“The US is bankrupt…and it’s only going to get worse from here!”

"Jeff Berwick from The Dollar Vigilante chats with Vanessa Collette about the current state of the US economy and the latest news from the Bitcoin phenomenon. Taped at Cambridge House's Spokane Silver Summit 2013. Always entertaining!" Continue reading

Continue Reading“The US is bankrupt…and it’s only going to get worse from here!”

Paul Craig Roberts: As Ye Sow, So Shall Ye Reap

"Influenced by neoconservative warmongers who advocated America using its 'sole superpower' status to establish hegemony over the world, Washington let hubris and arrogance run away with it. The consequence was that Washington destroyed its soft power with lies and war crimes, only to find that its military power was insufficient to support its occupation of Iraq, its conquest of Afghanistan, and its financial imperialism. Now seen universally as a lawless warmonger and a nuisance, Washington’s soft power has been squandered. With its influence on the wane, Washington has become more of a bully. In response, the rest of the world is isolating Washington." Continue reading

Continue ReadingPaul Craig Roberts: As Ye Sow, So Shall Ye Reap

War in Washington: Two Shocking Forecasts

"The bond investor rebellion we’re forecasting is not unprecedented. It has happened before — in 1980, under the Carter administration. Back then, the federal budget deficit was huge, although not nearly as large as today’s. Consumer inflation was taking off due to years of aggressive easy money by the Fed, although not nearly as aggressive as the Fed’s massive money printing and bond buying of the past five years. There was fear of a hotter cold war, although not nearly as intense as today’s fears. In response, bond buyers went on strike. It was virtually impossible for the United States government to sell its bonds at virtually any price. My forecast was — and is — that this will happen again." Continue reading

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Ron Paul: New Fed Boss Same as the Old Boss

"The news that Janet Yellen was nominated to become the next Chairman of the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System was greeted with joy by financial markets and the financial press. Wall Street saw Yellen's nomination as a harbinger of continued easy money. Contrast this with the hand-wringing that took place when Larry Summers' name was still in the running. Pundits worried that Summers would be too cautious, too hawkish on inflation, or too close to big banks. The reality is that there wouldn't have been a dime's worth of difference between Yellen's and Summers' monetary policy. No matter who is at the top, the conduct of monetary policy will be largely unchanged." Continue reading

Continue ReadingRon Paul: New Fed Boss Same as the Old Boss

China warns US to ‘stop manufacturing crises’ and raise debt ceiling

"Premier Li Keqiang added his voice to concerns that the world’s biggest economy could default on its debt. Mr Li told John Kerry, US secretary of state, that China was paying 'great attention' to the issue of raising America's $16.7 trillion (£10.5 trillion) debt ceiling. China is the largest foreign owner of US debt, holding more than $1.277 trillion in Treasury bills. Mr Li's remarks, published by the state-owned Xinhua News Agency, follow comments by vice finance Minister Zhu Guangyao on Monday that 'the clock is ticking' and any US default would have global repercussions. Mr Kerry [is said to have] made clear to Mr Li that President Barack Obama was 'committed to resolving the issue.'" Continue reading

Continue ReadingChina warns US to ‘stop manufacturing crises’ and raise debt ceiling

David Stockman Explains The Keynesian State-Wreck Ahead

"'What has been growing is the wealth of the rich, the remit of the state, the girth of Wall Street, the debt burden of the people, the prosperity of the beltway and the sway of the three great branches of government - that is, the warfare state, the welfare state and the central bank... What is flailing is the vast expanse of the Main Street economy where the great majority have experienced stagnant living standards, rising job insecurity, failure to accumulate material savings, rapidly approach old age and the certainty of a Hobbesian future where, inexorably, taxes will rise and social benefits will be cut...' He calls this condition 'Sundown in America'." Continue reading

Continue ReadingDavid Stockman Explains The Keynesian State-Wreck Ahead

Have We Reached Peak Government?

"How can government expand 300+% while the underlying economy that supports it expanded by 75%? Answer: borrowing money, i.e. debt--lots of it. Federal debt has skyrocketed by 600% since 1990. This is simply part of a vast, unprecedented expansion of debt in both public and private sectors since 1990. So the question of Peak Government is ultimately a question of Peak Debt: how much money can the government borrow to sustain its current spending? Can public and private debt expand at rates four or five times that of the underlying economy? If so, for how long? If we are not yet at Peak Debt, we are getting close, and that means we are also getting close to Peak Government." Continue reading

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