for life and liberty

6 cutting-edge bank alternatives

"Tired of plain-vanilla banks and bucks? A fleet of upstart companies and even old ones with new offerings are betting yes. Offerings range from innovations, such as virtual currencies, to older ones, such as company credit unions, that can save you money. 'Most places these days want to be one-stop shops,' says Robert Laura, president of Synergos Financial Group in Howell, Mich. Meanwhile, banks are dinging people with ATM fees or overdraft protection. Laura warns buyers to beware. Watch out for limited services or high fees. Not every alternative money source may be for you. Some are works in progress. That said, here are six banking alternatives on the rise." Continue reading →

Continue Reading6 cutting-edge bank alternatives

Germans Hide Cash in Diapers as Swiss Secrecy Crumbles

"With Swiss banks the target of an international crackdown against tax evasion, Germans who avoided taxes by keeping money in Switzerland are bringing wads of cash home and hiding it in odd places. The customs districts bordering Switzerland turned up 20 million euros of undeclared cash last year. In the Bavarian border town of Lindau, where officers once caught a man with 25,000 euros stuffed inside a gingerbread house, 2 million euros of undeclared bills were discovered last year. German border agents also hunt for stacks of papers that point to secret accounts. 'To hold a binder with lots of bank statements, that’s quite a good feeling,' said Georg Kruegers, a German customs officer." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingGermans Hide Cash in Diapers as Swiss Secrecy Crumbles

USA Is #5 in World Economic Competition

"The World Economic Council in Davos, Switzerland has released its list of nations’ ranking in terms of competitiveness. As always, Switzerland is on top. That’s what peace can do for a nation. Also limited central government, respect for property rights, and low crime. Here are the top nations. At the bottom, also as always, are mostly African tribal units that are euphemistically called nations." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingUSA Is #5 in World Economic Competition

Matt Drudge Breaks Up With Republicans, Joins Libertarians

"Matt Drudge, the founder of the enormously popular conservative news aggregator DrudgeReport.com, tweeted today that since there are no real differences between Democrats and Republicans the only two real political parties are Authoritarians and Libertarians. 'It's now Authoritarian vs Libertarian,' Drudge tweeted. 'Since Democrats vs. Republicans has been obliterated, no real difference between parties...' Drudge also asks his followers why anyone would still vote Republican. 'Who are they?!' he asks. 'Raised taxes; marching us off to war again; approves more NSA snooping.'" Continue reading →

Continue ReadingMatt Drudge Breaks Up With Republicans, Joins Libertarians

Syria and Second Passports

"You won't be any worse off by moving some of your savings into multiple friendly jurisdictions and into things that are hard to confiscate, such as physical precious metals and foreign real estate. Obtaining a second passport is also an important ingredient in the mix. The Syrian government, for example, previously refused to renew the passports of Syrians abroad it suspected of being associated with the opposition. This is not surprising and should have been completely predictable. Any government has the ability to revoke the citizenship and/or passport of its citizens at a moment's notice under any pretext that it finds convenient. Look at how the US cancelled Edward Snowden's passport by fiat." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingSyria and Second Passports

Marc Faber: “Western Imperial Arrogance Will Ignite Middle-East ‘Powder-Keg’”

"When asked what is the catalyst for the crash he expects in US equity markets (following crashes in various markets around the world), he shocks a stunned anchor looking at equity markets near all-time highs with some ugly truths - 'interest rates are no longer a tail-wind, earnings growth is not there, and emerging economies are collapsing (so no global growth).' However, with asset allocators 'swimming in the pool of liquidity' it is hard to say 'when' it will occur especially as money floods out of EM markets. Critically though, it is Syria (and the spillover) that has Faber most concerned; as he concludes that Western governments 'meddling' is 'going to be a disaster.'" Continue reading →

Continue ReadingMarc Faber: “Western Imperial Arrogance Will Ignite Middle-East ‘Powder-Keg’”

Gorbachev urges US-Russia deal on Syria

"Gorbachev, 82, said the international community must be level-headed. 'I think that we've seen situations in the past that were more dangerous and where we were nevertheless able to find a solution and to find a way out,' he said. 'A lot will depend on the permanent members of the UN Security Council. They need to show the Cold War is over, that they are able to work together,' he said. Gorbachev took a jab at France, a vocal supporter of intervention in Syria. 'I was surprised that France, instead of supporting an international conference, is taking its current position on Syria,' he said. 'I think that France will have to change its position.'" Continue reading →

Continue ReadingGorbachev urges US-Russia deal on Syria

Syria says it will never give up ‘even if there is World War III’

"Deputy Foreign Minister Faisal Muqdad also insisted that Russia had not wavered in its support, despite comments by President Vladimir Putin suggesting a more conciliatory tone towards the West. 'Syria has taken every measure to retaliate against… an aggression,' he said, although he refused to provide any clue as to what that might mean. 'The Syrian government will not change position even if there is World War III. No Syrian can sacrifice the independence of his country,' he added. US President Barack Obama is busy trying to convince Congress to approve a strike against the Assad regime in retaliation for a suspected deadly poison gas attack on August 21." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingSyria says it will never give up ‘even if there is World War III’

David Stockman: The End of U.S. Imperium—Finally!

"Next week Congress can do far more than stop a feckless Tomahawk barrage on a small country that is already a graveyard of civil war and sectarian slaughter. By voting 'no,' it can trigger the end of the American Imperium—five decades of incessant meddling, bullying, and subversion around the globe that has added precious little to national security but left America fiscally exhausted and morally diminished. Indeed, the tragedy of this vast string of misbegotten interventions is that virtually none of them involved defending the homeland or any tangible, steely-eyed linkages to national security. They were all rooted in ideology." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingDavid Stockman: The End of U.S. Imperium—Finally!

Ron Paul: Syria Intervention ‘Beginning of the End’ of ‘American Empire’

"'How many people do we have to kill?' former Rep. Ron Paul (R-TX) told Fox News Channel host Neil Cavuto on Tuesday. Discussing the plan for a possible intervention in Syria after government forces used chemical weapons on civilians, Paul said that if the president does not get a vote in Congress authorizing Syrian intervention, it would represent 'the beginning of the end' of the 'American empire.' 'I think there is a sea change,' Paul said of the debate over Syrian intervention. 'The American people are waking up. They are tired of it. They don't have the money.'" Continue reading →

Continue ReadingRon Paul: Syria Intervention ‘Beginning of the End’ of ‘American Empire’