Economics
THE U.S. DEPARTMENT OF OFFENSE
With almost unanimous bipartisan support, the U.S. Congress now spends nearly a trillion dollars a year – repeat that – a trillion dollars a year, on the Department of Defense. If one includes the Department of Homeland Security and the care of disabled veterans, it is actually more than a trillion. This represents the lion’s portion of the U.S. discretionary budget.
What this “defense” budget means in real terms is that all of the physical resources, all of the knowledge, all of the science and engineering, all of the development, all of the jobs, that ...
THE HUMAN JOURNEY
Historically, two of the strongest indicators that a dominant "empire" is irreversibly in decline, are the financialization of its economy (manipulating money to make money - effectively parasitism) and excessive militarism (to defend and spread its parasitism). The US now exhibits these indicators in spades. Our nation, the United States, follows the path of previous great powers exiting the stage.
But again, speaking historically, the equation is different this time around. Humanity, for the first time, faces two great threats to our actual ongoing presence on Earth ...
LACKING THE WISDOM OF JFK
"Nuclear powers must avert those confrontations which bring an adversary to a choice of either a humiliating retreat or a nuclear war. To adopt that kind of course in the nuclear age would be evidence only of the bankruptcy of our policy — or of a collective death-wish for the world." – John F. Kennedy
The slaughter of an estimated 3 million people in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia during the U.S. war on Vietnam was based on lies.
The bombing of Yugoslavia under Clinton was based on lies.
The incineration of hundreds of thousands in Iraq under W. Bush ...
JUST MONEY SIX
“If the American people ever allow private banks to control the issuance of their currency, banks and corporations will grow to deprive the people of all property until their children wake-up homeless on the continent their fathers conquered. The issuing power should be taken from the banks and restored to the people, to whom it properly belongs.” – Thomas Jefferson
What Jefferson warned about two centuries ago, has come to pass.
People seem unable to comprehend that money doesn’t exist in nature and somebody has to create money OUT OF THIN AIR.
This ...
Friends for Peace
Following is a special opportunity to participate in a UN Committee discussion regarding the settlement policies on the Palestinian population. Do take time to read the following information and join the Zoom meeting if you can.
We also hope you can join us for the event at the Marathon County Library on Tuesday, July 25 at 6 pm for a presentation and discussion by our honored guests, Karen and Tom Getman who have devoted their lives to advocacy for peace in Palestine and Israel.
This UN event will be livestreamed as outlined below.
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JUST MONEY FIVE
The following 1-minute video shows former Chairman of the U.S. Federal Reserve Bank, Alan Greenspan, educating former Congressman, Paul Ryan, about Social Security solvency. I’ve used it before, but Greenspan’s words are relevant to recent congressional budgetary arguments. Ryan begins by asking Greenspan to agree that Social Security benefits would be more secure if a percentage of retiree contributions were invested in personal retirement accounts (Wall Street Individual Retirement Accounts – IRA’s) rather than the government run Social Security system. Greensp...
Wisconsin Budget Woes
“I see a gun constantly aimed at our feet, wondering when our next self-inflicted wound will occur...” Kirk Bangstad, small business owner and political activist.
Mr. Bangstad was talking about education funding in the state budget but his comments apply to the rest of the budget and the budget process itself. Too often the important, long term investments needed by the state and the people of Wisconsin are lost in the political wrangling and ideological power struggles.
Governor Evers and the Republican controlled legislature are busy maneuvering to achieve ...
JUST MONEY FOUR
Money and wealth are not the same thing.
Money is simply a medium of exchange – a legally accepted claim to wealth. Money doesn’t exist in nature and is generally created out of thin air by the central governments of nations. In our modern world 97% of money doesn’t physically exist. It’s just record keeping on computer screens. The distribution of money – who possesses it – determines the allocation and distribution of the wealth of a nation.
Wealth is the physical ability to provide for the wellbeing of the people of a society. Wealth is food, clothing, ...
JUST MONEY THREE
One of the most pernicious myths regarding US Federal Government monetary operations, is that our Federal government budget is like a household budget – it must get money before it can spend money. This leads to another deeply ingrained, and equally false belief – that our taxes pay for Federal Government spending.
Let these two myths, these two falsehoods, sink in - - - our Federal government has no money of its own and, like our households, it must get money before it can spend money - - - and the way our Federal government gets money is to collect taxes from us, ...
Democracy Can Quell Fake Conspiracy Theories
We live in an uncertain era. Uncertainty breeds a quest for security, a sense of control and meaning in life. That makes all of us marks for people on the make looking for someone to con. The media and internet are filled with all sorts of messages that play to specific vulnerabilities of certain groups of people. There is money to be made and power to be garnered. One of the main techniques is to spawn fake conspiracy theories. How can we tell when we are being subjected to a conspiracy theory? Is it possible to tell what is a real conspiracy and what is a fake ...