Bullshit Artists

Obama: Our ideals and principles, national security at stake in Syria

"Obama repeated his pledge that a prospective U.S. attack on his Syrian counterpart Bashar al-Assad’s forces would not draw American troops into a ground-based conflict. 'The United States military doesn’t do pinpricks,' Obama said. 'Even a limited strike will send a message to Assad that no other nation can deliver.' 'To my friends on the right, I ask you to reconcile your commitment to America’s military might with a failure to act when a cause is so plainly just,' Obama urged. 'To my friends on the left, I ask you to reconcile your belief in freedom and dignity for all people with those images of children writhing in pain and going still on a cold hospital floor.'" Continue reading →

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Interventionists Should Hang Their Heads in Shame

"Never mind the disastrous consequences of such notable post-World War II interventions as Iraq, Afghanistan, Vietnam, and Korea. It’s clear, at least to interventionists, that Syria’s dictator, Bashar al-Assad, is another Hitler who, unless punished for his purported use of chemical weapons, will begin conquering countries in the Middle East, work his way over to Europe, cross the Atlantic and invade Argentina, sweep northward through Central America and Mexico, and finally invade and conquer the United States, enabling Syrian officials to begin running the IRS, the DEA, the ICE, the public schools, the Interstate Highway System, and other attributes of America’s free way of life." Continue reading →

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Bloomberg: “Libertarians Are The New Communists”

"Nick Hanauer & Eric Liu wrote an absurd piece in Bloomberg called 'Libertarians are the New Communists.' You might wonder how people get paid to write such ridiculous articles. But then you realize that someone actually gets paid to bomb foreigners, steal en masse from the world via the monetary system, and regulate voluntary business out of the market. Perhaps it is just the evil world in which we live. Regardless, one still wonders if the authors of the Bloomberg piece actually believe in the claims that they make." Continue reading →

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NSA encryption, Latin American fallout and US/UK attacks on press freedoms

"In Europe this week, President Obama has been making similar claims when asked about NSA spying, repeatedly assuring people that NSA surveillance is overwhelmingly devoted to stopping terrorism threats. One big problem the NSA and US government generally have had since our reporting began is that their defenses offered in response to each individual story are quickly proven to be false by the next story, which just further undermines their credibility around the world. That NSA denial I just excerpted above has already been disproven by several reports, but after Sunday, I think it will prove to be perhaps the NSA's most misleading statement yet." Continue reading →

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Goldman Sachs Buys Gold; Tells Public to Sell

"Gold declined sharply in early April. That’s when Goldman Sachs issued a “sell” signal Then Goldman began quietly to buy shares of GLD, the ETF for gold. It now owns 3.7 million shares. It looked like a great call. The rubes who believed the report shorted gold. They made money. Briefly. Gold continued downward, bottoming at $1192 in on June 28. Meanwhile, Goldman was buying gold all the way down. Now gold is around $1400, and Goldman is sitting on a pile of shares of GLD, bought at rock-bottom prices. Watch what they do, not what they say." Continue reading →

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Upside-Down Economic Reporting: Higher Oil Prices Are Good.

"I see. A war looms. Oil will rise in price. The world will pay more to oil-exporting national governments. This is proof of good times ahead. The rising trade deficit (an excess of imports) is good because it will lead to more exports. 'At the same time, a strengthening U.S. expansion is helping companies in the European Union and China boost sales, which will stabilize global growth and, in turn, improve prospects for American exports.' I see. Rising imports mean rising exports. Later. One of these days. Real Soon Now. And so it goes. Economic education marches forward." Continue reading →

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When It Comes To Healthcare, Paul Krugman Is Wrong 100% Of The Time

"In a recent New York Times column Krugman pronounced Obamacare a success before it has even been tried. Why? Because the premiums to be charged in California health insurance exchange are apparently lower than what the experts thought they would be. Aah… let’s see… Everybody thought health insurance premiums would be 100% higher. In fact, they are only 60% higher… Hooray… Break out the champagne! I’ll come back to these price comparisons in a minute. For the moment, I would ask: What kind of an economist would celebrate an expected price decline without asking what happened to quantity or quality? This is an Econ 101 mistake." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingWhen It Comes To Healthcare, Paul Krugman Is Wrong 100% Of The Time

Propaganda Alert: ‘Peace with Syria Will Crash the U.S. Economy’

"Former chief economist at the U.S. International Trade Commission – and now Kyocera copier salesman – Peter Morici argues that failure to attack Syria will destroy the American economy. In reality, it is the threat of yet another unnecessary, counterproductive war in the Middle East – and not any delay in approving such a boondoggle – which is destabilizing the economy. Moreover, far better-known and more impressive economists than Morici have shown that – contrary to long-standing myths – war is horrible for the economy. Finally, a strong rule of law is the main driver of economic growth. On the other hand, institutional lying and corruption is one of the main factors hurting our economy." Continue reading →

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John Kerry and the Orwellian Language of War

"To be clear, Secretary Kerry and President Obama are not proposing a war. Yes, they will use cruise missiles to slaughter Syrians, and if they don’t like the Syrian government’s response they may even send ground troops. War profiteers like Raytheon will certainly profit. But the Secretary of State will insist it’s not a war. So, why the Orwellian 'War is Peace' attitude here? Partially because Kerry recognizes this war is not popular with the American public. Polls show substantial public opposition. When most Americans oppose war, the best solution apparently is to change the name to something else." Continue reading →

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