Chicago - Funds $108 Billion In the Hole

Tell me again how great Chicago is -

The average Chicago household now owes a staggering $63,525 to cover local government debt, according to Cook County Treasurer Maria Pappas.

Suburbanites are deeply in the red, too, with the average household owing $32,901, according to the treasurer.

Among the biggest reasons: $25 billion in unfunded pension liability.

In comments after an appearance Tuesday before the Civic Federation, a watchdog group that has released somewhat similar numbers in recent years, Ms. Pappas said she was "stunned" to learn that county taxpayers on the whole owe more than $108 billion toward local debt.

Now why oh why would you be "stunned" to hear the debt numbers? Simply, because very few knew and in order to get the info, the government HAD TO BE FORCED -

The figures were derived from a recently passed debt disclosure law. Ms. Pappas said the numbers have never before been compiled in this fashion.

"This goes well beyond big cities," she said. "These fiscal problems permeate townships, villages, school districts, park districts, fire protection districts and more, and the taxpayers are on the hook."

The Real Effect

So, what can we garner from this little revelation? For starters:

• Do not confuse people with government. They are not the same.
• Government WILL lie to you as a matter of practice. They just come up with sophisticated ways to do so.
• They will attempt to hide damaging data as often as possible, it's in their own interest to do so.
• The debt situation is SIGNIFICANTLY worse then most governments are letting on. (They're afraid of the pitchforks)
• The bigger the government, the bigger the potential problem.
• The real problem will not be corrected until someone forces governments hand.
• The bureaucrats will pass the bill AND the blame onto you. (After all, you voted for it)

Think this through for a second, do you really believe that the average Chicagoan got $63,525 in services? Or is it more likely that this money was squandered and then in TARP fashion the bill was passed to the taxpayers? Who is going to pay for this? (And make no mistake someone will pay for it.) Taxpayers? Pensioners? Bondholders? Banks? The Chinese?

Let's take this just a tad further here. Pretend for a second you hired an individual to manage your finances. In turn, he would arrange schooling, water, police services, and a few other important items for you and your family of 4. Naturally, you would expect a bill. When that day comes, it says 50% on it... Not $10, not $500, but 50% of your $120,000. Outraged, you demand an explanation. What does it matter how much money you make you demand to know. I want to know how much you are charging. At this point, the individual feigns fear and arranges for the police that you paid for to arrest you and take you to jail for bill avoidance. 10 years later when you get out, you get a bill for not only his services, but your jail upkeep and food and just to rub it in - another bill for $250,000. His "debt" that you supposedly owe.

As crazy as that seems, that is how we run our finances via government.

Worldwide Civil Unrest

Glenn Beck Endorses Ron Paul for President

Like I care what Glenn Beck thinks. The man simply cannot be trusted to stay true to his position in any way shape or form. He's a chameleon that adopts the background of the times and purports that 'Really, really, this has been my position all along.' But as history demonstrates, this is simply not the case -

True, Glenn Beck brings good information to the table and for that he should be respected. But as an individual that flips on a dime, he should not be followed as any sort of movement leader. This will not be his last flip.

Arizona Police Officer Execute Man For Telling Them They Needed A Warrant

Nigel Farage: Bankers+politicians = 'unholy alliance' vs people

Osama is Dead, Long Live Osama

To anyone who thought the War On Terror would ever end -

The United States will seek to hunt down and kill new Al-Qaeda leader Ayman al-Zawahiri just as it did his predecessor Osama bin Laden, the top US military officer said Thursday.

"There is not a surprise from my perspective that he's moved into that position," Admiral Mike Mullen, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, told journalists after the Egyptian leader was named the new Al-Qaeda chief.

"He and his organization are still threatening us, and as we did both seek to capture and kill -- and succeed in killing -- bin Laden, we certainly will do the same thing with Zawahiri."

The Real Effect
Seriously are we at all surprised, especially in light of us helping the "good" Al-Quaeda in Libya? Eric Blair was definitely privy to some juicy details when he penned 1984.

What is amazing to me is the interviews of the old-timers that lived in the Soviet Union prior to its collapse. What you would routinely see is reporters flabbergasted at the absolute inability of the common folk of the country to grasp that it was the government causing all of their woes. When confronted on it, the citizen would generally respond in dumbfounded ignorance 'Well, what would we do without the government? How would we work?'

A society is nothing more then an amalgamation of individuals, especially families. Yet we as individuals think that when we get to the macro level of "society", somehow the rules of the universe begin to differ. This is the precursor to "group think", that you as an individual are too small, insignificant and ignorant to understand the grandiose design that is necessary to do something like, make a road. Or hire someone to make a road for that matter. In fact, without policy you wouldn't be able to buy bread you would be so lost.

Historically we find that not only is this not the case, but the more centrally managed a society is, the worse their economic and subsequently physical plight becomes. Just examine the early American colonies to witness this theory in action.

Yet, again and again, we have some sort of rationale foisted before us insisting that surely this time if we surrender our liberty for our security it will work. And if we do not comply, we are most certainly doomed. Such is the case exponentially in the Global War On Terror for if GWOT is not allowed to continue, then the Muslims will keel us all!!! But upon close examination of the cases of terror, the narrative begins to fall apart and points not at the individual actor, but rather the puppeteer as being the chief culprit.

If we chose at that time, in full knowledge of our captors intent, to honor their wishes then we deserve every shackle they fashion for us and every day that we spend in the hell that this country will become.

The Early Presidential Polls are In - Ron Paul DOMINATES

CNN

Fox

CBS (They even got his name wrong.)


Do I really need to post more pictures? You get the idea.

**CNBC- http://bit.ly/isin2p
**TellDC – http://on.fb.me/lG91d5
**MSNBC – http://bit.ly/kosQ1r
**Cooper – http://on.fb.me/itnEUH
**Vortex – http://bit.ly/iNHnUB
**CNN – http://bit.ly/lk65TK
**WePolls – http://bit.ly/j5aOC5

Libya - Getting the U.S. Royal Treatment

No, no. We won't have boots on the ground -

Infowars.com has received alarming reports from within the ranks of military stationed at Ft. Hood, Texas confirming plans to initiate a full-scale U.S.-led ground invasion in Libya and deploy troops by October.

The source stated that additional Special Forces are headed to Libya in July, with the 1st Calvary Division (heavy armor) and three corps deploying in late October and early November. Initial numbers are estimated at 12,000 active forces and another 15,000 in support, totaling nearly 30,000 troops.

This information was confirmed by numerous calls and e-mails from other military personnel, some indicating large troop deployment as early as September. Among these supporting sources is a British S.A.S. officer confirming that U.S. Army Rangers are already in Libya. The chatter differs in the details, but the overall convergence is clear– that a full-on war is emerging this fall as Gaddafi continues to evade attempts to remove him from power.

A caller identified as “Specialist H” working for mortuary affairs under USCENTCOM revealed that there have already been American casualties inside Libya. He confirmed that at least 2 soldiers and 3 civilians have died from combat bullet wounds, something the media has yet to report, and needs to investigate and address.

The Real Effect
I used to become bothered when people would throw around the "conspiracy" label. It was such a throw away line that was being used as an ad hominem attack instead of addressing the actual facts being reported. Now is it really that much of a stretch to imagine that a country that we started bombing, we would in fact attempt to physically occupy? Especially when the source denying it will occur is a habitual liar?  (Or Fox) Let's look back three months ago -

I guess this is becoming a sport for the presidents now. The ground invasion will commence as soon as the air war fails to secure the ever evasive non-goal of oil sccurity, regime change, no flying or killing rebels. Of course, as previously stated, the Neocons are salivating over yet another pointless war that gives us the wonderful opportunity to have a dramatic Al-Quaeda face turn in true WWE style. It appears that bombing sovereign nations and aiding terrorist organizations in opposition to the Constitution is a Conservative Principle upon which this country stands.

 and

The fires of Arabic fury are being stoked in Yemen, Bahrain, Syria, Saudi Arabia, and Iran. The pump is being primed, but the Muslims are not aimed yet. Yet, all bodes ill for the United States because even now, there are rumors of her demise.

 As I have said before and will say countless times again. This stuff is a giant SCAM. Go watch about a year's worth of professional wrestling and perhaps you'll get what's going on over there.

RT crew caught in Athens tear gas chaos, slammed by Greek rioters

All Roads Lead to Iran - Afghanistan, Pakistan, Iraq, Libya, Syria, Yemen

Because we just can't have enough war -

debkafile's military and intelligence sources report that Monday, June 13, the US deployed the USS Bataan amphibian air carrier strike vessel opposite Syria's Mediterranean coast with 2,000 marines, 6 war planes, 15 attack helicopters, including new V-22 Ospreys, and 27 choppers for landing forces aboard.Also this week, US naval units went operational in the Aegean, Adriatic and Black Seas as part of the joint US-Ukrainian Sea Breeze 2011 exercise.
The USS Monterrey cruiser armed with Aegis surface missile interceptors has additionally been stationed in the Black Sea. Western sources additonally report a build-up of ship-borne anti-missile missile strength in the Mediterranean basin.

This huge concentration of naval missile interceptor units looks like preparations by Washington for the contingency of Iran, Syria and Hizballah letting loose with surface missiles against US and Israeli targets in the event of US military intervention to stop the anti-opposition slaughter underway in Syria.

The Real Effect
Please, please, please think about the rationale being offered here. 'We might invade Syria and the local powers might try and stop us. So we have to deploy enough force to repel them.' How did we get to this point? Easy -

• A target is identified, in this case Syria.
• The media runs cover for the political class covering the latest "injustices" occurring in someone else's country. (Forget the accuracy of such reports, we must do something.)
• This reporting founds the moral basis and justification for eventual intervention.
• Money is funneled through foreign aid programs ostensibly designed to help the "poor". This money is generally confiscated by the "bad guys" via arms or fraud.
• This action provides further fuel for the media's reporting.
• Private organizations and mercenaries are hired to cause problems in the target country.
• The media portrays this as "freedom fighters" desperately trying to win their liberty.
• The target country tries to exert their laws via force to prevent the coup of their government. (Libya is a recent example)
• Some "horrific" event takes place which justifies the rationale for a military invasion. This is generally staged or exaggerated. (Think incubator babies in Iraq.)
• Eventually the public somewhat rallies behind the idea of fixing the situation in the target country.
• As part of the final settlement with the rebels, a central bank is installed.

If you can grasp this, you can understand the bulk of events in human history as the same script is relentlessly recycled to justify yet another tyrannical move.

I Wanna Be A Pirate

Cities Are Confiscating Pensions

What? You thought this was your money -

A small town in Alabama, which has stopped paying its retirees' pensions, could be an early casualty in a coming pension disaster, the New York Times reports.

As public pension funds across the nation suffer from years of underfunding, and from assets that lost value in the financial crisis, experts say that days of reckoning are fast approaching. In Prichard, Alabama, that day came last year: When the fund ran out of money, the city stopped paying retirees, the NYT reports. Retirees have sued, but to little avail. The money simply does not exist.

Without pension checks, 11 retirees have died, according to the NYT. Others have declared personal bankruptcy. The rest of the 150 retired workers are struggling to get by.

The Real Effect
I want everyone to think long and hard about the implications of this story. What little tidbits can we glean -

• While not stated overtly, it is implied that the city did not fund the entirety of the pension fund. It probably used general funds to drive it.
• The city is breaking State law to not pay the retirees. Hello? Handcuffs anyone?
• "In the years leading up to the financial crisis, many cities delayed funding their pensions, as assets were seeing high returns and governments expected good times to last."
• The city will undoubtedly cry a river publicly about "failing" the retirees, but don't expect any sort of discourse let alone cooperation on how to solve the problem. Nope, we must double down.
• By not requiring 100% backing on "owed" funds, this is how we end up with these messes.
• The State itself is broke and will not help, much.
• Socialism, communism, crony-capitalism, fascism are birds of a feather and all tend to operate in the same manner. Fraudulently.

This brings to mind a scene in the movie Titanic. When the ship is sinking (I know, spoilers) the ship's captain has the lower class locked to the bowels of the ship, to facilitate order while the rich stake out their own personal lifeboats. At one point, a trapped member pleads with one of the crew, 'There are women and children down here.' only to have the desperate request fall on deaf ears. I'm sure, he was only doing his job.

That is the unfortunate reality of these things. The elite will doom members of the lower classes to death in the name of 'everything is justified under the sun' just to ensure that they do not so much as suffer a scratch on their entitled little heads. They will not warn you, they will not help. As a matter of fact, they will assure you that everything is wonderful right before they lock you in the bowels of the ship and let nature take it's course. Surplus population and all that.

U.S. TRUTHERS FACE BEING LOCKED UP FOR LIFE UNDER THIS BILL

Bildeberg Bans Media

Anti-Bilderberg Protests? Cue the Government Hysteria

Cry me a river -

The Bandera County Sheriff's Office issued a warning Thursday to citizens about an anti-government movement known for acts of domestic terrorism.The law enforcement agency said followers of The Sovereign Citizens Movement have been known to carry out violent acts, including killing law enforcement officers and other public servants.

The sheriff's office told KSAT-12 News the warning was prompted by the recent shooting death of Bexar County Sheriff's Deputy Sgt. Kenneth Vann."We have domestic terrorism right at our doorstep," said Capt. Charlie Hicks of the Bandera County Sheriff's Office.Hicks said while there's no evidence Vann's death had any links to the Sovereign Citizens, it's the same type of crime followers are known for.

See that? "No evidence".


The Sheriff's office has zip, zero, nada on any sort of deadly antics by the shadowy Sovereign Citizens Movement. Yet here they are donning their tinfoil cap and turning the Sheriff's office into a PR front for the Department of Homeland Security. And yet people who just want to discuss alternates points of governance, no, they're the crazy ones.  But wait, it doesn't stop there -

Hicks said followers are often very vocal about their beliefs.

 "They've very serious in their beliefs, and very serious when they do go to violence," Hicks said. "They'll kill you in a New York minute."

The Real Effect
Who here is willing to bet that you, Joe Citizen, have a much, much higher statistical probability of being killed by a police officer, then by one of these Fed infiltrated "militia" groups? Yet these same offices will strip people of rights, harass, cajole, arrest, imprison and even murder in the name "protecting people". Many times with no evidence at all.

Bilderberg 2011 Attendence List

Keep in mind that some individuals sneak in without their names being on the list -


Thanks to the fantastic work of Bilderberg activists, journalists and the Swiss media, we have now been able to obtain the full official list of 2011 Bilderberg attendees. Routinely, some members request that their names be kept off the roster so there will be additional Bilderbergers in attendance.
Infowars will be on the scene identifying other attendees not on the list.

Belgium

Coene, Luc, Governor, National Bank of Belgium

Davignon, Etienne, Minister of State

Leysen, Thomas, Chairman, Umicore China

Fu, Ying, Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs

Huang, Yiping, Professor of Economics, China Center for Economic Research, Peking University Denmark

Eldrup, Anders, CEO, DONG Energy

Federspiel, Ulrik, Vice President, Global Affairs, Haldor Topsøe A/S

Schütze, Peter, Member of the Executive Management, Nordea Bank AB Germany

Ackermann, Josef, Chairman of the Management Board and the Group Executive Committee, Deutsche Bank

Enders, Thomas, CEO, Airbus SAS

Löscher, Peter, President and CEO, Siemens AG

Nass, Matthias, Chief International Correspondent, Die Zeit

Steinbrück, Peer, Member of the Bundestag; Former Minister of Finance Finland

Apunen, Matti, Director, Finnish Business and Policy Forum EVA

Johansson, Ole, Chairman, Confederation of the Finnish Industries EK

Ollila, Jorma, Chairman, Royal Dutch Shell

Pentikäinen, Mikael, Publisher and Senior Editor-in-Chief, Helsingin Sanomat France

Baverez, Nicolas, Partner, Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher LLP

Bazire, Nicolas, Managing Director, Groupe Arnault /LVMH

Castries, Henri de, Chairman and CEO, AXA

Lévy, Maurice, Chairman and CEO, Publicis Groupe S.A.

Montbrial, Thierry de, President, French Institute for International Relations

Roy, Olivier, Professor of Social and Political Theory, European University Institute Great Britain

Agius, Marcus, Chairman, Barclays PLC

Flint, Douglas J., Group Chairman, HSBC Holdings

Kerr, John, Member, House of Lords; Deputy Chairman, Royal Dutch Shell

Lambert, Richard, Independent Non-Executive Director, Ernst & Young

Mandelson, Peter, Member, House of Lords; Chairman, Global Counsel

Micklethwait, John, Editor-in-Chief, The Economist

Osborne, George, Chancellor of the Exchequer

Stewart, Rory, Member of Parliament

Taylor, J. Martin, Chairman, Syngenta International AG Greece

David, George A., Chairman, Coca-Cola H.B.C. S.A.

Hardouvelis, Gikas A., Chief Economist and Head of Research, Eurobank EFG

Papaconstantinou, George, Minister of Finance

Tsoukalis, Loukas, President, ELIAMEP Grisons International Organizations

Almunia, Joaquín, Vice President, European Commission

Daele, Frans van, Chief of Staff to the President of the European Council

Kroes, Neelie, Vice President, European Commission; Commissioner for Digital Agenda

Lamy, Pascal, Director General, World Trade Organization

Rompuy, Herman van, President, European Council

Sheeran, Josette, Executive Director, United Nations World Food Programme

Solana Madariaga, Javier, President, ESADEgeo Center for Global Economy and Geopolitics

Trichet, Jean-Claude, President, European Central Bank

Zoellick, Robert B., President, The World Bank Group Ireland

Gallagher, Paul, Senior Counsel; Former Attorney General

McDowell, Michael, Senior Counsel, Law Library; Former Deputy Prime Minister

Sutherland, Peter D., Chairman, Goldman Sachs International Italy

Bernabè, Franco, CEO, Telecom Italia SpA

Elkann, John, Chairman, Fiat S.p.A.

Monti, Mario, President, Univers Commerciale Luigi Bocconi

Scaroni, Paolo, CEO, Eni S.p.A.

Tremonti, Giulio, Minister of Economy and Finance Canada

Carney, Mark J., Governor, Bank of Canada

Clark, Edmund, President and CEO, TD Bank Financial Group

McKenna, Frank, Deputy Chair, TD Bank Financial Group

Orbinksi, James, Professor of Medicine and Political Science, University of Toronto

Prichard, J. Robert S., Chair, Torys LLP

Reisman, Heather, Chair and CEO, Indigo Books & Music Inc. Center, Brookings Institution Netherlands

Bolland, Marc J., Chief Executive, Marks and Spencer Group plc

Chavannes, Marc E., Political Columnist, NRC Handelsblad; Professor of Journalism

Halberstadt, Victor, Professor of Economics, Leiden University; Former Honorary Secretary General of Bilderberg Meetings

H.M. the Queen of the Netherlands

Rosenthal, Uri, Minister of Foreign Affairs

Winter, Jaap W., Partner, De Brauw Blackstone Westbroek Norway

Myklebust, Egil, Former Chairman of the Board of Directors SAS, sk Hydro ASA

H.R.H. Crown Prince Haakon of Norway

Ottersen, Ole Petter, Rector, University of Oslo

Solberg, Erna, Leader of the Conservative Party Austria

Bronner, Oscar, CEO and Publisher, Standard Medien AG

Faymann, Werner, Federal Chancellor

Rothensteiner, Walter, Chairman of the Board, Raiffeisen Zentralbank Österreich AG

Scholten, Rudolf, Member of the Board of Executive Directors, Oesterreichische Kontrollbank AG Portugal

Balsemão, Francisco Pinto, Chairman and CEO, IMPRESA, S.G.P.S.; Former Prime Minister

Ferreira Alves, Clara, CEO, Claref LDA; writer

Nogueira Leite, António, Member of the Board, José de Mello Investimentos, SGPS, SA Sweden

Mordashov, Alexey A., CEO, Severstal
Schweden

Bildt, Carl, Minister of Foreign Affairs

Björling, Ewa, Minister for Trade

Wallenberg, Jacob, Chairman, Investor AB Switzerland

Brabeck-Letmathe, Peter, Chairman, Nestlé S.A.

Groth, Hans, Senior Director, Healthcare Policy & Market Access, Oncology Business Unit, Pfizer Europe

Janom Steiner, Barbara, Head of the Department of Justice, Security and Health, Canton

Kudelski, André, Chairman and CEO, Kudelski Group SA

Leuthard, Doris, Federal Councillor

Schmid, Martin, President, Government of the Canton Grisons

Schweiger, Rolf, Ständerat

Soiron, Rolf, Chairman of the Board, Holcim Ltd., Lonza Ltd.

Vasella, Daniel L., Chairman, Novartis AG

Witmer, Jürg, Chairman, Givaudan SA and Clariant AG Spain

Cebrián, Juan Luis, CEO, PRISA

Cospedal, María Dolores de, Secretary General, Partido Popular

León Gross, Bernardino, Secretary General of the Spanish Presidency

Nin Génova, Juan María, President and CEO, La Caixa

H.M. Queen Sofia of Spain Turkey

Ciliv, Süreyya, CEO, Turkcell Iletisim Hizmetleri A.S.

Gülek Domac, Tayyibe, Former Minister of State

Koç, Mustafa V., Chairman, Koç Holding A.S.

Pekin, Sefika, Founding Partner, Pekin & Bayar Law Firm USA

Alexander, Keith B., Commander, USCYBERCOM; Director, National Security Agency

Altman, Roger C., Chairman, Evercore Partners Inc.

Bezos, Jeff, Founder and CEO, Amazon.com

Collins, Timothy C., CEO, Ripplewood Holdings, LLC

Feldstein, Martin S., George F. Baker Professor of Economics, Harvard University

Hoffman, Reid, Co-founder and Executive Chairman, LinkedIn

Hughes, Chris R., Co-founder, Facebook

Jacobs, Kenneth M., Chairman & CEO, Lazard

Johnson, James A., Vice Chairman, Perseus, LLC

Jordan, Jr., Vernon E., Senior Managing Director, Lazard Frères & Co. LLC

Keane, John M., Senior Partner, SCP Partners; General, US Army, Retired

Kissinger, Henry A., Chairman, Kissinger Associates, Inc.

Kleinfeld, Klaus, Chairman and CEO, Alcoa

Kravis, Henry R., Co-Chairman and co-CEO, Kohlberg Kravis, Roberts & Co.

Kravis, Marie-Josée, Senior Fellow, Hudson Institute, Inc.

Li, Cheng, Senior Fellow and Director of Research, John L. Thornton China Center, Brookings Institution

Mundie, Craig J., Chief Research and Strategy Officer, Microsoft Corporation

Orszag, Peter R., Vice Chairman, Citigroup Global Markets, Inc.

Perle, Richard N., Resident Fellow, American Enterprise Institute for Public Policy Research

Rockefeller, David, Former Chairman, Chase Manhattan Bank

Rose, Charlie, Executive Editor and Anchor, Charlie Rose

Rubin, Robert E., Co-Chairman, Council on Foreign Relations; Former Secretary of the Treasury

Schmidt, Eric, Executive Chairman, Google Inc.

Steinberg, James B., Deputy Secretary of State

Thiel, Peter A., President, Clarium Capital Management, LLC

Varney, Christine A., Assistant Attorney General for Antitrust

Vaupel, James W., Founding Director, Max Planck Institute for Demographic Research

Warsh, Kevin, Former Governor, Federal Reserve Board

Wolfensohn, James D., Chairman, Wolfensohn & Company, LLC

Sanders' Top 10 Worst Corporate Income Tax Avoiders

War, War and More War!

What, another one? Democrats are the non-war oriented sensitive types dontcha know -

The Obama administration has intensified the American covert war in Yemen, exploiting a growing power vacuum in the country to strike at militant suspects with armed drones and fighter jets, according to American officials.

The acceleration of the American campaign in recent weeks comes amid a violent conflict in Yemen that has left the government in Sana, a United States ally, struggling to cling to power. Yemeni troops that had been battling militants linked to Al Qaeda in the south have been pulled back to the capital, and American officials see the strikes as one of the few options to keep the militants from consolidating power.

Of course this is in addition to the other war -

US military operations in Libya are on course to cost hundreds of millions of dollars more than the Pentagon estimated, according to figures obtained by the Financial Times.

Robert Gates, the outgoing secretary of defence, said last month that the Pentagon expected to spend “somewhere in the ball park of $750m” in the 2011 fiscal year as part of efforts to protect the Libyan people.

But according to a Pentagon memo which includes a detailed update on the progress and pace of operations, by mid-May US operations in Libya had cost $664m, a figure confirmed by the Department of Defence.

The Real Effect
...of course there's the other wars too. What, at least 5 now? Afghanistan, Iraq, Pakistan, Libya and Yemen. What was it that was said? Oh yeah -

 Look for continued unrest with some governments getting overthrown. But as I indicated earlier, the globalists are literally banking on this to occur. We are still not there yet though. More riots need to take place, some shots, some new faces and then, we go to war.

Ted Gunderson Former FBI Chief - Most Terror Attacks Are Committed By Our CIA And FBI

SWAT Team Enforces DoE Raid On Wrong Person

The state knows no limits -

A father was dragged from his home and handcuffed in front of his children by a SWAT team looking for his estranged wife - to collect her unpaid student loans.

A stunned Kenneth Wright had his front door kicked in by the raiding party at 6 am yesterday before being dragged onto his front porch, handcuffed and led to a police car with his three children.

He says he was then detained for six hours while officers looked for his wife - who no longer lives at the house.

Mr Wright was later told by Stockton police that the order to send in the SWAT team came from The U.S. Department of Education who were looking for his estranged wife to collect defaulted loan payments.

The Real Effect

America has become infatuated with power and authority and subsequently fails to define and restrain it properly. I like to use the analogy of a librarian usurping authority because most individuals are familiar with what a librarian does and the extent of her limited authority.

Let's assume that the librarian is hired by the town board to have control over the local branch of the town library. She is empowered, by the town board to oversee that particular library and assess fines to patrons of the library that use the services they provide.

At this point, we should note the extent and limitations of her powers/authority:

• She has the power to levy fines, but not to forcibly collect them.(She cannot raid your bank account)
• She has control over her branch, but if another branch opens, she cannot control the branch unless authorized to. 
• Despite the overwhelming evil of a local corporation stealing from its clients, she has no authority to raid the facility and "set things right" no matter how much it drives her batty.

In today's age, Americans view authority as being all-encompassing and pervasive. For instance, the Executive branch of the U.S. government has long run amuck via shoddily defined Departments of which the Department of Education is one. (The U.S government should have just about as much authority to have an educational department as one on the proper branding of shoes.) Yet America refuses to recognize any limits on authority because somewhere once there was an official decree. What is infinitely less important to people is whether or not said law was actually legal.

For instance, in our above example of the librarian, she could argue that with the opening of a new local branch, that under her sworn duty as a protector of the people's books, that not only does she think she should be in charge of said branch, but that she is compelled to take up such a role by virtue of her previous duty. What most people miss in this is that her authority was given to her by another and is not unlimited, else what is to prohibit her from setting up local checkpoints with her shiny new GTOs acquired by the Department of Book Enforcement and Revenue Generation. (Of course such things are necessary, why if such a Department didn't exist we would have Tanks In the Streets what with people trying to figure out just how to return their books and all that.)

Such is the nature of authority. It tends to continue until challenged, most times forcefully. Back to the raid.

As Vox points out in his column today -

1. Why is the U.S. Department of Education permitted to issue warrants or call SWAT teams?
2. Why would the SWAT team assault an individual who is not responsible for the debts?
3. Upon which specific date was America pronounced dead?

This leads us to our logical conclusions. Unchecked authority will continue to run wild until it runs smack dab into the jurisdiction of another tyrant. It is usually at this point that cordial diplomacy gives way to war. (Funny how these petty thugs always tend to end up fighting.) It is doubtless that countless hours and swaths of rain forest will be dedicated to convincing the people that not only is such a war is just, what with historical precedent and all that, but that rest assured the god of the Departments is On Their Side.

Unfunded Mandates Or How a Government Can Legally Lie to You

This is along the lines of the Comprehensive Annual Financial Reports that institutions dupe you with regularly -

The federal government's financial condition deteriorated rapidly last year, far beyond the $1.5 trillion in new debt taken on to finance the budget deficit, a USA TODAY analysis shows.

The government added $5.3 trillion in new financial obligations in 2010, largely for retirement programs such as Medicare and Social Security. That brings to a record $61.6 trillion the total of financial promises not paid for.

The Real Effect
Ok, let's examine this for a moment. Total US debt (excluding unfunded liabilities) is at about $15 trillion dollars. Let us assume for a moment that this is the equivalent of Joe Citizen taking out a $250,000 mortgage on a new house. True, he has a budget and that includes paying for that mortgage, groceries and other things. But Joe is 60 and in five years, he retires and his health care is going up drastically.

Unfortunately his wife Jane, has NO IDEA that Joe has not included health care in their budget. When confronted about it, Joe waxes and wanes about Jane's $20 a week trip to the store and fiscal responsibility. In short, he consoles Jane that everything is in fact alright. However, he repeatedly neglects to mention the little matter of over $1 million dollars in projected health care costs.

This assures Joe several things -

1. Joe will not be strung up by Jane until the bills hit. Which, by then he reckons he should be making double his current salary in a Depression.
2. Jane will continue to support Joe as being a "good steward" of their collective resources.
3. That in 2016, Joe better have a plane ticket to Bermuda, without Jane. 

This is similar to the situation we find ourselves today, if our government continues to lie, they will attempt to blame the subsequent default not on themselves, but on our supposed mismanagement. Of course the fix will be to continue the spending and drain whatever capital that we have left.

Fox News hacked?

A Depression? It's Nice That Someone Finally Noticed

Micro-fractures in the economy give way to larger, harder to repair ones -

"Interest rates are amazingly low and that, thanks to Ben Bernanke, is driving everything," Yastrow said. "We’re on the verge of a great, great depression. The [Federal Reserve] knows it.

The Real Effect
 Almost two years ago, I made the following predictions - 

 So what happens next?

• The US dollar is going to tank (think Iceland)

It has to. There is massive unemployment already and while the rate is slowing slightly that is hardly comforting. The U.S. bond market is going to implode resulting in the US’s first defaults.

Let's review - Note the red arrow. That was June of 2009 when that prediction was made. The red circle on the right is the recent all time low that was recently achieved.

• Banks claim ownership of 401ks and the government moves to “protect” them by seizing them.

I would assume they would be placed in a new 'secure conservatorship’.

We see evidence of that here.

• Obama loosens the unemployment restrictions so more can draw from the government and then moves the unemployed to the government ranks. At the same time, States cut off the most poor creating a "humanitarian crisis". (Think California) 

What was it, 99 weeks of unemployment? Further, Congress is eying up SNAP.

• Commercial Market collapse continues

• The second wave of the housing market collapse hits (The less risky loans start to default)

SFGate states -

“On the supply side, an assortment of factors seems poised to trigger new waves of foreclosures that will continue to bloat inventory. They include the expiration of foreclosure moratoriums, more underwater "walk-away" homeowners, pending recasts of option ARM loans, rising delinquencies in prime and Alt-A loans, and soft sales of high-end homes.”

Another chart for you, note the black arrow. (Everyone at the time was calling for an upswing in prices)

 

• Commodities surge (Massive inflation)

Gold, silver, food are surging – big banks, investment houses are purchasing now. We are now in the Inflation/Deflation death spiral.

• Unemployment highs

After the next 'wave' hits, employers will cut even deeper in an attempt to staunch the flow of red ink that will inundate most companies.

Now, I will concede that my thinking at the time was anticipating a 9 month - 1 year "upturn" and that has clocked in at about double that length.  Of course, we all know the Fed is papering over everything they can to make things appear better. What is occurring at this moment is the thin veil of scams is tearing away and people are getting wise. Once again, the question becomes exactly what is the government going to do this time? Are they going to print more or invade those to whom we owe money?