As I have stated repeatedly, the alarm bells are deafening and the red lights are blinding, our civilization and the ‘peace’ that we have all taken for granted for so long will soon be a dim memory.
Why do I (once again) risk embarrassment by sticking my neck out much further than a ‘prudent individual’ would?
Like all of the prior times, I will eventually be proven correct!
I will once again state for the record it never has been a question of ‘if’, it has always been a question of ‘when’…
Even the most ardent capitalist can see for themselves that this is no accident, the powers that be have been pushing our civilization over the edge for a long time…and we are (sadly) powerless to stop them.
Today’s first offering is this, er, ‘investment of last resort’ that will remove the staples of life itself beyond the reach of the average citizen.
UN Special Rapporteur on the Right to Food Olivier De Schutter recently released a "Briefing Note" titled, "Food Commodities Speculation and Food Price Crises."
As he sees it, "Beginning at the end of 2001, food commodities derivatives markets, and commodities indexes in particular began to see an influx of non-traditional investors, such as pension funds, hedge funds, sovereign wealth funds, and large banks. The reason for this was simply because other markets dried up one by one: the dotcoms vanished at the end of 2001, the stock market soon after, and the U.S. housing market in August 2007. As each bubble burst, these large institutional investors moved into other markets, each traditionally considered more stable than the last."
In those years, the market value of agriculture commodities derivatives grew from three quarters of a trillion in 2002 to more than $7.5 trillion in 2007, while the percentage of speculators among agriculture commodities traders grew from 15 to 60 percent. The total number of commodities derivatives traded globally increased more than five-fold between 2002 and 2008.
While this, er, ‘insane’ practice could be considered a ‘natural outcome’ of the evisceration of investment opportunities caused by the global race to the bottom, it is also the ‘last straw’, good citizen.
Civilization is only 9 meals deep, after that the laws of the jungle kick in…
Understand it is our (captive) government’s ‘commitment’ to ‘free market capitalism’ that prevents them from intervening in a market which is vital to social stability.
That said good citizen, once the smoke starts to settle, having previously been an ‘elected official’ will be enough to sentence you to death…
For our second offering we revisit the house that Saint Ronnie built It was none other than President Ronald Reagan who ‘privatized’ the entire US healthcare market…and this, good citizen, is the result:
Major health insurance companies have been charging sharply higher premiums this year, outstripping any growth in workers’ wages and creating more uncertainty for the Obama administration and employers who are struggling to drive down an unrelenting rise in medical costs.
A study released on Tuesday by the Kaiser Family Foundation, a research group, showed that the average annual premium for family coverage through an employer reached $15,073 in 2011 — 9 percent higher than in the previous year. And even higher premiums could be on the way, particularly in New York, where some companies are asking for double-digit increases for about 1.3 million New Yorkers in individual or small-group plans, setting up a battle with state regulators.
The higher premiums are particularly unwelcome at a time when the economy is sputtering and unemployment is hovering at about 9 percent. Many businesses cite the cost of coverage as a factor in their decision not to hire, and health insurance has become increasingly unaffordable for more Americans. The cost of family coverage has about doubled since 2001, compared with a 34 percent gain in wages.
Hard to say what’s worse, good citizen, the fact that most of us are paying hundreds of dollars in monthly premiums or the huge deductibles we face when we need medical attention?
Making things ‘Oh so much better’ is the trend of selling their collectibles to collection agencies…which obtain judgments and arrest warrants against you if the police just ‘happen to pull you over…’
Hard to say what the average citizen despises more, ‘free markets’ or bat-shit crazy ‘compassionate conservatism’?
Speaking of ‘free markets’ who do you think is behind this effort to cash in on the multi-billion dollar food stamp market?
How does that phrase go, “At long last sir, have you no decency?”
Nearly 50 million Americans rely on food stamps -- now called the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program -- and the federal costs are spiking accordingly. While the rising rolls can be linked to increasing joblessness, many low-wage workers also rely on the benefits. Some anti-hunger advocates would like to make it easier for them to use food stamps, by relaxing rules forbidding their use to buy fast food.
What would be wrong with giving people the right to use their food stamps at fast-food places? What do we know about the nutritional habits of the program's recipients?
Um, doesn’t JP Morgan ‘administer’ the debit card portion of the food stamp program?
In keeping with the ‘collusion’ theme, isn’t Jeff Immelt, the chairman of JP Morgan’s largest subsidiary, one of President Obama’s economic advisors?
I used to refer to our plight as the ‘death spiral’ but after the ground comes up and hits you, the rapid descent stops…
It’s not the fall that kills you, it is that sudden stop at the end.
We’re almost there…brace yourself.
Thanks for letting me inside your head,
Gegner
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