Debt Rattle October 12 2020

 

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  • #64328

    Fred Stein Nadinola 1944   • WHO Backflips On Virus Stance By Condemning Lockdowns (News.com.au) • WHO Warns Against COVID19 Lockdowns Due To Eco
    [See the full post at: Debt Rattle October 12 2020]

    #64329
    ByronBishop
    Participant

    I live in rural Canada and I do not have television, so my information on the American presidential election comes from newspapers and some online blogs. But what impresses me the most in this cycle is what good theatre it is!

    It is my view that the choice for American voters is simply this: which collection of billionaires will run the country? The Democrats or Republicans? At root, their policies are not very different; their principal goal is to maintain and extend their privilege, and to continue to develop the legal and fiscal framework that supports their activities. This framework consists of, among other things, the following policies, and most crucially, broad public acceptance of the righteousness of these policies:

    ⦁ to maintain very low taxes on income and capital gains, favourable treatment of dividend and interest income, and no inheritance tax
    ⦁ in the financial manipulation field, improve public and regulatory acceptance of the attitude usefully articulated by JH Kuntsler as “nothing matters and anything goes”. This allows (among many other things) private equity firms to buy up useful and productive enterprises, strip out all the assets in fees and special dividends and through the sale of high-yield (and chancy) bonds, and to then release the debt-ridden hulk back into the marketplace to sink (mostly) or swim (rarely). Also supports share buybacks, collateralised debt instruments, relocation of factories to low-wage states and countries.
    ⦁ keep the American military actively working around the world, preferably using expensive armaments. Where possible avoid stationing troops in warzones as casualties provoke bad publicity. Promote demand for novel and very expensive war materiel. (Smart bombs and drones sell to government on a cost-plus basis.)
    ⦁ Support the National Rifle Association, which is in fact an association of arms manufacturers and merchants with a noisy public relations arm consisting of private members defending their Second Amendment rights. Until forty years ago the Second Amendment right was the right to join a well-regulated militia, but now it is the right to have many expensive weapons in your house.
    ⦁ Everyone must recognise that public healthcare is un-American. It is a moral issue: if you cannot afford healthcare you do not deserve it. Some of the highest paid executive teams in the US are in the healthcare field, while executive teams in Canadian and European countries are mostly paid on a civil service scale. Shareholders in American healthcare companies become very rich. Were healthcare to become nationalised like in Canada and most European nations, most of the private profit would be lost
    ⦁ large corporations must be permitted to manipulate share prices through buybacks and curious business practices (Boeing, the airlines), but must then be protected by bailouts if their business falters.
    ⦁ the financialisation of the economy must be regulated as lightly as possible so that fees can continue to flow.
    ⦁ regulatory capture must be celebrated (under a different name). The two-way flow of personnel from regulated industries to regulatory government departments ensures that little impedes business development.
    ⦁ to ensure that the courts at all levels are staffed with conservative, business-friendly judges.
    ⦁ to ensure that environmental protection regulations do not unduly interfere with business operations

    I do not for a moment think that the billionaires and multi-millionaires conspire to run the American system. They are not a cabal; they do not meet. Rather, theirs is an emergent system: many individuals working towards their own goals will thus help others pursuing their own goals. It is like a flock of shorebirds wheeling and swooping in perfect unison; they are not directed, but they are simply responding to the actions of their neighbouring birds. The billionaires achieve this through owning mainstream media companies, funding think tanks and policy research institutes, and supporting lobbyist groups and public relations shills. And they have been astonished , I am sure, to discover how cheaply they can buy the support of members of Congress. Chump-change donations to campaign funding pays off in spades. Lobbyists have language ready to drop in to any bill, to achieve corporate aims. That’s how emergency support of American workers became bailouts for cruise companies, who are based offshore and pay few American taxes.

    And then members of Congress have to be made part of the investing class. For example, a fabulous oil & gas play is spun off into a Special Purpose Vehicle whose success is assured, and select politicians are invited to invest in it. If they cannot afford to purchase shares a private loan is arranged and documented and subsequently repaid, all above board. The company is spectacularly successful and the “investors” score big-time and repay any loans. Didn’t George W Bush succeed in an investment in professional sports in Texas, in a similar way? And by the way, how did Senate Majority Leader McConnell amass a self-declared net worth of $10 million after a lifetime of working as a civil servant at $200k per year?

    All of the rest is theatre. In this election cycle the hot-button issues are access to abortion (again), racism and social justice (again), overseas wars, China as an economic threat, Russia! Russia! Russia!, voting systems and practices, and the age and personalities of the presidential candidates. All theatre. The Billionaires don’t care about any of these things, as almost none of these things personally affect them. Safe and discreet abortion is always available somewhere in the world where private jets fly. Billionaires do not ever see people of different colour or status or class unless they choose to, and then only in circumstances they control. Russia and China are opportunities, not threats. And the presidential candidates can be influenced very cheaply. A Nevada casino magnate had the American embassy moved from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem for only $25 million in campaign donations to a notoriously cheap candidate.

    The one thing that most amazes me is how the billionaires can continue to convince people to vote against their own best interests, whether economic interest, social interest or even national interest. At one time they used “race” quite openly, appealing to feelings of racial superiority or to fears of being electorally overwhelmed by “those people”, whether black or brown or oriental or poor. When openly racist campaigning became no longer acceptable, some genius concluded that “abortion” would make an excellent substitute, as it can combine all of the race and class issues and can bring in all of the family values baggage as well. Few other issues can motivate such a wide cross-section of the American public, and it can motivate people on either side of the issue. With so much focus on abortion who has time to worry about the domination of government by corporate interests?

    Many commentators focus on the gross inequality of incomes and wealth in the USA, and a recent report by the Rand Corporation brings this in to clear focus. They analysed the growth in incomes across the entire working population of the USA for the period from the end of World War II to the present, and they found that up until 1975 or so the increase in general prosperity in the nation was shared equally across all income groups. Starting in the mid-1970’s however, most of the increase in prosperity was arrogated by the top income earners, so that the rich got richer and no-one else shared in the good times. The astonishing figure that the Rand researchers came up with was that the top 1% has actually taken all of the $50 trillion dollars in new wealth from everyone else in the 45 year period to 2020. There is a reason why so many people feel that the American Dream has passed them by – it’s because it actually has.

    The usual remedy for this sort of gross inequality of power and wealth in society is revolution. The French Revolution comes to mind, but also the Russian Revolution. I wonder what was the root cause of the great social and political upheavals in Europe in 1848? (I can’t remember.) A less frequent remedy is the rise of a genuine populist movement, one that can actually re-distribute power (and thus wealth and opportunity). As Gwnne Dyer usefully says: populism is not an ideology, it is a technique. In America, I suspect that a true populist leader could only arise at the state level, and then from outside the two main parties. If the current polarisation in American politics continues, the states may become the primary protector of social values (progressive or conservative) and the regulations that flow from them (access to abortion, gun rights and restrictions, access to health care, role of religion in public life, etc), and it may be that a true populist, charismatic leader can emerge and accrue the political power and authenticity to restrict the ability of the elites to organise state society. And that might spread, state by state. We outsiders can only hope that our fellow citizens in the USA can get their sh!t together at some point. Watching civil unrest unfold is no fun – I have cousins in America.

    #64330
    Moo Foo Bay
    Participant

    ByronBishop in his excellent overview of the American nightmare asks how Mitch McConnell became a multi-millionaire. These 5 words explain it along with knowing how he will react to any proposed legislation: millionaire Mitch, the billionaires’ bitch.

    #64331
    zerosum
    Participant


    Credibility.

    What you believe doesn’t matter.
    Contradicting yourselves

    “The CDC estimates that nearly half of all Americans (47.5 percent) have underlying conditions that predispose them to severe Covid-19 outcomes.”

    “… surviving for 28 days on smooth surfaces such as glass found on mobile phone screens.”

    Requirement:
    Better mind control tools.
    The web is causing the existing mind control tools to fail.

    #64332

    millionaire Mitch, the billionaires’ bitch.

    Capitol Hill is full of people just like him. All these people making $200,000 for an X number a years turn into multi-millionaires as if by magic.

    #64333
    Maxwell Quest
    Participant

    “RIP in 2020 to the credibility of: Chris Wallace, the FBI, Steve Scully, the CDC, Susan Page, AP, John Durham, CSPAN, Keith Olbermann, the DOJ, the Commission on Presidential Debates, Bill Barr, Judge Sullivan, Chris Wray, Dr. Fauci….”

    “Breaking: The #1 unanswered question since the beginning of Donald Trump’s presidency is “Why has no one been held accountable in “RussiaGate”? A close second is definitely “Why is there this double standard for people like General Flynn versus Former FBI Assistant Director Andrew McCabe?” These questions have been asked more than any other since 2017.”

    Gee, it appears there ARE people out there who DO ‘notice’ and DO ‘care’ about double-standards, injustice, and corruption. That is not good for the establishment, for when the tide starts to turn against them, which it always does when fundamental human ethics are continually subverted, the pent up anger and disillusionment of millions will fall like an avalanche on their heads.

    #64334
    jlpicard2
    Participant

    +1 on the awesome overview by ByronBishop. 👍

    #64335
    Susmarie108
    Participant

    Good morning and THANK YOU ByronBishop.

    Your well written piece offers precise clarity on the root dynamics behind the “American nightmare” without taking us down the rabbit hole. Yes, billionaires and CEO’s rule in an emergent system where there is “broad public acceptance of the righteousness of policies” NOT in our best interest. All of their energy and money is focused on the promotion of these ideas (basically your entire bullet point list) while our precious, exhausted bandwidth is directed at fighting one another while chasing rabbits.

    I am intrigued by your musing on populism as a technique, and the emergence of “a true populist leader” from the state level. I agree that the local frontier (including at the county/community level) will produce future leaders as well as templates for a Way forward.

    #64336
    Dr. D
    Participant

    C’mon guys, victory laps are embarrassing, I shouldn’t even have mentioned it already.

    Here’s the WHO stating the obvious at last:
    “The only time we believe a lockdown is justified is to buy you time…”

    Correct. Bought 15 days 15 weeks ago. Just 1,499 years to go.

    Also “new” CDC report that masks don’t work:
    https://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/volumes/69/wr/pdfs/mm6936-H.pdf

    (PDF unf, so I can’t screen shot that part about how 108 ppl got it wearing masks and 6 by never wearing them: so bad the math idiot’s suggestion would say that masks CAUSE Covid.)

    What else did the WHO say? Lockdowns kill more people with poverty than the disease. And quickly.

    Uh-huh. Where have you heard that before?

    Here’s Democrat-from-birth Kunstler has the same view that I do:

    What’s Behind No-show Joe

    “What Will It Take for Masks and Face Shields to End? (Mercola)”

    Why is medicine so bad, so discredited, it takes an economic website to tell the truth?
    Don’t ruin Science with your bad politics, as the NY Times already said of the WHO just last week. We need science: It’s the only thing keeping us from the deadly superstitions of politicians and reporters. (and Princeton, of course, hotbed of self-admitted racism and White Supremacy).
    What will make them end? Death of a few billion serfs and a complete evolution into eternal Neo-Feudalism. That is, the end of all human rights, unending human oppression, and the new Dark Ages. And it starts with you downloading an app! You know, from the most popular companies for millennials, Apple, Nike, who run open organ-harvesting slavery in China if not worldwide, and their most popular leaders, who set up open slavery in Africa. That’s love! That’s Human Rights for ya! “Can’t we drone this guy?”

    “Virus That Causes COVID19 Can Survive Up To 28 Days On Surfaces (AAP)”

    They said this at first: WHICH IS WHY MASKS WON’T WORK. Shaking a buffalo rattle and praying to the cargo-god on a coconut radio: they did it anyway. I said so at the time. Then they DIDN’T last on surfaces, and were pretty normal for viruses: like minutes, maybe an hour, real-world. That seems to fit the evidence better. Now 10 months and 4 billion people later they claim that’s all bunk: all 10 months of tests and experience are thrown out. I have Onnnnnnnnnnnnne test! But a news media printed it! And they weren’t “hacked” like all reporters-and-moderators when they say something schtupid, no! If they printed on the internet, it’s clearly true. Electrons told me. I can see Russia from my house.

    Okay, if that works then……………maybe you’re safe outside and don’t need to be arrested at football games, at outdoor restaurants, or my favorite: if you’re a Jew of any type protesting exactly the same way as Black Lives Matter? Yes? No? It’s whatever I say it is, in my mind. A second later, my mind changes, therefore science and reality changes, and you’re all arrested. “The Law is in my Mouth”. Shows their true enemy: objective reality itself. This is why they experience some…you know, headwinds. Men Fighting reality and all existence hasn’t proven a lasting strategy over the years. But remember, “Men aren’t women tho”, so this is totally different.

    “it’s not at all clear how we’d keep the millions of elderly “safe”

    Safe from Death itself? The age of death is 80. What exactly are you “keeping” them from? They’re statistically overdue. As in: they were born, as I was. They will die, as I will. I don’t WANT to be kept “Safe” from life itself. You’re missing the point. Life: you’re doing it wrong.

    Fauci Says Trump Ad Uses His Words Out Of Context; Campaign Says Not (JTN)”

    Speaking of fighting reality itself, and therefore winning handily in the Land of the Lost, the DNC effortlessly flips from “Don’t fear this nonsense garbage: go out to those Chinese New Year Parades you racist Xenophobes!” to, “Gosh we did everything but TRUMP, no HE didn’t do anything like stop air travel and create a task force and did everything they said while we were desperately trying to distract him with impeachment.” Why bother? Reality doesn’t exist, only lies. Like the Market! Yup, before with REPUBLICANS being cautious and trying to get an accurate measure and DEMOCRATS saying it’s nothing, now Democrats are all going to die of face-ebola diaper plague and the Republicans are still…being cautious and trying to get an accurate measure, that is, following the data down 3%, 1%, 0.1%, 0.06%, until there are no deaths and technically it’s not a pandemic at all. Technically. There has to be a certain level, and we’ve been below it for 2 months. Nevermind! I have the feelz! I live for diversity and am therefore scared of BOTH life AND death! And I deserve, nay, I DEMAND eternal health care for free forever and not to die. If you don’t give it to me … actually even if you do … I’ll riot and burn down all black houses and businesses see if I won’t.

    “Poll Gives Trump 3 Point Edge Over Biden In Florida (Fox35)”

    3 points. With a 30,000-car Latino rally in Miami. Whatever.

    “SpaceX Promises Pentagon One-Hour Weapon Delivery Around The Globe (Fut.)”

    Just like Tesla, except this time it comes in on fire and blows up all humans ON PURPOSE. …And the NTSB STILL won’t investigate.

    “a Pulitzer Prize — the 1619 Project has failed.”

    Mr. Pulitzer, of “Give me the photos and I’ll give you the war,” and “Remember the Maine!”(’s coal boiler), would be very proud. It’s almost like winning a Nobel now, with Barry and Krugman, or Man of the Year: with Hitler and Stalin. Stunning and Brave. It’s only if you’re hated, viciously, irrationally, like Dr. King or Assange, that you know you’re on the right side. 1619 is like Trofim Lysenko. But so far 1619 has killed few, but not for lack of (communist) trying. https://www.theatlantic.com/science/archive/2017/12/trofim-lysenko-soviet-union-russia/548786/

    Until forty years ago the Second Amendment right was the right to join a well-regulated militia”
    Unfortunately, this is not at all true. Not even the Militias under Gen. Washington were “Joined and well-regulated.” Hamilton wrote all about it, tediously and at length. And also the Federalist covering this topic. Yes the REASON for weapons IS to militia and not hunt, whether to muster for a war – as we had the Swiss model and no standing armies – or for a rebellion to water the Tree of Liberty with of the new oppressors, as Jefferson would have it. But the point – alpha to omega – was that every man was sovereign, and therefore every man an army, fit for his own self-defense against…whoever. Nothing changed 40 years ago either. They just started the long, slippery slope while saying all the same things they always had, while every day men were less and less able to be in an army OR to defend themselves. Also, quite clearly both sides are not equally in favor if it. They are both almost universally against it: one openly, and one deceitfully.

    public healthcare is un-American.”

    Yes, but this is because it is expressly prohibited in the 10th Amendment. You know: the Bill of (Human) Rights? “The powers not delegated to the United States by the Constitution, nor prohibited by it to the states, are reserved to the states respectively, or to the people.” Do you see health care and rigging economics in there? That is, the STATES are fully sovereign and more than able to provide any healthcare they want. And have, bankrupting themselves handily. RomneyCare comes to mind. But not the Federal. Hey, pass an Amendment if you want. I know following any law at all is passe’ these days, but it’s not illegal. In fact, that’s they only way it expressly IS legal. No one does it. They just use the courts to define what a tax is that isn’t a tax but is. But ain’t. But is anyway. And was overturned. But wasn’t. But was. And the law we didn’t pass is the only one we all enforce like a hammer. You know: like masks.

    Anyway, as you’ve noticed both Nationally AND at the State-level, America, probably due to size, is prone to vicious corruption and this method isn’t suited to us, whether it’s morally a good idea or not. We had world-class health care up until…1990. Hey, isn’t that about the day the government got involved with “helping”? It hasn’t worked a day since. They added more help in 2005 and 2010 and now it’d be a miracle if you didn’t die from their “helping”. You’ll have a cardiac when you get the bill, then live under a bridge and freeze. All 200 Years before they started ‘helping’ we didn’t have that. Only now.

    And although of course most things are emergent, just following interests, there are some meetings: we just got a bunch declassified last week. They were definitely meeting, then deciding, then sharing with in-club and denying with out-club. Canada too, by the way, probably more so, as it’s run like a country-club, but very quietly and with bigger and much-appreciated helpings of public fig leaves.

    “Starting in the mid-1970’s however, most of the increase in prosperity was arrogated by the top income” Is that when we left sound money? And yes, they are – or were – running ye olde Russian Revolution plan on America. If you know history, it’s so clear it knocks you out of your chair. Luckily no one knows history nor even the present for that matter, so they’re completely safe in screwing us all, while they drop a chicken and we bum fight.

    “I suspect that a true populist leader could only arise at the state level, and then from outside the two main parties.” Yes, and that’s prettymuch what happened. A lot of the GOP has altered, but basically there are still two parties: Trump and RINO. And Rino is like 7/8ths. McConnell is of course a great example, but Cruz and Ryan are tops, all pikers compared to Feinstein, Clinton, and Pelosi. “Broke” Clinton said. Could barely afford a palatial house in Westchester, awwwww. Now multi-millionaires again. In public. No one asks. It’s expected, unless it’s “the other side”; then of course it’s terrible. Actually, nothing matters. You can get into office “to enrich yourself” then lose money steadily, not take a salary, then still be accused of grifting to make the money you’re clearly losing, while the check stubs of all your 535 co-workers from Ukraine, Moscow, and China appear everywhere. Doesn’t matter. The only enemy is truth. #RealityOptional.

    Certainly entertaining. …If you don’t live here.

    #64339
    anticlimactic
    Participant

    LOCKDOWNS

    The original lockdowns could be justified in trying to prevent health authorities from being overwhelmed by reducing the rate of infections. Also it was not known what we were dealing with.

    Subsequent lockdowns have been justified by saying it ‘saves lives’. In what way? Everyone will be exposed to the virus at some point, lockdowns simply delay the inevitable.

    Lockdowns are imposed lightly as if they have no consequences, but they have dire consequences on businesses, mental health, suicides, unemployment, economic damage and non-covid deaths due to lack of medical treatment, vaccinations and routine screenings. Lockdowns will cause far more deaths than the virus itself – an estimated 75,000 just in the UK.

    It could be strongly argued that those imposing new lockdowns are mass murderers!

    There seems to be a vague idea that if we have lockdowns until a vaccine arrives then everything will be ‘okay’. Apart from the side-effects I think both Moderna and AstraZeneca have said their vaccines are likely to be effective on only 50% of the recipients – vaccines will NOT eliminate the virus.

    This virus does not die back in warmer weather so we are still on the first wave. Vaccines will not eliminate the virus so it is most likely to become endemic.

    We now know there are effective ways of minimising the effects of the virus, such as vitamin D. The authorities need to have a realistic approach in dealing with this, not the meaningless random useless measures they are currently imposing.

    #64343
    Arttua
    Participant

    Dr D., a correction, it was not Pulitzer.
    “Among Hearst’s employees was the famed illustrator Frederic Remington. In 1897, Remington became very bored by the lack of anything newsworthy in Cuba and cabled to Hearst, “Everything quiet. There is no trouble here. There will be no war. Wish to return.” In response to Remington’s message, Hearst reportedly replied, “Please remain. You furnish the pictures and I’ll furnish the war.”

    #64345
    ₿oogaloo
    Participant

    Has the WHO actually flip flopped on lockdowns, as the headline proclaims?

    Read the quotation carefully: Dr. David Nabarro appealed to world leaders, telling them to stop “using lockdowns as your primary control method.”

    Did the WHO ever suggest to use lockdowns as the primary control method? Does anyone in their right mind believe that a lockdown should be the primary method? Lockdown is the fallback when less restrictive social distancing and contact tracing methods have failed (or were never implemented in the first place) and your health care system is failing. Lockdown is the firewall.

    I am not sure this quote from Dr. Nabarro is all that controversial. Or that it signals any significant change. It is just a common sense statement of what should be obvious.

    #64346

    “Life: you’re doing it wrong.”
    Absolutely, Dr. D.
    Don’t you young whippersnappers DARE keep me “safe” unless I say it’s okay!!!!

    #64348
    Mister Roboto
    Participant
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