Middle Class Dismissed

Italian-Switzerland border checks strike gold

"Italian finance police had a lucky find on Easter Sunday during a routine check of a family car crossing into Switzerland: they discovered gold ingots worth about €4.5 million concealed in false compartments. The car was driven by a 53-year-old Italian resident of the Swiss canton of Ticino, described by the police as the legal representative of a Swiss company. He was travelling with his wife and three children, apparently going for an Easter trip. The man was immediately charged with money laundering. The ingots and the car were seized. There has been an upsurge in the smuggling of gold from Italy to Switzerland in the past few months." Continue reading →

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Cypriot Chaos Assists EU Centralization

"Today, major bank runs happen for the most part not on the street, but electronically and often within minutes. They attract minimal public attention, are easily kept quiet, and the aggregate amounts transferred are known only to finance ministries and central banks. The true magnitude of any run on Cypriot or eurozone banks is hard for outsiders to clearly ascertain. This can be used as a major weapon in cajoling EU leaders into accepting greater banking 'unity' in both the eurozone and the greater EU. Should the Cypriot crisis prove an inadequate threat to further centralize the EU banking system, then there are a number of brewing crises that might do the trick." Continue reading →

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The Real Cyprus Template (the one you’re not supposed to notice)

"So it is expected (and a bit sad) that households and businesses don't leave their banks readily, so its not surprising they stayed on board right up until the end. What is fascinating to me is that the banks that were NOT in the eurozone clearly had no idea what was coming, and the banks actually ON Cyprus only had an inkling, and that only at the last minute. Given both the timing and the form of the Cyprus bank resolution was in the hands of the ECB, as well as French and German politicians, is this astounding ability of the Eurozone banks to avoid losses truly a surprise?" Continue reading →

Continue ReadingThe Real Cyprus Template (the one you’re not supposed to notice)

Feds Identify 300,000 Americans as Terrorists

"Do you hate paying taxes? Are you fighting foreclosure? Do you feel like no one should be allowed to commit violence against you and don't always blindly follow the commands of the authorities? Do you film encounters with police or believe gold makes better currency than Federal Reserve Notes? Well you might be part of a domestic terrorism movement and not even know it. On Friday, the Los Angeles Times posted an article attempting to define a domestic terrorist movement consisting of as many as 300,000 Americans. Some are even labeled as non-violent 'paper terrorists'." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingFeds Identify 300,000 Americans as Terrorists

Look Out Below, The Obamacare Chaos Is Coming

"The harsh reality of Obamacare is that tens of millions will lose their employer provided insurance because of the perverse incentives under the program. Even the establishment CBO admits that at least 7 million, and as many as 20 million, will lose their employer coverage. Workers who do not receive employer provided coverage are eligible to purchase their health insurance on the state Exchanges with extensive taxpayer subsidies to help cover the cost. Employers can terminate their employee coverage, give their workers a raise with part of the savings, and let the taxpayers bear the cost of subsidizing their coverage in the Exchanges." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingLook Out Below, The Obamacare Chaos Is Coming

Astonishing Number of College Graduates Had Minimum-Wage Jobs Last Year

"About 284,000 Americans with college degrees were working minimum wage jobs last year, according to WSJ. That’s 70 percent more college grads working for the minimum wage than 10 years ago. Nearly half of the college graduates in the class of 2010 are working in jobs that don’t require a bachelor’s degree and 38 percent have jobs that don’t even require a high school diploma, according to a January report from the Center for College Affordability and Productivity." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingAstonishing Number of College Graduates Had Minimum-Wage Jobs Last Year

Cyprus – A wake-up call: Rethinking money

"In this documentary we have tried to capture the thoughts and feelings of ordinary Cypriots after their bank accounts got frozen in March of 2013. We've also asked them to think about alternative ways to see and use money. We'd like to thank them for their participation. We believe everyone should have the right to choose their own currency." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingCyprus – A wake-up call: Rethinking money

Investors Pile Into Housing, This Time as Landlords

"U.S. housing recoveries almost always have been ignited by rising demand from families and individuals looking for a place to live. This recovery is different. Investors—including some big Wall Street players—are leading the way, say industry executives and analysts. Their role is noteworthy given that flippers and speculators were blamed for helping to inflate the housing bubble of the past decade. Today's investors are mostly buying with the intention of holding on to the homes and renting them out. Fear of buying homes when prices are dropping has been replaced by the fear of missing out on cheap homes." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingInvestors Pile Into Housing, This Time as Landlords

Democrats push for $10K fine for gun owners without liability insurance

"A group of congressional Democrats has signed on to new legislation that would mandate liability insurance for all gun owners in the United States — and fine those who refuse to purchase it as much as $10,000. The Daily Caller reports that New York Rep. Carolyn Maloney’s Firearm Risk Protection Act says that all gun buyers — before they buy — purchase and show proof of 'a qualified liability insurance policy,' and that those caught owning a weapon without the insurance are subject to harsh fines." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingDemocrats push for $10K fine for gun owners without liability insurance