French Revolution, which having no clear cut and widely
accepted statement of purpose or goals other than the anarchical overthrow of
Louis XVI and the end of monarchial supported class greed, that government only
lasted for two years and culminated in the death of upwards of 40,000 people who
dared to disagree with the more radical of the revolutionaries. This led
to the rise of Napoleon Bonaparte and we all know how that turned out!
Another similar revolution with no clear cut purpose save to overthrow
corporate class greed and the government that supported it occurred in Russia in
February 1917. That so-called republic lasted only until the following
October 1918 with the rise of the Bolsheviks and the formation of the
USSR. We all know how that turned out!
Other significant revolutionary movements that began with unrest but no
clear cut purpose or clear cut goals were in Germany in 1933 (Hitler), Italy in
1922 (Mussolini), Uganda in 1971 (Idi Amin), 1968 Iraq (Sadam Hussein), Cambodia
in 1975 (Pol Pot/Khmer Rouge), and Iran in 1979 (Ayatollah’s).
Nation wide mob protest with no clear cut purpose is a dangerous
thing. There MUST be a stated list of SPECIFIC grievances and a SPECIFIC
list of workable realistic solutions leading to the ultimate goal where the
movement is no longer needed. Otherwise we risk becoming like many other
revolutions. BTW, I’ll guarantee that most people in those countries
thought that “such things could never happen here”....but they
did!
If we ignore the lessons of history, we are doomed to repeat
them.
