Momentum

[Joseph27]

If I could be so bold to suggest that although greed has always been an overarching characterization of humanities brief stay on this planet; it is only now through the mechanisms of modernity that it itself has evolved to a point where simple and unstoppable momentum has become the zeitgeist of our time. This momentum is not part of any grand conspiracy, it is the world we are engaged in, the one we raise our families in, it is a world we can’t get off and yet one that is running into eventual annihilation through our inability to be able to put on the breaks.

So what do think - are there grand conspiracies setting the agenda for us all or has the machine simply turned itself to autorun mode and no longer needs individual architects or actors?

[baloo]

Stop baiting Mr Oz.

[BFG]

Postulating a conspiracy theory assumes that there is someone (or a group of someones) who have the capacity to organise a p*ss up in a brewery. From what I've seen of humanity, this seems, quite framkly, unlikely.

[BFG]

By the way, 22 wake-ups till HE gets here....it's too exciting for words!!!

[cromasaig]

Postulating a conspiracy theory assumes that there is someone (or a group of someones) who have the capacity to organise a p*ss up in a brewery. From what I've seen of humanity, this seems, quite framkly, unlikely.

That's just what they want you to think...

Come to think of it, there is a shadowy bearded figure, said to be hiding out in a cave in a remote location that's never been discovered. From this subterranean lair, he and his adherents stockpile literally millions of devices for simultaneous distribution worldwide. The logistics must be unparalleled.

Yet... No traceable funds. No passport. No flight plans. All correspondence to a dead letter drop.

All I'm saying is, I really hope you've been good this year.

[Tack]

Crom

Has Mr Crom got his costume ready for Monday?

[cromasaig]

Monday?

Oh God, what have I missed now?

[Tack]

Sankt Nikolaus! http://www.germanculture.com.ua/library ... 20100e.htm

[Mr Oz]

Postulating a conspiracy theory assumes that there is someone (or a group of someones) who have the capacity to organise a p*ss up in a brewery. From what I've seen of humanity, this seems, quite framkly, unlikely.

Wrong! There is a grand conspiracy, one wrapped up in the early 1900's around the theory of Keynesian economics. It's fiction and just like global warming it was a hyped and corrupted for profit for bankers, Through the nonsense of central banks and the need for government interference in free market economics. The principal failing of the theory is "Fractional Reserve Banking" where you give the central bank $2 and they print you $100 AT INTEREST from nothing. The moment they charged interest, there was more debt then the money to pay it in circulation so they have to print more money at interest to cover it etc etc which leads to inflation. Some money is lost in the "current account" ie outflows to china. But the government has to raise taxes and there is "official interest rates" to sop up this money and keep inflation in check but now there is less money then before so the printing press prints a little faster, and slowly and surely faster and faster until nobody can borrow any more money and start defaulting on those loans then the whole ponzi scheme collapses in a heap (AKA GFC).

So how do you fix the systematic failure? Print more money and prop everyone up and buy up worthless debts with even more worthless money. ie Monetarise the debt. But you have to force everyone to print money to stop one currency collapsing so foreign country loans are called in and the printing presses are ratcheted up to print "bailout money" and hope the waters settle and the serfs of the world (AKA US) begin borrowing again.

But the problem is there is nobody to borrow money as they have no or low paying jobs or are bankrupt so the printing presses will have to go on and on. Welcome to the global Zimbabwe village.

[Lili Von Shtupp]

Postulating a conspiracy theory assumes that there is someone (or a group of someones) who have the capacity to organise a p*ss up in a brewery. From what I've seen of humanity, this seems, quite framkly, unlikely.

That's just what they want you to think...

Come to think of it, there is a shadowy bearded figure, said to be hiding out in a cave in a remote location that's never been discovered. From this subterranean lair, he and his adherents stockpile literally millions of devices for simultaneous distribution worldwide. The logistics must be unparalleled.

Yet... No traceable funds. No passport. No flight plans. All correspondence to a dead letter drop.

All I'm saying is, I really hope you've been good this year.

[Joseph27]

Postulating a conspiracy theory assumes that there is someone (or a group of someones) who have the capacity to organise a p*ss up in a brewery. From what I've seen of humanity, this seems, quite framkly, unlikely.

Wrong! There is a grand conspiracy, one wrapped up in the early 1900's around the theory of Keynesian economics. It's fiction and just like global warming it was a hyped and corrupted for profit for bankers, Through the nonsense of central banks and the need for government interference in free market economics. The principal failing of the theory is "Fractional Reserve Banking" where you give the central bank $2 and they print you $100 AT INTEREST from nothing. The moment they charged interest, there was more debt then the money to pay it in circulation so they have to print more money at interest to cover it etc etc which leads to inflation. Some money is lost in the "current account" ie outflows to china. But the government has to raise taxes and there is "official interest rates" to sop up this money and keep inflation in check but now there is less money then before so the printing press prints a little faster, and slowly and surely faster and faster until nobody can borrow any more money and start defaulting on those loans then the whole ponzi scheme collapses in a heap (AKA GFC).

So how do you fix the systematic failure? Print more money and prop everyone up and buy up worthless debts with even more worthless money. ie Monetarise the debt. But you have to force everyone to print money to stop one currency collapsing so foreign country loans are called in and the printing presses are ratcheted up to print "bailout money" and hope the waters settle and the serfs of the world (AKA US) begin borrowing again.

But the problem is there is nobody to borrow money as they have no or low paying jobs or are bankrupt so the printing presses will have to go on and on. Welcome to the global Zimbabwe village.

The system certainly is broken – economies in Europe are going down like dominoes in this global Ponzi scheme and the US stays afloat because unlike Madolf, the US fed just can keep the printing presses rolling and churn out ever larger amounts of currency…

At present there are something like 600 trillion dollars worth of derivatives in the global market, basically about 12 times the total global GDP, but to really put things into perspective – if the US bailout had been allocated on paying for the these dodgy mortgages – every mortgage in the US could have been paid off, plus every non dodgy mortgage; hell they could have then spent the left over on giving everyone else a new home minus a mortgage…. But no that was never going to happen – instead they spend the money to bail out banks who gambled on the mortgages – we are not longer dealing with bricks and mortar, we are simply talking about using the countries money to pay gambling debts and keep banks afloat.

Now here’s the part that really pisses me off, the rich bankers and elites then tell us that we shouldn’t be supporting the poor who couldn’t afford their house in the first place. We blame the poor old couple, the African American single mother, or the white trash family upgrading from a caravan for causing the systemic problems… We are told to blame our neighbor and excuse our governments and financial elites. This is absurd, the best thing we could have done is to bring these pricks out into the streets and lob off their heads in a bid to cleanse ourselves of this financial virus.

The reason behind the initial post however was to question whether the banker supporting his family is simply part of the problem or whether he manufactures the problem for person profit? I am guessing something in between is the case though the super rich 1% of America and indeed 1% of the world seems to be skewing the conditions to make them more favorable to their longer term self interest. At some point the guillotine will return though that tipping point seems far off whilst the like of fox news makes poor people hate slightly poorer people with a vengeance

[Mr Oz]

I agree but the tipping point is getting closer. Just like the fall of the soviet union, the US might just wake up and say Enough! and throw their government out. But alas I don't think that will happen, I think it will be a complete social and economic breakdown and lawlessness will just take over.

It's already started with cities and counties unable to pay their police and emergency services.
Like in Oakland CA were they sacked half of the police and now request you report lessor crimes online (and it goes into a blackhole).
https://reporting.oaklandnet.com/start-report.html

[Joseph27]

Thats kind of funny but bordering more on sad... firing teachings, firing police, cramming every larger numbers of prisoners into cells; the system is so broke... I wonder what the tipping point will be? surely if you have no govt assistance, no job, no insurance, you might as well use one of homes owned by the banks and steal... then again I am sure the banks wouldnt have to report vagrants online.. I am sure that would be as close to a capital offense as you can get and police would arrest your ass as soon as you broke in. Perhaps the saddest part is that the homeless family was in a good house with a good job only 2 years ago and now these people are thrown onto the scrap heap... A question for those sarah palin votin, fox news watchin folk... when is your turn to thrown onto the heap? When do you become the collateral damage of a morally and financially bankrupt system?

[Mr Oz]

It's only going to get worse...
MuniBond crisis

[Morrolan]

the rugged individualists just shrug these things off and will hide and survive in their little cave in the mountains until it all goes away.

[Joseph27]

This video fits in nicely with the theme - no one knows how to push the stop button.... bankers go to work and keep trying to make money, governors still try to keep the system as functional as possible, people try to stay on this tread mill despite the difficulty of staying upright. This lady is predicting defaults next year... the entire country will soon be owned by foreign corporations but will need to spend every cent paying back for decades of excess however the ones baring the brunt of the collapse will be the same people who never really enjoyed the excesses.

[Morrolan]

oohh... and the oil fears are striking again!

woo! woo!

[Joseph27]

Not much we can do on the macro so taking care of the micro. It is worth understanding the risks but sometimes its better being like my wife who simply focuses on making money and not caring about whats around the corner. That seems to be a better strategy because ultimately you make riskier and more profitable decisions.