On Ignorance

“Five percent of the people think;
ten percent of the people think they think;
and the other eighty-five percent would rather die than think.”- Thomas Edison

“Any formal attack on ignorance is bound to fail because the masses are always ready to defend their most precious possession – their ignorance.” - Hendrik Willem van Loon

“During my eighty-seven years, I have witnessed a whole succession of technological revolutions. But none of them has done away with the need for character in the individual or the ability to think.” - Bernard M. Baruch

“As we peer into society’s future, we — you and I, and our government — must avoid the impulse to live only for today, plundering for our own ease and convenience the precious resources of tomorrow. We cannot mortgage the material assets of our grandchildren without risking the loss also of their political and spiritual heritage. We want democracy to survive for all generations to come, not to become the insolvent phantom of tomorrow.” – Dwight D. Eisenhower

“No people will tamely surrender their Liberties, nor can any be easily subdued, when knowledge is diffused and virtue is preserved. On the Contrary, when People are universally ignorant, and debauched in their Manners, they will sink under their own weight without the Aid of foreign Invaders.” – Samuel Adams

“There is a cult of ignorance in the United States, and there has always been. The strain of anti-intellectualism has been a constant thread winding its way through our political and cultural life, nurtured by the false notion that democracy means that “my ignorance is just as good as your knowledge.” – Isaac Asimov

“While every group has certain economic interests identical with those of all groups, every group has also, as we shall see, interests antagonistic to those of all other groups. While certain public policies would in the long run benefit everybody, other policies would benefit one group only at the expense of all other groups. The group that would benefit by such policies, having such a direct interest in them, will argue for them plausibly and persistently. It will hire the best buyable minds to devote their whole time to presenting its case. And it will finally either convince the general public that its case is sound, or so befuddle it that clear thinking on the subject becomes next to impossible.In addition to these endless pleadings of self-interest, there is a second main factor that spawns new economic fallacies every day. This is the persistent tendency of man to see only the immediate effects of a given policy, or its effects only on a special group, and to neglect to inquire what the long-run effects of that policy will be not only on that special group but on all groups. It is the fallacy of overlooking secondary consequences.” – Henry Hazlitt

“Stocks have reached what looks like a permanently high plateau.” – Irving Fisher, Professor of Economics, Yale University, 1929

“Many of the new financial products that have been created, with financial derivatives being the most notable, contribute economic value by unbundling risks and shifting them in a highly calibrated manner. Although these instruments cannot reduce the risk inherent in real assets, they can redistribute it in a way that induces more investment in real assets and, hence, engenders higher productivity and standards of living.” – Alan Greenspan – March 6, 2000

“We’ve never had a decline in house prices on a nationwide basis. So, what I think what is more likely is that house prices will slow, maybe stabilize, might slow consumption spending a bit. I don’t think it’s gonna drive the economy too far from its full employment path, though.” – Ben Bernanke – July 2005

“Facts do not cease to exist because they are ignored.” – Aldous Huxley

“But you can’t make people listen. They have to come round in their own time, wondering what happened and why the world blew up around them. It can’t last.” – Ray Bradbury – Fahrenheit 451

Pass this on to any and all.

I am hoping my readers will pass this link on to any and all.

http://hiddensecretsofmoney.com/videos/episode-4

Liberals, The Anti-math.

The latest meme from the math challenged left is that the shut down of government "cost" some $24 billion dollars!  Oh the horror!

So lets do the math.  The vaunted Federal Government was shut down for three weeks.  This comes to $1.143 billion a day supposedly "lost" to the economy because in their Keynesian fantasy world government spending equals prosperity. 

The only problem with such a claim of loss is that the Federal Government spends that same $24 billion in just 2-1/2 days!  It take the Federal Government only six days to borrow that same $24 billion.  Now add into this the fact that all those Federal parasites are going to get paid retroactively for the period that they were in essence "laid off" and I don't see where the economy actually lost any thing.  The tax payer lost because those same parasites just got a big fat 2 weeks plus paid vacation.

In the private sector when a company has cash flow problems employees are transferred to still funded programs or get laid off without pay, and if they have accumulated vacation, holiday and/or sick days they can charge the lost time towards that. 

But were not talking private sector here, were not even talking common sense, were talking Federal Government La La Land where the rules of the real world, the rules that apply to us common peasants, don't apply.  Just another manifestation of the rules applying to us but not our rulers or even their court jesters apparently.

Laws Are For You and Me But Not For Our Rulers.

Well now that didn't take long.  It was announced on Thursday that our national debt had grown to nearly $17.1 trillion, an increase of $328 billion virtually overnight.  What this means is that government has been accumulating charges on the national credit card without swiping it through the card reader.  In other words they have been violating the legislation that set the limit.

Imagine going into your local Sears store with an arm load of goods.  The clerk swipes your card and informs you that your card is maxed out.  You respond that you have applied for a credit extension and that your good for it.  You then propose to pay interest on the charge from the date provided they don't actually ring up the sale. The clerk says "OK", puts the goods in a bag and sends you on your way.

Both parties have just committed numerous felony counts, and no doubt face prosecution.  But the laws that apply to you and me don't apply to our rulers.  If they did never mind the scandal, there would be prison sentences.  But we all know that won't happen.

Fascists At Facebook? What A Surprise. Rev. 1

Well, my experience with Facebook lasted almost an entire week. Actually I'm kind of surprised it lasted that long before one of the Facebook's fascist came to realize that my nom de plume wasn't really my name. This of course led to being reported and getting my account suspended.  How shocking that they like to talk about privacy but then they try to force you to use your real name so any violent or threatening fool can track you down.  Really now did they think that I am that freakin' stupid? Well I for one am NOT. I've encountered too many violent fascist leftists in my experience on the nets to put my real name out there and expose myself and my family to any fascist nut cases.

My great offence of course was not my attempt to keep my identity private but that I dared ask questions the left does not want asked never mind answered.

Specifically, if $17 trillion is not enough debt, how much is? $20, $50, $100 trillion?  Why not $500 trillion or $1quadrillion?  Even worse I asked;  If the government can print all the currency it wants or needs out of thin air, why does anyone need to pay taxes at all?

I'm sure all the little leftists are much happier now that they don't have to be exposed to anybody calling them out on their delusions or telling them the truth.

While they congratulate themselves for ridding themselves of having to be exposed to uncomfortable contrary opinion and truth they don't even possess the cognizance to recognize the nature of what they've done. But then there's nothing really new about that now is there? 

This inspired the following note to Facebook on their feedback page:

"I find your "Privacy" policy hypocritical.  I wanted to use Facebook primarily as an instrument for political and news commentary as many newspapers and news sites have adopted it.  The expression of opinion often provokes anger in others.  With other platforms, Disqus etc. threats of violence against myself or my family are moot in that individuals can remain anonymous.  The haters can't know who you are or more importantly where you live.  Under Facebook terms that would be impossible and would constitute not a protection of but a threat to my privacy.

I would remind you that some of the greatest political commentary in history has been written, had to be written, anonymously because governments and established powers with time grow less and less tolerant of criticism.  I'd ask that you reconsider this policy but I have little doubt that message will not go beyond the desk of the individual first reading it.

Facebook has become one of those established powers of which I speak.  Ask yourself; are you more dedicated to protecting that position of power, influence and control over social commentary or to principles of freedom of expression without the fear of suppression or violence.  Sadly I fear that I already know the answer."

As Facebook is so clearly now a part of the corporatist collective I guess "Joe Martin's Ghost" and "FVS" will remain here and on those sites still using Disqus or other such means of protecting life and limb from violent fascists.

Political Arts or Politician's Farts..

It’s been said that politics is the art postponing a decision until it is no longer relevant.  So what possible event could intervene that would make  the last few weeks of Potomac Kabuki theater no longer relevant? 

Well before we get into any speculation on that let me just put out what I’d like to see happen.  Obama likes to make comparisons between himself and Lincoln.  Ok let’s see him really be Lincolnesque.  Grow some hair on your balls and tell the banks to go pound sand.  Be the Christian you claim to be and turn over the tables of the money changers. 

When the Banks told Lincoln that they wanted outrageous interest rates to finance the Civil War he circumvented them and directed the Treasury Department to create the “Greenback” dollar that was independent of any issuance of debt.  Obama should tell the banks that the needs of the nation are greater than the needs or wants of the banks and that all debt payments on paper held by the FED and the “primary dealers” is suspended until further notice and that they are prohibited from selling any of the paper that they hold as of the date of the announcement.  He should then direct the Treasury to issue the appropriate “US NOTES” as are required to meet critical needs.  He can then turn to Congress and tell them that he has done his part and they need to do theirs and set about serious budgetary reform and take a two bladed ax to all the duplication, fraud and waste in the Federal budget.

Anyone seriously holding their breath waiting for Obama to do any of this is a bigger fool than I am in even proposing it.

So what will we get in the alternative?  Nothing good I am sure. The can has been kicked down the road so many times that looks like it's been put in an automobile crusher.  The MOPE will continue until a Black Swan event, or a false flag attack occurs and these fools plunge us into yet another devastating war or a crushing police state.  Take your pick, either one will make any "negotiation" over debt limits or rational budget reform become the aforementioned irrelevance.

The Big Failure

In the aftermath of WWII the Allied powers made much of themselves by holding the Nuremburg Trials.  Both the Nazis and National Socialism itself were to be held accountable for the crimes and atrocities of the regime.  The utter hypocrisy of the fact that the war in Europe started with a secret pact between the Nazis and the Soviet Communists was conveniently swept under the rug. 

At the end of the cold war with Eastern Europe in the throes of self liberation and the Soviet Union in the throes of dissolution and chaos George H.W. Bush met with Mikael Gorbachov on the island of Malta.  The Russians were quite clearly concerned about both the personal repercussions and political repercussions for Communism in the wake of the impending Soviet collapse.  Bush, ever the “New World Order” Fabian globalist, snatched defeat from the jaws of victory and gave Gorbachov just the assurances he sought. 

Even if the inheritors of Stalin had been given a pass for their continuation of the Gulag economy, the system itself should have been and justly deserved its day in court along the lines of the Nuremburg model.    It’s quite telling of these events that the Russians have released their version (highly redacted if not suspect?) of the transcripts of the Malta meetings and the American transcripts remain under lock and key, and Top Secret classification, at the George H.W. Bush Presidential Library.

Had the failures of socialism itself been exposed to the world back in the 1990s and given the condemnation and vilification they deserved and had earned I don’t think we would have the bunch dangerous characters we have today haunting the halls of government in Washington DC, at least not with the levels of influence and power that they now exercise.

Can someone tell us the difference between this,

 

 

this

 

and this.

 

 

Don't bother trying.  Whatever their so-called political party the goal remains the same.  Power and wealth for the elites and the rest of us just get to pay for it.  They get the gold and we get the shaft.

 

A "Dry Run" For A Reichstag Momment?

And now the fascists have been handed the keys to the kingdom, their Reichstag moment as it were. Crash the EBT system for a single day, then wait for their urban leigons to swarm and riot in the streets, and their suburban sheep to beg them to be saved from the savages. They now have their manufactured excuse for martial law (what do you think all those up armored Humvees and Urban Assault Vehicles are for?). Once they have established their full blown police state some Tea Party computer hacker will be “revealed” as having caused the crash. Then the real repression and tyranny will begin.

Seig Heil