The Money Party on the Road to Ruin

Michael Collins
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The Money Party is destroying the United States. For ten years, there have been no new jobs with flat income. Unemployment and poverty are making a big comeback. The party consists of those who own and control concentrations of great wealth and the select few who serve them (their Mandarins). Based on the efficiency of the demolition job, you have to wonder, is this is by design? If greed, ignorance, and paranoia constitute a plan, then they are master planners. (Image)

Look at the glaring problems below. Then ask yourself, has there been one single program implemented to address any of these problems, just one? Our elected representatives enable the relentless process of driving down the United States. They bicker and fume at the edge of issues. However, when it comes to neglecting the real needs of citizens and the country, they are as one. All rewards and resources flow to their patrons and owners, the made men and women of The Money Party. We are nothing to them.

There have been no net new jobs since 2000. The minimal growth from 2000 to 2010 disappears when you factor in 10% population growth over the same period.

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You would think that somebody in charge would take this seriously. New jobs with decent pay represent the key to many of the other problems we face. Yet nobody bothers to do anything about it or even starts a serious effort to seek solutions.

Income has been flat for 10 years.

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How are people supposed to survive, raise their families, pay their medical bills, etc. if income remains flat while inflation eats away at existing resources?

The following maps show the relative increase of unemployment since 2000 based on the official unemployment formula. (BLS data)

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Real unemployment figure tops 20%. Employer payroll reports are the basis for the "official" figures. That rate is artificially low since it leaves out the self employed, discouraged workers, long term unemployed, and the underemployed. The government's U6 unemployment rate, 17%, is a more accurate measure. When you add "estimated" long-term discouraged workers, who were defined out of official existence in 1994.">estimated long-term discouraged workers, who were defined out of official existence in 1994." total unemployed is at 23% of the workforce.

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(Image: Shadow Government Statistics)

Bankruptcies petitions and individuals involved are up nearly by a factor of three since 2006. There are any number of reason so for a bankruptcy but no new jobs, increased prices, and flat incomes have a great deal to do with this trend.

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At the end of 2010, 14% of US homes were either in foreclosure or delinquent in payments. People can't make home payments if they are unemployed. Their ability to make payments will vanish as their flat salaries are eaten away over time. But nothing is done.

The poverty rate is up around 40% when you use a measure that factors in out of pocket medical expenses, not considered in the "official" poverty rate.

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It only makes sense that people will descend into poverty. What else happens when you lose your job and are unable to find a new one?

Large sections of the country look like a wasteland due to extended neglect and hard times. Michigan's Central Station in Detroit sat unused and abandoned as the city around it decayed. The Economist called California's San Joaquin Valley "the Appalachia of the West" because of record high unemployment that reaches 30% to 40% range in some small towns. Described as the food basket of the world, the valley is collapsing in on itself.

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Michigan Central Station, Detroit, abandoned and unused for years Image

In addition to completely failing the people, the party let the nation's infrastructure fall into ruin. The American Society of Civil Engineers graded the status of bridges, roads, etc. The Money Party gets a big fat "D" for their stewardship.

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Fixing all this would provide a stimulus of phenomenal proportions. It would produce bonds that were actually worth something in the future. The Money Party can blow things up but building and repairing are beyond their abilities to comprehend.

We are led by fools.

END

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Comments

what's worse

is we have politicians promoting policies that will simply destroy, not create, jobs. From "let's wipe out Federal workes" to "innovation and technology", which is really about campaign contributions, more offshore outsourcing and getting unlimited guest worker visas, it's the exact same song and dance.

Obama visited Intel, and ya know, great thing Intel is building FABS in the U.S. That said, Intel is notorious to labor arbitrage and has assuredly fired more people in the last decade than they employ in the U.S. They could easily find "workers" if they would simply rehire all of the Americans they have fired.

That too

This is an outline for them in big print to they know he results of their idiocy, including bring high tech workers in to drive down salaries and exploiting manual laborers desperate to get away from the political and economic nightmare we've helped create in Mexico.

Their greed and short sightedness knows no limits. Regrettably, there are depths to their incompetence that they have not yet reached.

What Do You Expect ????

Hey, this is the same sermon thats been preached for decades now. No joke, are we really in bad shape, and spiraling to the depths of economic ruin? Just in case anyone has slept through the past half century, this is the path that the Washington Brotherhood has had us on since the end of WWII. Sure, things are rotten, and getting worse by the minute. In the first place, Main Street America doesn't need a bunch of charts and graphs to indicate just how bad the situation is. Folks are, and have been , hurting for a long long time now. And secondly, as I've found out over the years, it doesn't matter how many times we preach the message, stupid ignorant voters continue to re-elect the anti-America egotistical self-serving greedy power hungry professional politicians to office. As long as the voters willingly give The Washington Brotherhood "Carte Blanche" to exert their will, and not the will of the people, we can expect nothing more than what we're getting now.

Yes, we've been sold out by the very ones entrusted with the well-being of this once great nation. But, exactly where does the real blame rest? Remember, politicians don't just waltz into Washington and take a seat, we elect them to office. They couldn't do the damage unless we allow it by handing over the keys to the economic doors. What does anyone expect to happen, when handing the keys to the vault to a bunch of thieves, then turning out the lights and leaving the front door wide open?

We can rant and rave until the proverbial cows come home, but to what end? Nothing is going to change until voters awaken to the cold hard facts. The Washington Brotherhood has become an entity unto itself, answerable to no one except itself. Remember, John Q. Public didn't vote on the floors of Congress to send this nation down the path of economic ruin and misery.

The root article is not news, but rather an affirmation of what's being felt by citizens all across this nation. We can add many items to the list of miseries and economic pains. But, the bottom line remains one of "blind patriotism" on the part of voters each election cycle. Once the voting public realizes that the only thing The Washington Brotherhood offers is "taxation without representation", then, and only then, we might see positive changes in government and our economic well-being. As long as we have a Lobbyists' controlled U.S. Congress, and an executive branch dancing to the tunes played by big business and Wall Street, don't expect to see prosperity and self-supporting opportunities where the general public is concerned. To The Washington Brotherhood, the well-being of the general public is nothing more than mere "collateral damage" in their quest for wealth and power. The proof to that statement fills the daily headlines, and is felt by citizens all across this once great nation.

If anyone disagrees with the statements and opinions expressed in this comment, please explain the following:
(1) Extremely high unemployment
(2) Growing poverty and homelessness
(3) The lack of affordable health care
(4) The astronomical and rapidly growing national debt
(5) The growing gap between real wages and the cost of living
(6) The growing cost of higher education
(7) The deficits
(8) Our shameful import and energy dependency
(9) The two senseless deadly costly wars
(10) Lost industries via cheap foreign labor
(11) Infrastructure in disrepair and out-dated
(12) The shameful number of home foreclosures and bankruptcies
(13) Unpenalized job out-sourcing
(14) The continued economic damge caused by illegal immigration
(15) Wasteful monetary foreign aid
(16) Subsidies (freebies) to big oil and wealthy farmers
(17) Economically devastating decline of the Middle Class
(18) Corruption and fraud associated with government no-bid contracts ( military )
(19) Troubled pension funds
(20) The troubled Social Security Fund ( basically consist of government issued I.O.U.'s )

The above is just a partial list, but gives an idea of what we presently face, and will face in the future. Future generations will be paying for mistakes being made now. As our population grows, and self-supporting opportunities decline, we'll be forced to greatly lower our living standards. Unless our government acts now to preserve what's left of centuries of economic progress, future generations of Americans may find themselves labeled "third world". As the "real" value of our currency becomes questioned in world markets, it's a real possibility that our enormous debt will become too much to bear. This may lead to economic damage of a magnitude not seen in the world as we know it.

The lack of "adequate cash flow" WITHIN our economy has already adversely affected tax revenue, and may soon adversely effect the ability of many to acquire the basic necessities of food, water, shelter, clothing, and proper health care. With state governments already basically bankrupt, government funded services will continue to decline. This will push many further into poverty, and create a new class of poor. This will only serve to extend the time-table for any economic recovery, and make the path to recovery more painful and harsh.

In reality, we've become a dependent nation, deeply in debt, at war, and with little or no light at the end of the proverbial tunnel.

Because you can do wrong, and get away with it, doesn't make it right

But VERY Few get it

You're right Sonny but some very large percentage of Americans think such things as "socialism", lack of family values, environmentalists, taxes, marijuana, illegal aliens, Islam, Jews, blacks, and so on (pick your favorite scapegoat de jour) are the REASON we are in such a deep hole. With so much of the population clueless and mostly listening only to the kind of propaganda found on Fox not much is likely to change until the whole creaking edifice collapses under it's own weight. I'm not holding my breath.

Blind Patriotism

Yes, you're so correct in saying that very few get it. The reason that the majority just don't get it, is because they're afflicted with "Blind Patriotism". They believe that each new election cycle will bring a miracle, and that The Washington Brotherhood will somehow change to a pro-America representative government. But, those exact same citizens continue to re-elect the very ones responsible for the decline and economic ruin we're seeing and feeling, and yet they expect a different results. Go figure.

In America, we have some of the most brilliant and educated minds that can be found anywhere. Some have walls lined with diplomas, awards, certificates of achievement, and many are directly responsible for much of the technology being used today all around the globe. But, and here's the kicker, those exact same individuals become the dumbest stupidest people on earth each election day. Those exact same individuals donate untold $Millions to campaigns, speak on national TV, and some even endorse candidates that are under investigation for corruption and fraud. Go figure.

I continue to see and read articles on the internet concerning the many socioeconomic woes being experienced around the globe, and especially those problems here at home. Many articles are well written and contain a wealth of information, but way too often, the writer stops short of getting down to brass tacks. They fail to mention the root causes and the individuals responsible. In other words, they tip-toe around the part where they could name names, and usually do the soft-shoe routine when it comes to saying that our government has literally sold us out.

We can talk about and list the problems all day long, each and every day. But, we're falling way short of our responsiblity to each other, and to this country, if we don't speak out against the anti-America self-serving egotistical corrupt Washington Brotherhood that has lead us down this path of economic ruin. The solution is taboo to most Americans, due to their affliction with Blind Patriotism. As the saying goes, "the truth is a hard pill to swallow".

Because you can do wrong, and get away with it, doesn't make it right

Our government has sold us out

In spectacular ways. Look at the foreclosure crisis, a million homes a year which means 2-3 million people tossed out. That happened due to a deliberately inflated real estate market by Greenspan and his Wall Street cronies. None of them lost their homes, you can be sure of that.

There are still people out there who don't now the basics in this post or who don't stack it all up and realize - this is a massive betrayal of the purpose of a nation and government. That purpose is for the people not the very few.

I agree with you point here.

agreed. they're so quick to

agreed. they're so quick to point the finger at anyone with differing views. it's actually quite childish.

Hi, I'm Ed. Nice to meatchew.

The end

@Sonny Clark

I believe it's called the End of the Empire. Everything is broken, and there's not a damn thing you can do about it.

Broken Sunk and Lost

You're probably right, and chances are those in Washington know it also. I find it very hard to believe that you and I can see it, and Washington doesn't. We'll know for sure within the next 18 months to 2 years. By that time, we'll either be at or near the economic bottom, or we'll see signs that someone is willing to start repairing the damage. I believe that we have to hit rock bottom before folks wake up to what has been going on for many decades.

Points To Consider:

(1) We are a very divided nation. We're divided along political lines, economic lines, and ethnic lines. ( we're not on the same page of the playbook )
(2) We don't have the resources to continue the support of those dependent on government assistance programs. ( we have growing poverty and homelessness )
(3) Our astronomical debt can't be rectified by continuing down our present economic path. ( proposed spending cuts are less than the interest on the national debt )
(4) The government's practice and habit of using debt to pay debt does not put positive cash in our economy. ( we borrow money each and every day just to fund government and the two senseless deadly costly wars )
(5) Perpetual wars seems a reality at present. ( Iraq, Afghanistan )
(6) A suppressed people soon revolt ( Middle east, North africa ).
(7) "Global Economy" means equalization to the lowest level. ( our import and energy dependency is pushing our standard of living lower - unemployment - lower over-all wages - wages to cost of living ratio - tax burden )
(8) The failure of government to address the root causes for our economic woes. ( unfair, unjust, and one-sided foreign trade agreements and policies - unpenalized job out-sourcing to foreign labor markets )

Our failure to address the problems decades ago served only to enrich a relatively few at the expense of the whole. And now, the problems have become so complicated and complex, that to fix them would mean years of harsh sacrifices. Personally, I don't believe that we have the will, resources, and time, necessary to recover.

Remember that what has happened didn't happen by chance, nor by accident, but was planned and engineered by those that we entrusted with the well-being of this nation and her citizens.

Because you can do wrong, and get away with it, doesn't make it right

Ross Perot

Where is a Ross Perot when you need him?

If there is a solution, it starts with honest accounting.

I could almost believe in the Tea Party if they would at least demand an end to the way the 'Washington Brotherhood' continues to support unfunded perpetual warfare and other sacred causes being treated as 'off budget'. Of course, the SS Trust Fund, for the sake of the same honesty, does need to be off budget -- truly off budget. Any trust fund needs to be off budget, but nothing else should be off budget.

But the nouveau Tea Party is into fictional accounting as much as any of the old-timers.

I could almost believe in the progressives or in the libertarians if either would advocate an across-the-board tariff (by any name, including VAT). But the progressives and the libertarians are willfully blind to how American working people are being played for suckers by foreign producers smart enough to take advantage of the global system of neo-mercantilist trade and kleptocratic financial capitalism.

I could almost believe in the news media if they would honestly acknowledge that the trade imbalance IS actually balanced ... by the selling of America and of America's future.

Ross, where are you?

Donald Trump

Have you heard Mr. Hair, reality TV billionaire Donald Trump lately? It's astounding, he's talking truth on trade, China, all sorts of issues and would run as a Republican. Considering what we got with the biggest media campaign in Presidential politic history, i.e. more of the corporate/lobbyist same as change we can believe it...

I'm ready to have a crazy, sexed up, hair puffed billionaire TV reality star as President.....

I mean it's astounding, there he is, calling it like it is and there isn't a single politician out there doing the same.

How could it be worse? If he won maybe he'd redo the White House in Gold leaf. ;)

At least then the Conspiracy Theorists out there would know where the gold of Fort Knox is. ;)

Trump

I heard Trump too, and I liked what I heard.

No other big names have come out this strongly against China and our trade deficit with them.

Even if Trump did nothing else right but fix China trade, he'd be a plus, since our current President has made nothing any better, and many things actually worse.

The potential to restore our economy by fixing our trade policies is tremendous. We import $2.3 trillion/year, and $2 trillion of those imports are not oil related. If we could cut our non-oil imports in ½, it would increase our GDP by $1 trillion--or roughly +7%.

A $1 trillion reduction in our trade deficit would be the equivalent of +14 million jobs (at $70K/job).

If we put 100% Tariffs on all of China's $300 billion+ imports, it would add $300 billion to Federal revenue. (And a 200% Tariff, which would be my own preference, would add $600 billion in revenue.)

Despite my previous, long-standing dislike of Trump, I'd vote for him in a heartbeat if I believed he'd take REAL action against China, and succeed in eliminating our trade deficit with China.

With the exception of breaking up big banks and taking back the trillions of taxpayers' money banks were given, nothing else would help our economy more than eliminating our trade deficit with China.

I would vote for Trump

as well if he really was going to do something about China and bad trade. He should run, so far it seems he's just toyed with the idea. He'd be a lot of fun too....I mean he is one wild guy, fine by me if we get someone, anyone who actually can read a spreadsheet and isn't a corporate lobbyist puppet.