It’s not particularly productive to review, over and over again, the madness that passes for, er, ‘leadership’ in our two-bit society.
A madness reflected in in the global economy
Here is the ‘situation on the ground’ today:
Despite successful bond auctions on Thursday in France and Spain, investors still harbor a huge amount of uncertainty relating to Europe’s debt crisis, analysts said, so recent economic data from the United States has been a positive.
"The fact that the U.S. is growing has been another source of relief," said Jane Foley, an analyst at Rabobank International. "A disappointing number tomorrow could spark a retrenchment in appetite for risk."
The consensus in the markets was that the American economy generated around 170,000 jobs during January. Though that would be unspectacular for an economy recovering from its worst recession since World War II, the amount of jobs being created would be up from levels seen just a few months ago.
We’re going to tackle this a line at a time (because it definitely needs ‘translating.’)
Successful bond auctions (to themselves) only provides the ‘appearance/illusion’ positive market activity so this is meaningless, like shuffling a deck of cards without dealing any.
Investors have ZERO ‘uncertainty’ regarding the European debt crisis, they KNOW the situation is totally hopeless, the ‘uncertainty’ is centered on the assurances they have been given that the people won’t revolt when the inevitable restructuring deal is presented to them.
Another aspect of this ‘uncertainty’ is centered on the United States and its current ‘reserve currency’ status.
The lack of an alternative is the ONLY factor providing an otherwise empty vessel with ‘the appearance of prosperity.’
The ONLY thing growing in the US is the Fed’s balance sheet, why this should be a ‘relief’ to anyone shall likely remain a mystery.
Perhaps the ‘relief’ comes from the fact that there isn’t ‘blood in the streets’ (yet.)
A ‘disappointing’ number? Is 170,000 anything to be pleased with when the economy needs to add 150,000 jobs EVERY MONTH just to keep up with population growth?
Um, the amount of jobs is ‘up’ from the numbers posted just a few short months ago…
What does the (corporate shill) overlook here?
Um, we could start with this being the THIRD CONSECUTIVE ‘jobless recovery’ in a row, (dating back to 1990.) Should we also point out that the labor force today remains smaller than it was BEFORE the second ‘jobless recovery’?
Would it be ‘nit-picking’ to point out that the bulk of the jobs, er, ‘created’ are both minimum wage AND part-time?
Would it be ‘partisan’ to point out that nearly HALF of all US households are participating in some kind of food assistance program (because, increasingly, their jobs don’t pay them enough to cover their living expenses AND buy food…)
The list goes on and on.
Yet each day the corporate owned media does its best to spin a positive outlook on an increasingly dark future.
More with less does indeed have an ‘end’ good citizen…and it ain’t pretty!
If you’re lucky, the ground won’t come up and hit you while you continue to ‘weigh your options’, such as they are…or aren’t.
The part that’s going to suck about your inevitable ‘face plant’ is that you won’t be ‘flying’ immediately prior to the Earth smacking you in the kisser!
Your ‘bite the dust’ moment will be due to (extreme) hunger combined with a degree of ‘over-exertion’.
You will (inevitably) ignore the hunger far longer than is healthy, causing/resulting in a collapse from exhaustion.
The only thing more difficult than experiencing this personally will be watching it happen to your kids and knowing that it is YOUR fault!
Which is to point out that it is not just the country that is suffering from an acute lack of leadership…the exact same problem ORIGINATES in the home!
YOU are NOT in a position to put a stop to this ‘lunacy/mismanagement’…but you are far from ‘powerless’.
If YOU are not prospering in the current economy then YOU and YOURS have been ‘marked for death’!
And if you don’t think this is a life or death situation, I beg you to think again!
We’re ALREADY in a position where a vast majority of people CAN’T AFFORD to buy food and pay their other expenses…
So what do you suppose is going to happen when the price of oil doubles this summer?
Fuel oil expense will make crops ‘unprofitable’ to cultivate much less harvest, so farmers will cut back on what they sow…resulting in food shortages…which will drive up prices.
Since a lot of the world’s food supply is now global this sort of a ‘cascading collapse’ won’t necessarily start here in the ‘world’s breadbasket’…
More, er, disturbingly the famine won’t quite be ‘global’, nor will farmers themselves be much effected by it (because they sell their produce on the ‘global market’.
No, the famine will be centered here, in the world’s newest Banana Republic and it will be caused directly by ‘currency manipulation’.
How this will occur with the US retaining the world’s reserve currency status defies logic…but so does the Dow hovering in the 12,000 point range.
This is why the ‘everything’s fine’ meme is so disturbing (and why I keep putting that bee in your bonnet!)
If not you, who and if not now, when?
One thing is certain, we can’t wait much longer.
Thanks for letting me inside your head,
Gegner
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