There is another option other than Hillary or Trump. Libertarian Party presidential nominee Gary Johnson.

Libertarian Party presidential nominee Gary Johnson and his running mate Bill Weld have just released a masterful ad that touts their impressive records as two-term governors (of New Mexico and Massachusetts, respectively) while drawing sharp distinctions among their positions and those of Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump.
This is hands down powerful, powerful stuff and highlights Johnson's interest in capturing what he calls the "broad middle" of Americans who are socially liberal, fiscally conservative, and desperate for "small, efficient government" that gets core tasks done without blowing up the budget to pad the payrolls of favored businesses, bomb and drone foreign countries into the Stone Age, and strangle us all in regulatory red tape.
Take a look and comment it up below.

http://reason.com/blog/2016/06/30/is-this-gary-johnsonbill-weld-spot-the-g 

Benghazi survivor fights radical Islam, counters Obama’s ‘lies’ on terrorist threat

One of the heroic survivors of the 2012 Benghazi attack, who held off invading Islamists until rescuers reached the besieged CIA base, has begun a national campaign to counter President Obama’s narrative on the terrorist threat.
Former Army Ranger Kris “Tanto” Paronto has started a nonprofit called Leading From the Front, which he hopes will translate into a national movement to drive home the real threat Islamic extremists pose to America.
“Radical Islam is at war with America, and we are slowly losing,” Mr. Paronto said. “From Benghazi to Orlando, we are seeing the deadly consequences of President Obama and Secretary [Hillary] Clinton’s ‘leading from behind’ and their willful blindness towards the threat of radical Islam.”
Mrs. Clinton, the presumptive Democratic presidential nominee, was Mr. Obama’s secretary of state when terrorists besieged the U.S. diplomatic compound in Benghazi, Libya, on Sept. 11, 2012.
Then a private security officer, Mr. Paronto witnessed two of his battle mates die during the 13-hour firefight, in which a U.S. ambassador and his aide also were killed.
He then heard what he considered lies from the administration about who attacked the mission and why. He read a “shameful” report from the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence that cleared the CIA.

http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2016/jun/26/kris-tanto-paronto-benghazi-survivor-fights-radica/ 

When the Police Seize Property, but the Burden of Proof Is on You

Over the past year, Oklahoma has become a flashpoint in the nationwide debate over a law enforcement procedure known as civil asset forfeiture. Civil forfeiture allows the police to seize property or cash on mere suspicion that it’s connected to criminal activity, even when they lack sufficient evidence to actually charge the suspect with a crime. And in most jurisdictions, the seizing agency even gets to keep the proceeds of their seizures rather than depositing the money in some general fund.

Such perverse incentives have predictably led to a string of abuses around the country, leading to efforts at reform or outright abolition. In Oklahoma, a reform effort led by State Sen. Kyle Loveless (R) stalled out after an organized campaign by law enforcement suggested that forfeiture reform would strengthen the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria (ISIS) and lead to Mexican drug cartels hanging decapitated corpses from Oklahoma bridges. The experience in neighboring New Mexico, which abolished civil forfeiture last year, suggests those claims may be exaggerated. No terrorists; no decapitated bodies littering the streets. Just fewer instances of forfeiture abuse.

In the absence of substantive reform, civil forfeiture abuses in Oklahoma continue to pile up. A county sheriff threw a man in jail and wouldn’t release him until he signed over the $10,000 in cashhe’d been carrying as drug proceeds. A Christian band from Burma had tens of thousands of dollars, earmarked for refugee orphanages and schools, taken by police because the band manager was carrying the money in separate envelopes. And now Oklahomans who carry cash on gift cards or prepaid debit cards will be at risk as well.

http://www.cato.org/publications/commentary/when-police-seize-property-burden-proof-you

Come on, Trump, Debate Gary Johnson

In some ways, it was typical Donald Trump: He belittled the other candidates (“are these people stiffs or what?”), blasted US foreign policy leaders (“a bunch of weak sisters”), and then bragged that he “built a lot of great wealth.”

But then, surprisingly, he made a valid point: “It’s disgraceful” that third-party candidates are systematically excluded from the nationally televised presidential debates.

When Trump was a political outsider, he wanted the debate stage opened up to alternative viewpoints; now that he’s a member of the club, he wants it kept more exclusive than the Mar-a-Lago.
“I am not surprised that the two-party political establishment wants to keep the American people from having a third choice,”Trump said. “It’s amazing that they can get away with it.”

That was January 2000. The celebrity real estate magnate was flirting with a presidential run on the Reform Party ticket. Sixteen years later he’s the presumptive Republican nominee, and the mere hint of “a spoiler indie candidate” drives him into a spluttering rage on Twitter. Sad!

When Trump was a political outsider, he wanted the debate stage opened up to alternative viewpoints; now that he’s a member of the club, he wants it kept more exclusive than the Mar-a-Lago.

The leading third-party alternative in the 2016 race is Gary Johnson, the former New Mexico governor who has clinched the Libertarian Party nomination. Johnson has reached as high as 12 percent in the few polls that have bothered to mention his name, and he’s likely to be on the ballot in all 50 states.

http://www.cato.org/publications/commentary/come-trump-debate-gary-johnson

Does Senator Chris Murphy Remember Fast and Furious?

Well, Sen. Murphy, the only time any U.S. officials ever tried to funnel weapons to terrorists and other bad guys was when the Democratic President Barack Hussein Obama and then-Attorney General Eric Holder conceived and ran a gunrunning operation called Fast and Furious which resulted in the deaths of U.S. Border Patrol agents Jaime Zapata and Brian Terry. Investors Business Daily editorialized on ATF Special Agent John Dodson’s attempt to spread the truth on the Obama administration’s effort to supply Mexican drug lords with semiautomatic weapons:

ATF Special Agent John Dodson is a national hero who in 2011 blew the whistle on Operation Fast and Furious, the Obama administration's gun-running operation to Mexico.

Testifying before Congress, he disclosed that his supervisors had authorized the flow of semiautomatic weapons into Mexico instead of interdicting them, weapons that found their way into the hands of Mexican drug cartels with deadly results.

Dodson has put his intimate Fast and Furious knowledge into a book titled "The Unarmed Truth." It provides the first inside account of how the Obama administration permitted and helped sell some 2,000 guns to Mexican drug cartels, guns used in the murder of two federal agents and hundreds of Mexican citizens.. …

The operation was exposed when Brian was killed in December 2010 by an illegal immigrant working for the Sinaloa Cartel near Nogales, Ariz., just 10 miles from Mexico. Two Fast and Furious weapons were found at the murder scene.

Two such weapons also were used to murder Immigration and Customs Enforcement Agent Jaime Zapata in Mexico on Feb. 15, 2011, came from suspects who were under ATF watch but not arrested at the time….

"Allowing loads of weapons that we knew to be destined for criminals, this was the plan. It was so mandated," Dodson, then attached to the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives' (ATF) Phoenix office, testified before Rep. Darrell Issa's House Government Reform and Oversight Committee on June 15, 2011.

"Rather than conduct enforcement actions, we took notes, we recorded observations, we tracked movements of these individuals for a short time after their purchases, but nothing more," Dodson testified.

"Knowing all the while, just days after these purchases, the guns that we saw these individuals buy would begin turning up at crime scenes in the United States and Mexico, we still did nothing."


http://www.americanthinker.com/articles/2016/06/does_senator_chris_murphy_remember_fast_and_furious.html

Britain's decision to leave the EU is Hillary Clinton's worst nightmare

The global implications of the Brexit vote are just beginning to be felt. And nowhere will the outcome of Britain’s historic vote to leave the European Union be more closely scrutinised than in New York City.
As the Stock Exchange opens on Wall Street, a few miles away in Brooklyn dozens of the most brilliant minds in the Democratic Party will gather at the Hillary Clinton for President HQ to work out where the vote leaves their candidate.
The immediate answer is: in grave danger. 
With the referendum proving, once again, the utter contempt for mainstream politicians felt by the white, working classes of virtually all Western countries, the prospect of a President Trump has never seemed more likely.

As Brexit proves, working people around the world are in no mood for common sense

For more than a year, Democrats have assured themselves that America surely would not be foolish enough to favour a maverick, proudly xenophobic, boorish billionaire over the wisdom, experience and poise of Mrs Clinton.
Their confidence echoes that of the British establishment, so sure the electorate would not - could not - defy the collective authority of virtually all the country’s senior politicians, economists and international leaders - until it did.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/women/politics/britains-decision-to-leave-the-eu-is-hillary-clintons-worst-nigh/ 

Six Random Items

 

1)  Some readers may not be aware of this long standing group of global elitists who meet annually to plot the future.  This item addresses what is know about this year's gathering.  Quote: "Later this week, dozens of the most important men in the world are going to gather at an ultra-luxury hotel in Dresden, Germany to discuss the future of the planet.  What will happen at this meeting will not be televised, and the mainstream media in the United States will almost entirely ignore it, but decisions will be made at this conference that will affect the lives of every man, woman and child on the entire globe.  Of course, I am talking about the Bilderberg Group, and for decades you were labeled a “conspiracy theorist” if you even acknowledged that it existed.  Every year since 1954 the elite of the world have gathered at this time of the year to “discuss global events," and since the Bilderberg Group operates under Chatham House Rules, everyone that participates is banned from revealing what goes on during the conference.  But what takes place at these conferences really matters.  For example, it has been documented that the Bilderberg Group played a key role in the development of the European Union and in the decision to create the euro."     http://freedomoutpost.com/bilderberg-2016-what-are-the-global-elite-plotting-this-time-around/  

     This follows up the previous item.  The question asked was why so much secrecy is required of Bilderberg Group meetings.  The answer was evasive but an earlier answer was more insightful.  Quote: "...as Bilderberg member Will Hutton once admitted, “The consensus established is the backdrop against which policy is made worldwide.”   http://www.infowars.com/exclusive-bilderberg-member-confronted-says-secrecy-of-meetings-is-essential/?

2)  There can be little doubt that global elitists are playing games with the masses as their pawns. A description of the Hegelian dialectic precedes this summary of recent events in Europe. Quote: "You are looking at a Hegelian dialectic being worked on the European people right now.  The Thesis is that Europe must accept all refugees without limitations. This is a view put forth by Merkel.  The Antithesis is that Europe cannot accept any refugees at all. This is the view put forth by Orban.  The Synthesis is what you are looking at above. Accept “some” refugees, find “solutions” to the problems.  But here is the fundamental problem- there is no solution to this crisis because there is no end to the “refugee” onslaught. These Muslims are going to keep pouring in, and most importantly, they are outbreeding the European people with a culture that is inherently incompatible with that society. There is no end except for a total shut down of the borders.  This “agreement” or “compromise” is the “middle way” of the Hegelian dialectic. The proposed reforms today mean nothing because, ultimately, they will be ignored for the ultimate goal, which is a continued and complete Muslim invasion of Europe by population transfer, and that is what is happening.  Do not delude yourself into thinking this is an actual agreement. It is a trick to give the appearance of an agreement while taking you on the descent into an abyss worse than what Europe is already in. There is no agreement here- only gentle pressure being applied to mask the brutal force which drives it, which is this case it both Merkel and Orban, as they are on the same EU team."    http://freedomoutpost.com/did-george-soross-protege-hungarian-president-viktor-orban-just-sell-out-europe-to-the-muslims/

3)  This is a discussion of the consequences of the long time progressive/liberal assault on the American culture, religious institutions and political system.  It is a damning story.  Quote: "According to Rasmussen, 71% of Democrats polled would vote for Hillary Clinton even if she is indicted for her many and obvious crimes. Hers is a lifetime of lies and crime, not leadership, not service - thievery and skullduggery.  How is this possible, that her supporters do not care if she is a liar and a serial law-breaker?   It is possible because of the Left's fifty-year program, as Dennis Prager often says, to "erase distinctions" - between right and wrong, good and evil, male and female, truth and lies, nuclear family vs. the "village, "  parents vs. gov't. , education vs. indoctrination, etc.  Under the Obama administration we have reached the Left's apotheosis of that agenda.  Our government is lawless, a plutocracy that has lulled a once civilized society into dull-wittedness.  Voters  no longer care about character, honesty, truth or goodness.  Laws don't matter, the Constitution does not matter, even to many of the Republicans in Congress who have done nothing to thwart Obama's extra-Constitutional edicts.  The goodness of our leaders no longer matters.  Most people no longer care if the our leaders are greedy, power-hungry narcissists, like Obama, Clinton and Donald Trump.  Those of us old enough to remember actual standards are left to choose among the lesser of these poor options."    http://www.americanthinker.com/blog/2016/06/our_republic_is_slipsliding_away.html

    

     This item speaks to those who have serious doubts about the integrity, honesty and ethics found in our government.  Quote: "America is being destroyed by a cancer. That cancer winds its way through the politics of the federal government, the sleazebag lying media (that hates America, by the way) and the runaway criminality of regulators like the EPA, FDA and CDC.  The cancer is CORRUPTION... yet that word doesn't even begin to describe the level of hatred and intolerance toward America that now infects the dark minds of those in government, media and the corporate world. It's more than just corruption; it's an intense despising of everything that once made American great: Innovation, entrepreneurship, self responsibility, basic morality, clean food, basic respect for nature, and so on.  Today, everything that once made America great is under assault. If America is the patient, the establishment is the cancer, and that cancer has invaded every major organ of the body in an attempt to kill the host. There is, quite literally, a concerted effort under way across government and media to destroy this nation, to poison the food, to contaminate the soils, water and air... and to fundamentally transform America into a destitute, collapsed nation that resembles Mexico or Venezuela.    http://www.naturalnews.com/054261_Americas_immune_system_corruption_revolution.html 

4)  Facebook is now an agency espousing leftist/progressive propaganda and censoring anything they do not like.  Everyone should abandon this leftist entity in protest.  Quote: We’ve reported on the fact that former employees of Facebook have come out and said the social media giant had censored conservative media pages on its platform. Well, now Mark Zuckerberg and company have been allowing the anti-Christ Islamic State to use Facebook to sell sex slaves, something that is against Facebook’s own terms of services." And, "Facebook continues to censor conservative and Christian posts across its network. I know because our outlet is both and we have been banned and censored regarding both articles and memes.  Additionally, Andrew Bieszad writes, “We have documented how German Chancellor Angela Merkel and Turkish President and Sultan aspirant Recep Erdogan both have been working with Mark Zuckerberg to silence criticism of Islam and report critics to their respective governments for prosecution. Zuckerberg has shown himself to be a willing participant- so long as he continues to make money and have fame he will continue to sell out Western civilization for his 30 silver pieces.”  “Not surprising, Facebook was one of a coalition of companies that recently signed an agreement with the European Union to aggressively police ‘hate speech’ on the Internet,” he adds. “This ‘hate speech’ translated into English means ‘anything that offends Muslims."    Facebook appears now to be pro-Islam, anti-Christian, promoting propaganda, serving socialistic/fascistic interests as well as condoning free enterprise/commerce.  I never signed up for Facebook and now I am glad I didn't.

      Google is also in on the business of propagandizing for leftist interests.  They have been quietly assisting Hillary.  The ethics of this is dubious at best.   Quote: "The chairman of Google, Eric Schmidt, set up a company to run the digital component of Hillary Clinton’s campaign.” Eric Schmidt did in fact create a company in the last quarter of 2015 called The Groundwork whose website is empty except for a single placeholder logo. Breitbart has previously reported on The Groundwork and how it was reportedly developed to install Clinton in the Oval Office. However, whether or not Google itself is a part of Schmidts’ involvement in The Groundwork remains unclear to the public.  Assange pointed out that many high up Google employee names appear within Clinton’s leaked email transcripts, a searchable list of which Assange has compiled here. A name that appears with regularity is that of Jared Cohen, the founder of ‘Google Ideas’ – now rebranded as ‘Jigsaw’. Cohen’s team at Google was revealed to be working with Clinton alongside Al Jazeera in attempts to influence regime change in Syria following the publishing of Clinton’s emails by Wikileaks."   Does this seem proper to you?  To me it smacks of unethical corporate cronyism favorable to Hillary.     http://freedomoutpost.com/exposed-google-caught-trying-to-rig-presidential-election-for-hillary-video/   We should all tell both Facebook and Google that we oppose their involvement in promoting the political interests of ANY politician, no matter his/her political affiliation.  They can give money to campaigns but should never perform free work in behalf of politicians.  Several lawsuits to establish the facts are being filed.  These items affirm that troubles for seriously ethically challenged Hillary just keep mounting.  There is no room in the White House for such a villain.

      Quote: "Someone needs to tell Facebook, Twitter, Microsoft, YouTube and the European Union that the only way to stop a bad guy's speech is to counter it with a good guy's speech, not censor it.  Recently, the internet giants took on the role of internet speech police when they agreed to monitor and combat so-called "hate speech" for the EU. No word on how they define hate speech.  I suspect the whole EU hate speech argument is less about preventing terrorist attacks, as they propose, and more about culling criticism of their immigration and refugee policies.  Oh, the hypocrisy of those who brag about their "open-mindedness" in one breath and cry about censorship in the next. The only acceptable speech is that which is pleasing to their ears or palatable to their particular ideology, while supporting the prosecution of people for their personal opinions or religious beliefs, especially if those opinions and beliefs do not fall in line with theirs.  It sure sounds an awful lot like totalitarianism to me."    http://townhall.com/columnists/susanstamperbrown/2016/06/15/censorship-is-more-dangerous-than-hate-speech-n2178619?

     It is clear that liberal and progressive elitists are either seeking to or working hard to control thinking is our country.  The media is unquestionably on the left politically as are other social media outlets such as Google and Facebook.  They are all engaging in either propaganda or censoring activities.  Many of the people involved are unethical and should be called out for their sinister behavior.  Americans have a right to not be brainwashed with leftist liberal propaganda. As history tells us it leads to a place where a few elites rule over the masses.  http://www.libertynewsnow.com/breaking-google-helping-hillary-by-manipulating-search-results/article4668   

5)  Babies born alive are killed (murdered) at abortion clinics.  How can abortion advocates live with themselves knowing this is the case?  And, how can President Obama tell Planned Parenthood that they are doing "God's work?"   I am pretty sure God does not condone killing babies inside or outside the womb.  Murder is murder.  Murdering a live baby is not in any way protecting a woman's rights over her own body.  Babies preborn or born are separate human beings.  If not so why then are murderers of pregnant women charged with double homicide?  Quote: "Sadly, we just don’t know how many babies are born alive in abortion facilities in the United States. There is no real incentive for abortionists and staff to report such cases, especially when the babies don’t (or are not allowed to) survive. This article gives the statistic of 900 as the number of babies who survive attempted abortion every year. However, this is a very conservative estimate.  The real number could be much higher. References like the one in the Stanford Law & Policy Review show that abortion live births are a problem abortionists acknowledge as a hazard of the abortion business."    http://liveactionnews.org/abortionist-unsettling-babies-born-alive/

     Anybody who thinks as Obama does that Planned Parenthood is doing "God's work" is either misguided, ignorant or unwilling to deal in truth.  Tell me whether you think protecting rapists of under aged girls is Godly work.  That is exactly what Planned Parenthood does.  Don't believe me?  Read this: "When it comes to sex trafficking, Planned Parenthood’s biggest concern isn’t protecting these young girls; it’s their own bottom line. The abortion giant even opposes bills like this one that would protect victims of human trafficking because it might lower their profits.  Planned Parenthood very clearly wants the public to see them a certain way, as a kind, noble group of health care providers who simply want to care for women at their most desperate and vulnerable. But the truth is clear, and much more disturbing.  If you look inside Planned Parenthood, you’ll see it has never had women’s bes interests at heart, and is frequently complicit in crimes against women and young girls."   http://liveactionnews.org/inside-planned-parenthood-covering-up-sexual-abuse/

  More evidence that Planned Parenthood is an unethical and possibly even a criminal organization.  Quote: "Under Barack Obama, blacks are doing worse economically than before he took office. This is because he continues to push the idea that blacks are entitled to what other people work for, and in a sick, twisted kind of way, Obama is supporting the idea that blacks are not as capable as whites and that, in order for them to be successful, they need government help. In other words, Obama is pushing the victimhood mindset. By justifying the type of violence we have seen in response to the Ferguson and Baltimore incidents, Obama is keeping racism alive by supporting the stereotypical view of blacks that he claims all white people have.  Barack Obama is also a big supporter of abortion, which has its origins in the eugenics movement. Blacks and other minorities are by far the biggest recipients of abortions, as Planned Parenthood clinics are found mostly in minority or poor neighborhoods. In New York City, more black babies are typically aborted than born  alive. It is the opinion of this writer that the left is carrying on the eugenics movement and its chief goal is, as Margret Sanger, founder of Planned Parenthood once said, the elimination of the unfit. Psychiatrists and psychologists have long believed that blacks and other minorities are unfit races."    http://freedomoutpost.com/psychiatry-the-true-origins-of-racism/    Remember, it is the political left/Democrats that support this organization.  How they square reality with the lying rhetoric they espouse is beyond me.

6)  This leftist Billionaire is pushing hard for Hillary.  As noted several times over in past notes he, like Hillary, is not a good person. This is a partial reason why to despise such a man.  Quote: "George Soros has made billions by making calculated financial moves that pay off big time for him, so when he makes a big move, people watch.  After being quiet on the investing side, George made a big move this week to short the world economy by selling stocks and buying gold. Lots and lots of gold.  George Soros allegedly bought billions in gold according to those close to his investments. What does that mean? It means that the global economy could be heading down a dark road."   http://www.libertynewsnow.com/george-soros-making-financial-moves-could-only-mean-one-thing/article4664   He has already bought and paid for Hillary.  She is obligated to do his bid should she become president.  His history is filled with unethical/illegal activities that are not only good for his financial bottom line but also his numerous efforts promoting global socialism/fascism. 

George Burns

About the UN

Past items have been shared that suggest the UN is a bad, bad organization. It is anti-democratic and anti-capitalistic because the majority of member nations are not democracies. Support for human rights violations for instance is never ever a matter of concern to the UN, namely the UN Human Rights Council.  Even some of the worst human rights violators have served on this Council.  The linked item helps bring that claim into focus. Quote: "The countries with the lowest estimated proportion of modern slavery are Luxembourg, Ireland, Norway, Denmark, Switzerland, Austria, Sweden, Belgium, U.S., Canada, and Australia. These are countries with more economic wealth, less conflict, and more politically stable than the previous group of countries.  Some form of slavery is found in all the 167 countries in the Index. India is the worst with 18 million slaves, while North Korea has the highest percentage of slaves per capita. Half, 58 %, of the 45.8 million are in five countries: India, China, Pakistan, Bangladesh, and Uzbekistan."  And, "The estimated highest proportion of the population in modern slavery in the Middle East is Qatar, which has considerable numbers of forced laborers for construction for the 2022 FIFA World Cup football stadiums and the large infrastructures connected to them. Qatar is followed by Iraq, Yemen, and Syria. The UNHRC, BDS bigots, and the relentless enemies of the State of Israel will be unhappy to learn of it, but the country with lowest proportion -- virtually zero -- of modern slaves is Israel. These bigots need to take account of the proper moral calculus in the Middle East, as well as turn their attention to the horrors of slavery."    http://www.americanthinker.com/articles/2016/06/why_is_the_un_human_rights_council_not_concerned_about_slavery.html    Have you heard our President condemn his Muslim brethren in the Middle East?  How many times has he revealed his disdain for Israel?  Seemingly, he must agree with Muslim's slavery practices and even their mistreatment of women.  Is that why he does not promote our nation's long history of fighting against slavery.  Instead, he calls us a racist nation?  Why does he promote racial hostility and civil discord instead of unity and civil discourse?  Why does he not stop human trafficking found among some Muslims refugees and illegal immigrants?

      Consider the dishonesty rampant in these resolutions issued by this criminal enterprise.  Quote: "The U.N. General Assembly’s 2015 session is adopting 20 resolutions singling out Israel for criticism — and only 3 resolutions on the rest of the world combined. All but one of the texts have already been adopted by the plenary yesterday, or have been approved at the initial committee vote. See texts and votes below.  The three that do not concern Israel are: one on Syria, a regime that has murdered more than 200,000 of its own people, one on Iran, and one on North Korea. Not a single UNGA resolution this year (70th session) is expected to be adopted on gross and systematic abuses committed by China, Cuba, Egypt, Pakistan, Russia, Saudi Arabia, Sri Lanka, Sudan, Yemen, Zimbabwe, or on dozens of other perpetrators of gross and systematic human rights violations."    http://www.unwatch.org/un-to-adopt-20-resolutions-against-israel-3-on-rest-of-the-world/

      This extends the previous items.  Quote: "The number of people in conditions of modern slavery, that is, any activity of where one person forces a will over another is alarming.  Almost 46 million people, 45.8 to be exact, worldwide suffer an absolute deprivation of freedom to decide their own future, over ten million more than in 2014.  About 58% of all of them are in Asia, according to the annual report issued by the Walk Free Foundation."   http://www.thesleuthjournal.com/46-million-people-live-modern-slavery/   What has the UN done to combat this travesty????  Absolutely nothing.  Has the bleeding heart Obama said anything?  Absolutely nothing.  Has the oh so wonderful and concerned political left said or done anything?  Absolutely not.  And what about oh so caring progressive elitists who consider themselves the cream of the human crop?   Have they done anything?  Nothing, absolutely nothing!

     The last two paragraphs of this link tie this very good piece to the UN, and rightfully so.  The author talks about the marvels and benefits of science over the past 200 years but ends with this observation: "What should fascinate us is the miracle of poverty – the way inept, corrupt, greedy, centrally planned, hyper-regulated governments have succeeded in preventing prosperity from happening. What should outrage us is that callous UN bodies, NGOs and activists have imposed their eco-imperialist agendas, and prevented countries from acquiring the technologies that made so many nations healthy and prosperous.  What should concern us is that many forces are conspiring to roll back the free enterprise, free speech, scientific method, and reliable, affordable energy that make modern living standards possible. Having them now does not guarantee that we will have them tomorrow. Failure to safeguard these essential foundations could take us on the path to joining the ranks of the FRCs: Formerly Rich Countries." http://townhall.com/columnists/pauldriessen/2016/06/04/how-the-west-got-healthy-and-prosperous-n2173415?

      Horrors are committed by the UN personnel.  Quote: "For more than a decade, UN peacekeeping forces have faced an avalanche of allegations of sexual exploitation of women and children in areas under their care, only to face no consequences for their crimes. That problem appears to be growing worse as the years roll on, while the member states of the UN wring their hands in public but do little to stop it. Now it appears that the blue helmets have graduated from sex trafficking to murder in the Central African Republic. The Washington Post reports that aid workers have found the bodies of a dozen detainees that had been in the hands of UN troops"       http://hotair.com/archives/2016/06/07/inevitable-un-peacekeepers-accused-of-mass-murder/? 

      Here's the one of the latest UN step taken in its attempt to rule over all of us.  Quote: "All of us should be outraged by the United Nations summit in Korea this week that adopted a global “action plan” demanding a planetary education regime that will brainwash our children into social-justice warriors and sustainability-minded world citizens.  In other words the UN will promote “merged development” of the “whole person” including their beliefs, values, spirituality and lifestyle. Their goal included indoctrinating our youth to understand their responsibilities to “protect the planet,” and promote the UN agenda for the “common good.” Meaning throw personal individuality and freedom out the door and accept the hive mentality of “the good of the whole.”   If that wasn’t bad enough it also details how they plan to integrate the New World Order concept into our youth by, “exploring ways and means by which education for global citizenship can be integrated into curricula and the agenda for education.”     http://www.thesleuthjournal.com/united-nations-usurp-america-will-boil-blood/

Several past items shared with you included discussions of the UN's Agenda 21 program and it sister implementation initiative called "sustainable development."  The UN Agenda 21 kicked off in 1992.  The 1992 conference in Rio laid the first set of global warming demands on member nations.  Our Senate at the time unanimously rejected the agreement. It has maintained that position ever since but presidential decrees have continue apace.  Knowing the senate would not sign on then President Clinton implemented sustainable development by executive order requiring all federal departments to embrace and employ sustainable development tactics across the country. The whole thing is a subtle but sure acquiescing of American sovereignty to UN dictates. VP Al Gore was the senior US representative to the summit where the UN led "global warming" program was launched.  He has ever since been a global warming champion and done quite well for himself financially. The deception and lies inherent in this UN initiative should be of concern to everyone.    Quote: "No one who understands how important our environment is for survival would deny our obligation to use resources in a smart way, while preserving it for future generations.  Making proper use of the environment and the resources it provides for survival is what turned people’s attention to environmentalism. However, on the way to preserving our planet’s pristine state, some alleged environmentalists decided to take a different path.  While their message continued to be about preserving a clean planet, their actions took a different way. Their plan was no longer to preserve the natural resources so that they would be available to the majority and to future generations, but to strip away people’s rights to private property and to lower their living standards.  Anything from food production to birthrates is fair game for those pushing the directives issued by the United Nations’ Agenda 21 and its damning sister, Sustainable Development, which are stealthily and negatively affecting the lives of people everywhere. "    http://www.thesleuthjournal.com/agenda-21-negatively-affecting-peoples-lives-everywhere/ 

     Quote: "ISIS (the Islamic State) continues its genocidal slaughter. Over the weekend, disturbing news broke of yet more unspeakable evil perpetrated by ISIS against religious minorities in the region, as 19 girls were burned alive.  But the United Nations (U.N.) won’t even call it genocide."   http://aclj.org/persecuted-church/aclj-urges-us-mission-to-un-to-demand-recognition-of-isis-genocide    If Obama does not recognize the obvious genocide then US UN Ambassador Power will not do or say anything contrary to her boss's position.  The ACLJ can try to make something happen but Obama and our corrupt government has no love lost for Christians.  The current Obama administration acts as if Islam is the wave of the future.  And seemingly the corrupt UN agrees.  Socialist/Marxist/fascist global elitists are in cahoots with each other.  More to corroborate this assertion follows in the next several paragraphs.

    The criminality in the UN is overwhelming.  Little that happens there is good for anyone who cherishes honesty, decency, fiscal responsibility, fairness, justice, responsibility, respectability, ethics or religious liberty.  Consider this NONSENSE.  Quote: "Last month, the United Nations condemned only one country in the world for violating women’s rights. Singling out Israel with specious accusations of harming Palestinian women is a popular annual ritual in Turtle Bay — scapegoating democratic Israel while willfully ignoring the many states with actual, well-known egregious policies toward women. Just because the UN repeats this accusation every year does not make it true. The hypocrisy and institutional bias are mind-boggling."     http://spectator.org/articles/66127/moral-turpitude-turtle-bay   This organization set up by progressive/leftists has fulfilled few, if any, of it's lofty objectives.  It should have followed in the footsteps of the equally bad failure, the League of Nations.  There are several reasons it is a failure but notable among them is that the combined number of two-bit dictatorships, Islamic controlled nations and an array of rouge nations far outnumbering decent countries.  What reasonable set of responsible actions can be derived from such an assemblage?

     It has long been clear that the UN is anti-Christian.  This item extends that thought.  Just ask yourself what gives the UN the right to meddle in internal religious and child care affairs of independent states.  Such is nowhere in their Charter but the power hungry socialistic institution, despite its numerous flaws/failings; applies its "superior" progressive attitude to all matters whether qualified or not  (more accurately they apply the progressive approach of divide and conquer), just like the progressives that are running our country into the ground.   http://www.wnd.com/2016/06/u-n-meddles-in-christian-school-assemblies/

     This is example of the shenanigans that come via the UN and its nefarious collaborators.  Our president as a collaborator.  Quote: "A new euphemism has been constructed to lessen the impact of a plan to multiply by 20 the number of Muslims entering the United States and receiving funding to settle here. It’s called “alternative safe pathways,” and it is a backdoor plan, not yet publicly acknowledged by its sponsors. Paul Bedard of the Washington Examiner explains:  In a move around the standard refugee settlement process in America, the United Nations and the administration are scheming to find other ways to boost the number of Syrians entering the country, from 10,000 this year to possibly 200,000.  U.S. officials, meeting with United Nations human rights officials in Geneva, joined in a project that looks to "alternative safe pathways" to setting Syrian refugees in America and Europe that include pushing colleges and universities to offer tuition programs and encouraging Syrians already in the country to open their homes to those who've fled the war-torn Middle East nation. The plan already has one victory. Last week, the University of Southern California revealed that it is offering five free tuition programs for Syrian refugees, including one in the school's journalism program." http://www.americanthinker.com/blog/2016/04/un_obama_admin_and_nonprofits_plot_to_increase_number_of_syrian_refugees_twenty_times_to_200k_per_year.html   Do you ever wonder why it is western nations the UN insists take on the burden of problems in the Middle East.  What have Muslim nations done to assist????  Little to nothing thanks to UN collaborative efforts to destroy western nations. 

The United Nations (UN) is a danger to human life, except for the elite.  They now claim that we all need to become vegans because farming is a dangerous contributor to climate change.  Global elitists are working overtime to scare people into believing that not only humans cause climate change but also all those farm animals who fart and all the efforts necessary to conduct farming operations are a danger to their beloved "Mother Earth."  My take: They pontificate their nonsense because they want to eliminate as many people as possible from the planet.  Remember, the UN is in charge of the Climate Change scare tactics rolled out over the past 20 years which even UN elites say is not about Climate Change but instead is a move to impose socialism across the globe, redistribute global wealth and eliminate capitalism.  This is what they are about - centralizing global socialistic power in their hands.   Quote: "Lesser consumption of animal products is necessary to save the world from the worst impacts of climate change, UN report says.  A global shift towards a vegan diet is vital to save the world from hunger, fuel poverty and the worst impacts of climate change, a UN report said today.  As the global population surges towards a predicted 9.1 billion people by 2050, western tastes for diets rich in meat and dairy products are unsustainable, says the report from United Nations Environment Programme’s (UNEP) international panel of sustainable resource management.  It says: “Impacts from agriculture are expected to increase substantially due to population growth increasing consumption of animal products. Unlike fossil fuels, it is difficult to look for alternatives: people have to eat. A substantial reduction of impacts would only be possible with a substantial worldwide diet change, away from animal products.”  Professor Edgar Hertwich, the lead author of the report, said: “Animal products cause more damage than [producing] construction minerals such as sand or cement, plastics or metals. Biomass and crops for animals are as damaging as [burning] fossil fuels."   http://www.theguardian.com/environment/2010/jun/02/un-report-meat-free-diet?    

     This should make you really, really mad.  The UN is actively trying to nullify the US Constitution's Second Amendment.  That is a socialistic/communistic tactic of long standing.  Its intent is that once the populace is defenseless they, with all their weaponry, will be in total control.  The people will have no recourse.   http://freedomoutpost.com/united-nations-meet-to-disarm-american-citizens-population-focused-on-isis-murderer/   This item clearly shows that the American political left is all in on this UN effort to disarm the US and anyone or nation who disagrees with their socialistic/communistic world view.  Quote: "The United States has just experienced the worst terrorist attack on its shores since September 11, 2001.  Forty-nine innocent fellow Americans were wantonly slaughtered by a radicalized Muslim, and traitor, who had pledged his allegiance to a foreign entity, ISIS, whose declared objective is the reinstitution of the Islamic Caliphate and the butchery of western infidels.  These victims were murdered primarily because they were in a gay night club, thus subject to summary execution under Sharia Law, and secondly because they were Americans.  Yet, today nearly all of the voices from the Left, and their front group, the Democratic Party, choose not to focus on the victims, the terrorist or the blood stained failure of their approach in dealing with radical Islam.  Instead they are using this tragedy to unabashedly pursue one of their primary ideological objectives: the de facto repeal of the Second Amendment.  These demagogues never miss an opportunity, regardless of circumstance, to attack the last bastion of freedom they have yet to dramatically diminish -- unfettered gun ownership."      http://www.americanthinker.com/articles/2016/06/the_american_left_is_beneath_contempt.html  

Do not believe most if not all the UN says.   Break, Break for a random thought.  Consider what seems to be trending.  The UN is filled with socialist/fascist elitists. A very large number of members are from countries ruled by dictators, tyrants, Muslims and nations that do not like the democratic nations of the west.  It is a fact that the democracies of the west are outnumbered.  UN tactics include  threatening the masses into yielding to their self appointed  "superior" thinking and requiring nations to yield to their demands.  Their self serving intent will result in disaster for the masses but turn out well for global elitists. As is often noted socialism is for the socialists; not for the people.  Remember, too, the UN is in charge of redistributing Muslims across the Western World.  For what purpose?  It can't be for the good of the West.  Nonetheless, for the most part, compliant western leaders/elites and media are not resisting.  Are they complicit in this redistribution scheme?  Is the intent to destabilize the western world?  Could one conclude that they have changed their original mission to one that focuses on "taking control of the planet?"  Could they believe that current global conditions make it is possible for the people in frustration to encourage them to take charge and make us all "safe"?  That is an invitation for them to "impose" their will on everybody, everywhere.  Could they be purposely scaring the masses into compliance?  Could they be thinking that when things get really, really bad that the desperate masses will clamor for them to take charge and save them from disaster?  I don't know the future but this scenario seems plausible.  What do you think?  Ponder the contents and implications of the above items (and those below) before answering.  And please remember that Obama has voiced his desire to become the next Secretary General of the UN.  That alone should make everyone demand Congress repeal our membership in that decrepit, unsavory, unethical, criminal enterprise; stop providing the largest funding share in the world (22% of the operational budget and many millions more in miscellaneous contributions) and remove it from American soil.

Here is an independent piece, while not exactly like that speculated in the previous paragraphs, it expands the topic.  It is a bit lengthy but worth reading and pondering and maybe for some it will even serve as a call to action.   While some may view it with skepticism it contains a good bit of truth that far too many choose to ignore or selectively deny.  Do not dismiss his analysis out of hand.. Survey the chaotic national/international landscape and consider his remarks in that context....  https://www.lewrockwell.com/2016/06/joachim-hagopian/power-elite-run-us/   

The Rest Of The Story

A perspective worth understanding.  Quote: "The immorality associated with violation of the principle of self-ownership lies at the root of problems that could lead to our doom as a great nation. In fiscal 2015, total government spending -- federal, state and local -- was about $6.41 trillion. That's about 36 percent of our gross domestic product. The federal government spent $3.69 trillion. At least two-thirds of that spending can be described as government's taking the property of one American and giving it to another. That's our moral tragedy: We've become a nation of people endeavoring to live at the expense of others -- in a word, a nation of thieves."    http://townhall.com/columnists/walterewilliams/2016/04/27/a-superior-vision-n2153268?

Here is a good example to consider.  The BLM has long manipulated labor statistics for the benefit of the Washington elite.  The mainstream media dutifully plays along.  Quote: "It’s my favorite day of the month. The Bureau of Lies & Scams issues their double seasonally adjusted, massaged to provide a happy ending, birth death adjusted unemployment propaganda, designed to keep the masses in the dark about their own dire financial circumstances. Even though the equally manipulated GDP is at 1% or below, retail sales are plunging, corporate profits plummeted by 15% in the 4th quarter and Challenger & Grey corporate layoff announcements were up 42% in January versus last year, our fraudulent friends at the BLS announced glorious employment figures this morning.

The Establishment data that gets all the headlines blared that 242,000 net new jobs were created in February. Of course, 129,000 fake birth/death jobs were factored into that number. Anyone with a functioning brain (excludes Wall Street economists, CNBC shills, and any government apparatchik) knows that more businesses have been closing than opening for the last four years as Obamacare and government solutions destroy the economy. Rather than adding 129,000 jobs, small businesses likely subtracted 50,000 jobs in February. That would put the true number at about 60,000."    https://www.lewrockwell.com/2016/03/jim-quinn/lies-damn-lies-bls-statistics/  

Quote. David Stockman "... recently noted that the frogs of Wall Street linger in the boiling pot because they are under the delusion that stocks are cheap based on the sell-side hockey sticks that always show $135 per share of S&P earnings and a 15X multiple in the next year ahead.   Besides that, should anything go awry with the economy, Washington purportedly stands ready to bail-out the stock market with a new round of fiscal stimulus after the election.  The latter delusion brings to mind what might be called the “CBO hockey stick,” which is a fiscal fantasy so unhinged from reality as to make the Wall Street stock analysts look like models of sobriety by comparison. To wit, CBO’s latest 10-year budget projection assumes that the US economy will hit full employment next year, and remain there with nary a bump or recession in sight through September 2026, at least."   David Stockman: Trillion Dollar Deficits Are Coming Back Soon    Does that seem believable to you????   Not even...  Government numbers are always wrong.

This item discusses the globalization initiatives associated with the progressive left's drive to support TPP and other disastrous trade deals.  Good for leftist governments and their big corporatists crony capitalist partners.  Bad for the people.       https://jonrappoport.wordpress.com/2016/05/02/tpp-ttip-obamas-secret-trade-deals-vs-trump-and-bernie/

  

It would be nice it a progressive/liberal/Democrat to explain why and how the mountain of regulations imposed on this nation are for our own good.  This study is most revealing.  Please liberals refute the findings.  Quote: "The cost of U.S. regulations is now larger than Germany’s economy, amounting to a $4 trillion loss to the American economy, according to a new study by the Mercatus Center at George Mason University.  The study, released Tuesday, found that regulations over the past several decades amount to a loss of $13,000 for each American worker."     http://freebeacon.com/issues/cost-us-regulations-germanys-economy/?   Bear in mind Obama has set a record for issuing useless, unnecessary, wasteful and oppressive regulations.  If elected president, Hillary will only add to that burden.

  

Do numbers like this suggest a healthy economy?     http://freebeacon.com/issues/1-5-families-u-s-no-one-works/?   

Quote: "In my recent Outside the Box, the authors demonstrate that inflation in the main four categories—rent, food, energy, and medical care—has been running at roughly 3% since 1995, significantly more than the 2.2% the BLS data yields, especially when you think about the compounding effect.  That 0.8% differential has compounded to over 20% in the 20 years since 1995, which has to be deflated against incomes. When you look at the stagnant income growth of the middle class and then reduce that income by 20%, (rather than by the official inflation rate), it is not hard to grasp why significant majorities in both political parties are pissed off (to employ a technical economics term)."    http://www.newsmax.com/Finance/JohnMauldin/inflation-economy-spending-higher/2016/05/13/id/728644/?

How bad is Obama's economy?   Quote: "The inability of people aged 40 and above to find a decent job to support their families has led to an epidemic of suicides.  But as Betsy McCaughey points out in this New York Post column, you'd never know it to hear President Obama and Hillary Clinton talk. President Obama insists that the "“American economy is pretty darn good right now. False. The Obama economy is stalled. It grew at a measly .7 percent annualized rate the first quarter of this year. That’s compared with the 3.5 percent rate the US enjoyed for most of the 20th century — what’s needed to sustain employment and optimism."    http://www.americanthinker.com/blog/2016/04/the_obama_economy_is_killing_people.html 

Quote: "Just last week Aeropostale and Sports Authority announced they were closing all of their stores. Other businesses have been struggling to meet investors’ expectations in the retail sector as well. Sears, Walmart, Best Buy and others have been struggling to make a profit in many locations and have announced recently they will also be closing some of their stores. Retailers across the nation need to close about a third of their locations in order to be as productive and competitive as they were just 10 years ago.

This is not only the case in retail but it's happening in the service sector much more quietly. Real estate firms, mortgage operations, insurance companies and other service businesses have way too much square footage. The ‘sticks and bricks’ component of all of these businesses is crushing them in the age of Amazon, Travelocity, Zillow and eBay."    http://finance.townhall.com/columnists/bryancrabtree/2016/05/11/is-it-a-sign-of-a-weakening-economy--retailers-are-failing-left-and-right-n2161290? 

  

Quote: "The territory's "generous" government squandered the island's resources. Decades of leftist governors hired their friends. In Puerto Rico and Greece, about one in four workers works for government, compared to 14.6 percent in the mainland U.S..   Puerto Rico's current governor points out that Puerto Ricans enjoy 30 days of paid vacation every year, 18 sick days and 14 paid holidays. That's about two months paid leave every year. No wonder businesses wither. The government gives "free" energy to government-owned enterprises. This encouraged "investments" like the government-owned ice rink. Yes, ice skating was what bureaucrats thought the tropical island needed. Maybe they saw that movie, "Cool Runnings," and thought winter sports in the tropics sounded fun."     http://townhall.com/columnists/johnstossel/2016/05/04/money-down-a-hole-n2157599?

Michael Snyder provides us with a full display of global economic reality in this piece.   http://www.thesleuthjournal.com/economic-collapse-erupting-planet-global-leaders-begin-panic/

When looking at statistics be aware what you are told about the numbers may well not be so.   http://finance.townhall.com/columnists/nicholasvardy/2016/03/02/why-most-statistics-are-misguided-misapplied-or-outright-lies-n2127431/page/full   This is a statistic the no red blooded tax paying American likes.  It reminds us that "This year, Tax Freedom Day falls on April 24, or 114 days into the year (excluding Leap Day)." 

I have been following Mish for a long time and almost always find his analysis quite interesting and informative.  This one is worth sharing for its educational value.   http://finance.townhall.com/columnists/mikeshedlock/2016/04/07/university-professor-asks-how-accurate-and-at-what-cost-is-bls-data-n2144503/page/full 

You just have to shake your head in wonderment when considering the insane tax philosophy of Obama and his leftist progressive acolytes.  This item clarifies the inane logic of the left's aversion to lowering the US business tax rate which is the highest in the world.  Yet, they want to punish them for moving overseas to reap the benefit of much, much lower tax rates.  Quote: "Then progressives argue that corporate tax cutting is a rich person’s tax cut.  Utterly untrue.  Numerous studies have shown that the biggest beneficiary of corporate tax cuts is the middle-income wage earner.  By the same token, companies don’t just pay corporate taxes out of their own pockets.  They pass it along in the form of lower wages and benefits to the work force, higher prices for consumers and lower stock valuations for investors.  Again, the data show that wage earners get the biggest benefit, consumers second and shareholders third.  One key reason why average wage earners have had virtually no pay increases in the past 15 years is the high corporate tax rate.  That is why so many Americans are so angry with Washington – They want BIG change."   http://www.newsmax.com/Finance/LarryKudlow/tax-inversions-middle-class-war/2016/04/05/id/722465/?

Consider this factual assessment which repels Obama's made-up assessment. Quote: "Anybody who says we are not absolutely better off today than we were just seven years ago, they’re not leveling with you. They’re not telling the truth,” Obama said last week.

“By almost every economic measure, we are significantly better off.” For a second opinion, just ask Obama’s own economic adviser Robert Wolf. He told CNN’s Carol Costello on Tuesday: “I don’t think anyone is saying the economy is great right now.”
http://www.nationalreview.com/article/432688/president-obama-economy-slow-recovery?

The trade deficit our country is carrying could result in economic disaster.  Quote: "Because our exports are falling faster than our imports, our trade deficit is blowing out once again.  Every year we buy hundreds of billions of dollars more from the rest of the world than they buy from us, and this is systematically wrecking our economy.  Over the past several decades, we have lost tens of thousands of manufacturing facilities, millions of good paying manufacturing jobs, and major exporting nations such as China have become exceedingly wealthy at our expense.  We are being absolutely killed on trade, and yet very few of our politicians ever want to talk about this."    http://www.thesleuthjournal.com/killed-trade-rapidly-declining-exports-signal-death-blow-u-s-economy/

You might find this one interest, too. Quote: "Barack Obama recently stated that anyone that is claiming that America’s economy is in decline is “peddling fiction“.  Well, if the economy is in such great shape, why are major retailers shutting down hundreds of stores all over the country?  Last month, I wrote about the “retail apocalypse” that is sweeping the nation, but since then it has gotten even worse.  Closing stores has become the “hot new trend” in the retail world, and “space available” signs are going up in mall windows all over the United States.  Barack Obama can continue huffing and puffing about how well the middle class is doing all he wants, but the truth is that the cold, hard numbers that retailers are reporting tell an entirely different story."     http://www.thesleuthjournal.com/economic-recovery-13-of-the-biggest-retailers-in-america-are-closing-down-stores/

Beware those touting the goodness of tariffs.  Quote: "Tariff policy beneficiaries are always seen, but its victims are mostly unseen. Politicians love this. The reason is simple. The beneficiaries know for whom to cast their ballots and to whom to give campaign contributions. Most often, the victims do not know whom to blame for their calamity."  And, "When Congress creates a special privilege for some Americans, it must of necessity come at the expense of other Americans. Then Americans who are harmed, such as the steel-using auto industry, descend on Congress asking for some kind of relief for themselves. It all reminds me of a passage in a Negro spiritual play written by Marcus Cook Connelly, titled "The Green Pastures," wherein God laments to the angel Gabriel, "Every time Ah passes a miracle, Ah has to pass fo' or five mo' to ketch up wid it." I think Congress ought to get out of the miracle business and leave miracle-making up to God."   http://townhall.com/columnists/walterewilliams/2016/03/09/the-seen-and-unseen-n2129811/page/full

Have you heard Obama publically announce this?  Quote: "There were 372,000 fewer Americans who were hired in January, according to data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics.  There were 5,401,000 hires in December 2015. That number declined to 5,029,000 in January 2016."  Didn't think so.     http://freebeacon.com/issues/372000-fewer-americans-hired-in-january/?

More about the falling manufacturing numbers.   http://finance.townhall.com/columnists/mikeshedlock/2016/03/02/global-manufacturing-pmi-signals-stagnation-in-february-n2127330?

Does this fact suggest to you that our economy is on sound footing?   http://freebeacon.com/issues/food-stamp-beneficiaries-exceed-45-million-for-56-straight-months/?

George Burns

About The Economy

This note deals with the real status of our nation's economy.  It is in stark contrast to what Obama and his fawning media tell us.  The first 10 items will give you a feel for things.  The reality is, though, they only touch on the many issues we face.  The balance add to the first 10 items so pick and choose those that strike your interests. 

1)  The government is lying to us about the economy.  But then you already knew that...but check this out anyway.  Quote: "This week we are told by the government that monthly retail sales were up 1.3% in April overall and .6% excluding autos, gas, and food. I have trouble making sense of this number considering that stores of all economic levels have reported decreasing sales for February through April. This includes Kohls, Macy’s, the Gap, Nordstroms, and Penneys. Sports Authority and American Apparel sales were so weak they are liquidating. Sears and K Mart are excep[tionally weak and Walmart is flat at best. We have to remember that although Amazon’s sales and total online sales are going up they are still a very small percentage of the overall economy.  The government said that part of the reason first quarter growth was so slow -- ½% -- was because the American people were saving more. Yet we are told in other reports that 63% of people live paycheck to paycheck and don’t even have $1,000 saved. Where are all these savings going? With  the savings rate so high and economic growth so slow you would think that people would be paying down debt or not borrowing much, yet consumer credit is rising rapidly."       http://www.americanthinker.com/blog/2016/05/do_government_economic_numbers_make_sense.html

2)  Things are not well in either our economy or the global economy.   Failed Keynesian economic policies and the rise of socialistic control of nation states is a good bet to be the culprit. Quote: "Anyone that believes that things are “just fine” is in a massive state of denial.  Consuming far more wealth than we produce is not a formula for a sustainable economy, and it is just a matter of time before we find this out the hard way."  Our once vaunted economy has long been in decline due to the above cited reasons and now (communist) China is following suit.  http://patriotpowerednews.com/plunging-manufacturing-numbers-mean-that-it-is-time-to-hit-the-panic-button-for-the-global-economy/

3)  Obama claims his proudest achievement as president is, " "I'm proud of saving the American economy."  When one examines the facts there is no doubt that his economic policies have been a total failure.  Quote:"Just days ago, in Argentina, Obama explained that the debate between communism and capitalism was merely an "interesting intellectual argument." He suggested that each state simply "choose from what works."  By that standard, Obamanomics -- compared to the Reagan-style policy of reducing taxes, slowing down government spending, and decreasing regulation -- simply ... hasn't ... worked."      http://townhall.com/columnists/larryelder/2016/03/31/why-the-anger-obamanomics-has-failed-n2141324/page/full   Read this and ask yourself what Obama is talking about.  Saved the economy????  Obama is incapable of telling the truth.  Quote: "The U.S. economy added the fewest number of jobs in seven months in April and Americans dropped out of the labor force in droves, signs of weakness that cast doubts on whether the Federal Reserve will raise interest rates before the end of the year.  Nonfarm payrolls increased by 160,000 jobs last month as construction employment barely rose and the retail sector shed jobs, the Labor Department said on Friday. That was the smallest gain since September and below the first-quarter average job growth of 200,000.  Employers added 19,000 fewer jobs in February and March than previously reported. While the unemployment rate held at 5.0 percent that was because people dropped out of the labor force."  https://ca.news.yahoo.com/good-u-payrolls-gains-seen-swelling-labor-force-051124975--business.html  

4)  He is either ignorant, misinformed or outright lying when Obama says our economy is improving as are the jobs numbers.  Wrong... Quote: "To listen to President Barack Obama, Americans live in a liberal paradise: a robust economy, 75 consecutive months of jobs growth and a government aggressively promoting social justice..Sadly, it’s not so. Family incomes are down about $1,600 on Obama’s watch, whereas they rose by $4,800 during the Reagan years. For African-American families, income losses are greater, their children trail further in school achievement, poverty is tougher to escape, and the wealth gap with whites has widened.  The recent Labor Department jobs report tells the sad story why.  The economy added a paltry 38,000 new positions in May. The liberal media will apologize that the Verizon strike cut about 35,000 but monthly job gains have been trending down since 2014 and 2015. That’s frustrating a stronger recovery in wages, especially for minorities."        http://www.newsmax.com/Finance/PeterMorici/obama-jobs-liberal-failures/2016/06/03/id/732113/?   Piling on... Quote: "May jobs report worst in 5 years: Only 38,000 jobs added, labor force declines 458K."   http://hotair.com/archives/2016/06/03/may-jobs-report-worst-in-5-years-only-38000-jobs-added-labor-force-declines-458k/?

   Quote: "I have been discussing downward revisions for some time. If they come, revisions are likely to show the US is in recession already.  More and more things simply do not add up.  I have a report tomorrow listing 10 reasons the May jobs report was not an outlier. If you prefer to believe cheerleaders, I have another answer."     http://finance.townhall.com/columnists/mikeshedlock/2016/06/10/bls-says-jobs-openings-up-actually-openings-falling-fast-n2176180/page/full    

5) Does this sound good to you?  Quote: "The Markit U.S. Services PMI™ final data shows a weaker rise in service sector business activity in May.The Composite PMI (manufacturing plus services) flirts with contraction.  Key Points

• Service providers indicated slower activity and new business growth
• Weakest rise in payroll numbers since January 2015
• Business optimism eases to a post-crisis low in May"    http://finance.townhall.com/columnists/mikeshedlock/2016/06/06/composite-pmi-flirts-with-contraction-markit-chief-economist-estimates-gdp-0708-n2173344? 

6) This is the Obama and progressive left's economy.  Quote: "It is hard to live the American Dream when the deck is stacked against you.  Our politicians stood idly by as millions of good paying jobs were shipped overseas, our economic infrastructure was absolutely gutted and multitudes of small businesses were choked to death by miles of red tape.  Now, we are reaping the consequences.  In America today, nobody has a job in one out of every five families, and there are more than 100 million working age Americans that are currency not working.  And thanks to our transition to a “service economy," many of those that are actually working are deeply struggling too.  According to the Social Security Administration, 51 percent of all American workers make less than $30,000 a year.  And the Federal Reserve says that 47 percent of all Americans could not pay an unexpected $400 emergency room bill without borrowing the money from somewhere or selling something.  That means that about half the country is flat broke, and things get even more precarious for working families with each passing day."   http://freedomoutpost.com/the-startling-truth-about-how-working-families-are-truly-faring-in-this-economy/   I repeat. This is the Obama and the progressive left's economy.

7) This is for those that think socialism is a good thing.  Thomas Sowell lays out the facts.   http://townhall.com/columnists/thomassowell/2016/05/31/socialism-for-the-uninformed-n2171042?

8)  Past items discussing the Federal Reserve System have made the points in this link.  This discussion, however, provides additional support.  Quote: "I don’t agree with Paul Krugman on many things, but he’s right when he says that the Fed is culpable for causing the ups and downs of the business cycle in the United States. Milton Friedman argued the same thing. In this sense, both Krugman and Friedman — political opposites — are monetarists."  And, "What is the Fed up to now? Based on the chart, the Fed still has adopted an easy-money policy. Not only are interest rates low, but the Fed seems to have backed up raising rates. Moreover, the supply of money is gushing, with M2 growing at a 9% clip. The Fed is still fighting a slowing economy (largely caused by the Obama administration’s anti-business attitude, higher taxes and more regulations)."   While the discussion closes detailing an upcoming conference which will cover the issue in more detail, it would certainly be interesting but I will, of course, not be attending. http://humanevents.com/2016/05/26/does-the-federal-reserve-create-recessions/?   This is a solid indicator that the economy is not in good shape.   Quote: "Volatility in financial markets has left an air of uncertainty across the globe. So much so, says Civelli, that many of the investors he talks to on a regular basis are just as concerned about the unknown as the Fed, with many either sitting in large cash positions, making risky stock market bets in an effort to generate some yield on their investments, or willing to pay governments to keep their money “safe.”    http://patriotpowerednews.com/venture-capitalist-says-investors-are-terrified-of-market-volatility-and-weak-economy-they-are-scared-and-dont-know-what-to-do/

    The mess at the Federal Reserve.   http://finance.townhall.com/columnists/charlespayne/2016/03/25/revolt-at-the-fed-n2138518/page/full   I completely agree with the author's last sentence.  Quote: " I would like the Fed to go away; until that happens, stop blowing it!  Both our government and the Fed lie to us regarding the true state of our economy.  Read this to see what I mean.  Quote: "Peter Schiff was on Tuesday’s edition of PreMarket Prep, where he reiterated his bearish thesis for the market in the wake of the Federal Reserve’s decision not to raise interest rates last week.  Schiff wasn’t convinced by the positive market talk coming out of the Fed.  “I knew that it was all talk, and when Janet Yellen actually spoke she validated what I said,” Schiff said. “She basically came out and said ‘We’re not raising rates and it’s not because we think the economy is weak, it’s because we decided that lower interest rates are appropriate.’ Which is all B.S, because it’s all about the economy. The economy is a disaster. I think Yellen probably realizes we’re in a recession.”     https://www.lewrockwell.com/2016/04/no_author/fed-talk-pure-baloney/

     And get this!  In partnership with the Federal Reserve the federal government (Congress and Administration) are screwing our kids, grand kids, great grand kids and beyond.  The headline for this link says it all. "Auditor: Government Will Owe More Money Than Entire Economy Produces".    http://freebeacon.com/issues/government-owe-money-entire-economy/ 
    
     Quote: "It’s obvious China is hiding behind a basket of lies. China can weight its alleged currency basket however it wants.  However, don’t point a finger just at China. All the central banks are liars."    http://finance.townhall.com/columnists/mikeshedlock/2016/03/01/g20-lies-and-admissions-n2126587/page/full

     Far too many Americans do not know or understand how the Federal Reserve came to be.  This item provides insight.   http://www.thesleuthjournal.com/federal-reserve-private/

9)  About that minimum wage rage.   Add to the kind of leadership cited in the  previous items along with the leadership cited in this link we need no enemies. We will, as Lenin said, destroy ourselves or at least these elitists at the top will.  These two socialist governors admit that the $15.00 minimum wage may not be the best thing for the economy but both signed it into law in their respective states.   Quote: "California Gov. Jerry Brown and other advocates of hiking the minimum wage to $15 per hour have conceded that the pay increase might not be the best way to help workers, causing questions about the sincerity of the “Fight for 15” movement.  “Economically, minimum wages may not make sense,” Brown told the Sacramento Bee before signing the wage increase for his state. The governor followed suit with New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo, who did the same last week."  And, "However, even progressive voices are warning that such a steep increase would have economic consequences. The Washington Post editorialized on Tuesday:  Moderate minimum wage increases in the past have not produced disastrous short-term employment consequences, at least not sharp enough to outweigh the perceived benefits of protecting workers from a race to the bottom of the labor market. Yet $15 per hour would represent a quantum leap in the U.S. minimum wage, from its present level of about 35 percent of the median full-time hourly wage to nearly 75 percent of it, based on our reading of figures from the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development and the Bureau of Labor Statistics. No other industrialized country’s statutory minimum wage even comes close." http://www.theblaze.com/stories/2016/04/07/advocates-admit-15-minimum-wage-may-not-make-sense-but-offer-a-glimpse-of-motivation-for-hike/   Government officials obviously have no idea how the economy works.  They think by their magic tricks good things will happen.

     Continuing the theme from the previous item the liberals can say what they want but this is what is really going on.  Quote: "Chris Rossini brilliantly explains what so many liberals seem to have such a hard time understanding. Namely, that government is forcing employers to automate their businesses instead of hiring low-skilled workers.  What’s that, you say? ‘But I thought government was trying to help poor people by raising the minimum wage?’ This is precisely the problem. When liberals use the government to step in and force employers to raise the minimum wage, the costs of doing business rise prohibitively for employers, forcing them to think outside the box for solutions to staying in business. If minimum wage goes up, perhaps the business will be forced to fire employees in order to pay the bills. The problem is that this solution means that service will suffer. If the business decides to keep everyone on the payroll, then the likely solution is that prices will necessarily rise, meaning that the business may lose customers who can no longer afford the prices. In either scenario, the business suffers, the employees suffer, and the customers suffer. Raising the minimum wage is a lose-lose-lose proposition… unless the employer can ‘think outside the box." http://eaglerising.com/32156/liberals-are-using-the-minimum-wage-to-make-the-poor-poorer/

     In follow-up to the previous item here is a discussion that tries to make sense of the ongoing nonsense minimum wage rage.   https://www.lewrockwell.com/2016/04/andrew-p-napolitano/damaging-minimum-wage/   Here's more evidence of the consequences of incoherent government mandated minimum wage laws.  http://patriotupdate.com/liberal-minimum-wage-argument-destroyed-guess-working-mcdonalds-now/?  Want more?   http://www.latimes.com/business/la-fi-garment-manufacturing-la-20160416-story.html      Here is how Wendy's is handling the problem.  It spells even worse unemployment figures.  http://townhall.com/tipsheet/christinerousselle/2016/05/13/wendys-to-replace-workers-with-selfserve-kiosks-due-to-minimum-wage-increases-n2162487?   Thanks progressive leftists/Democrats.  Your solutions to problems "always" eventually hurt the very people you claim to help.

     This progressive/liberal government sound good but irresponsible mandate is a bad economic decision.  History tells us that over and over again.  As usual feel good trumps do good.  Quote: "There is a single thought that unites the political parties of the left all over the world (from welfare state liberals to socialists and communists) and it is this: incentives don’t matter. And since prices are the mechanism that coordinates incentives and clears markets, it follows that prices don’t matter either." And, "Given these developments, what could be more irrational or less humane than imposing a $15 minimum wage, effectively making low-skilled workers increasingly unattractive vis-a-vis their robot competitors?" And, "The “gig economy” is only a small part of a much larger development: alterative work arrangements, including independent contractors, on-call workers, temp workers and workers employed by contract firms. By one estimate, these workers are now 11 percent of the workforce in manufacturing and 16 percent in health care and education.  Amazingly, virtually all the job growth in the past 10 years is due to the growth of alternative labor!  So why is the loony left willing to leave all these people alone? In the world of “barnyard Marxism,” the economy consists of the oppressors (employers) and the oppressed (employees). If there are no oppressors, there is no oppression. If there is no oppression, there is nothing for government to do."    http://townhall.com/columnists/johncgoodman/2016/04/02/15-an-hour-why-not-30-why-not-100-n2142044/page/full

     More regarding the disaster of government imposed minimum wage mandates.  Quote: "The saddest aspect of the minimum wage story is the damage it does to human beings. The current hourly wage for a fast-food restaurant cashier is $7.25 to $9 per hour. That produces a yearly salary of $15,000 to $20,000, plus fringes. That’s no great shakes, but it is honest work and a start in life. It might be the very best some people could do. Enter the arrogance and callousness of the elite. Their vision of what a person should earn, expressed by higher minimum wages, destroys people’s best alternative without offering a superior one in its place. Maybe the elite believe that welfare, unemployment compensation and possibly engaging in illegal activities are a superior alternative to earning an honest and respectable living on a cashier’s salary. That is a despicable vision."    https://www.lewrockwell.com/2016/06/walter-e-williams/arrogant-elite/

10)   Readers will recall that Glass-Steagall was passed by Congress in the wake of the collapse that led to the Great Depression.  However during President Clinton's tenure he along with our esteemed Congress felt that that was old fashioned and needed to be repealed.  So they did repeal it... The rest of the story is the history of financial disaster that soon followed.  Quote: "During the 1990’s the conventional economic wisdom supported the repeal of Glass-Steagall. However, “10 years later, the end of Glass-Steagall has been blamed by some for many of the problems that led to last fall’s (2008) financial crisis. While the majority of problems that occurred centered mostly on the pure-play investment banks like Lehman Brothers, the huge banks born out of the revocation of Glass-Steagall, especially Citigroup, and the insurance companies that were allowed to deal in securities, like the American International Group, would not have run into trouble had the law still been in place.”    http://www.thesleuthjournal.com/repeal-glass-steagall-big-fail-culture/   Bear in mind that Hillary has declared that she will have Bill tackle economic solutions during her administration.  That would be a disaster - the good economic times he enjoyed were not of his making.  History tell us that they were the concentrated results of the previous administration and the happy happenstance of the .dot com" explosion, among a few other actions forced on him by the Republican's Contract with America.  Lately, we have seen leftist Democrat governance lead the way for Puerto Rico's default of "$370 million worth of bonds."   Do we want a continuation of flawed economic policies of the current president and a return to bad decisions made during Bill's term in office?