Big Lie

The Bush-Obama Great Stagnation

"Robert Higgs has another must read in his 'Etceteras … Real Gross Domestic Private Product, 2000-2012' in the most recent Independent Review. He provides good arguments on why government product should be (and perhaps almost was) excluded from income and product accounts. He then builds a measure of Real Gross Domestic Private Product for the Bush-Obama years. Based on his calculations, he states, 'Perhaps the most positive statement we can make about the private economy’s performance during this thirteen-year period is that it has been somewhat better than complete stagnation.'" Continue reading →

Continue ReadingThe Bush-Obama Great Stagnation

Why the Status Quo Is Doomed

"Every one of these implicit assumptions has been turned on its head: growth is barely above the rate of inflation; by some measures, it has already fallen below the real rate of inflation. Debt is increasing much faster than income or wealth. Virtually all of the recent expansion of wealth/income is flowing to the top 10%. This is why the status quo is doomed: there is no Plan B or even conceptual alternative to the 'more growth forever' agenda. The oft-touted fantasy is that 'we're going to grow our way out of this,' but it is abundantly clear that debt is rising far faster than growth or incomes." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingWhy the Status Quo Is Doomed

Is There Hope for Recent College Grads?

"Since the great recession, the labor market has become an especially difficult place for recent college graduates. The unemployment rate for 22-year-olds jumped from 4.5% in 2000 — at the tail end of a historic technology boom — to 10.3% in the 2009 — 2011 period, according to a presentation Thursday by researchers at the New York Fed. Possibly more concerning is the spike in underemployment among younger workers. Those are recent graduates who have jobs that don’t require a degree, such as a salesperson in a retail store, a food server or even an electrician. In 2001 the underemployment rate fell to as low at 35%, but last year it rose to 44%." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingIs There Hope for Recent College Grads?

Young Americans may dodge health law

"Young Americans may have been among the biggest supporters of Obamacare, but they may also be the least likely to comply with the law. In 2014, benefits experts say, the cheapest option for 20-somethings will be to pay the penalty for not buying health insurance, rather than paying for any health insurance at all—that is, provided they don’t get sick. And as more young people do the math, more seem to be deciding the Affordable Care Act isn’t such a good deal for them: Support for a national health-care plan dropped nearly 11% among American college freshmen between 2008 to 2012." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingYoung Americans may dodge health law

U.S. Flag Recalled After Causing 143 Million Deaths

"Millions of U.S. flag–related injuries and fatalities have been reported over a 230-year period in locations as far flung as Europe, Cuba, Korea, Gettysburg, PA, the Philippines, and Iraq. In addition, the company found that U.S. flag exports to Vietnam during the late 1960s and early 1970s resulted in hundreds of thousands of deaths, a clear sign that there was something seriously wrong with its product. Despite fears about the flag's safety—especially when improperly used or manipulated in ways not originally intended—sales continued unabated over the years, potentially putting billions of unsuspecting people in danger." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingU.S. Flag Recalled After Causing 143 Million Deaths

Edward Snowden and Joshua Glover

"The comparisons to Edward Snowden are obvious: 'why did Glover flee Missouri? Why didn't he stay in Missouri and 'work within the system' to gain his liberty?' Yeah, the same way so many other slaves had secured their freedom! With the help of its lapdog media - with which neither Booth nor Glover had to contend - the federal government demands of Russia what it demanded of Wisconsin in the mid-19th century: the return of one of its subjects." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingEdward Snowden and Joshua Glover

17 Signs That Most Americans Will Be Wiped Out By The Coming Economic Collapse

"The vast majority of Americans are going to be absolutely blindsided by what is coming. They don't understand how our financial system works, they don't understand how vulnerable it is, and most of them blindly trust that our leaders know exactly what they are doing and that they will be able to fix our problems. They seem to have forgotten what happened back in 2008. When the financial markets crashed, millions of Americans lost their jobs. Because most of them were living on the financial edge, millions of them also lost their homes. Unfortunately, most Americans seem convinced that it will not happen again. Right now we seem to be living in a 'hope bubble'." Continue reading →

Continue Reading17 Signs That Most Americans Will Be Wiped Out By The Coming Economic Collapse

NSA collected US email records in bulk for more than two years under Obama

"The Obama administration for more than two years permitted the National Security Agency to continue collecting vast amounts of records detailing the email and internet usage of Americans, according to secret documents obtained by the Guardian. The documents indicate that under the program, launched in 2001, a federal judge sitting on the secret surveillance panel called the Fisa court would approve a bulk collection order for internet metadata 'every 90 days'. The collection of these records began under the Bush administration's wide-ranging warrantless surveillance program, collectively known by the NSA codename Stellar Wind." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingNSA collected US email records in bulk for more than two years under Obama

Civil Forfeiture Of Cash: It Could Happen To You

"Owners of property subject to civil forfeiture find themselves in an Alice-in-Wonderland legal landscape where the property seized is accused of a crime, rather than the owner. The owners must follow obscure rules that originate in Admiralty law, with which most attorneys aren’t familiar. Fortunately, you can reduce the likelihood that law enforcement agencies will try to confiscate your cash. The most important precaution is to insure the cash you hold contains no narcotics residues. If you insist on withdrawing new bank-wrapped bills from your bank account, the likelihood of contamination drops considerably. Also, keep a bank withdrawal slip with the cash." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingCivil Forfeiture Of Cash: It Could Happen To You

For those concerned about the Voting Rights Act

"It would be a mistake to assume that the Voting Rights Act in any way ensured that all African Americans were able to vote. The biggest factor in suppressing minority vote is not even addressed by the Voting Rights Act — felony disenfranchisement. 5.8 million Americans are unable to vote because of our obsession with over-incarceration and the drug war, and it hits minorities hardest by a long shot. 1 in 13 African-Americans nationally are unable to vote. Drug war incarceration has been referred to as the 'New Jim Crow,' and built right into our drug laws are enforcement incentives that make racist outcomes certain." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingFor those concerned about the Voting Rights Act