investmentwatchblog--2020-12-04--Jim Rickards: How Much Fraud Was There?

Jim Rickards: How Much Fraud Was There?

I predicted that Trump would win a close election .
I didn ’ t have the same conviction as I did in 2016 , but I still gave him the slight edge while allowing for the real possibility of a Biden victory .
That wasn ’ t trying to have it both ways .
It ’ s just that there were so many wild cards involved that made it exceptionally difficult to nail .
Well , I was correct about it being a close election .
I was correct about the acrimony and litigation around issues like mail-in ballots , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , I was correct that the winner might not be declared for weeks .
So , I got the process and the dynamics right , but the outcome seems likely to be Biden , not Trump .
There ’ s still a longshot chance that Trump prevails depending on the evidence his team can present in the coming days , but for now , we ’ ll assume that Biden won .
When the forecasts are off , I don ’ t blame the models I use .
They ’ ve been proven @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
My models told me the polls were wildly wrong ( they were ) , that “ shy Trump voters ” would turn out ( they did ) , that Blacks and Hispanics would vote in larger numbers for Trump than expected ( they did ) , that Trump had momentum and higher enthusiasm ( he did ) , and that the Amy Coney Barrett confirmation to the Supreme Court would motivate Trump support ( it did ) .
I expected that Republicans would have a stronger ground game in terms of registration @ @ @ @ @ @ @ be helped by a majority of voters saying they were “ better off ” than they were four years ago , and that anecdotal evidence such as lawn signs pointed in Trump ’ s favor .
Voter registration , turnout , enthusiasm and the structure of the Electoral College itself ( which gives disproportionate weight to states with smaller populations ) all favored Trump .
If I was right about those factors favoring Trump , what did I miss ?
There ’ s a one-word answer to that : Fraud .
I certainly @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Political rogues have been stuffing ballot boxes since the invention of the ballot .
But , I gave this a weight of one or two percent at most .
What appears to have happened in the election of 2020 is fraud on a scale that has never happened in the United States before .
The magnitude of the voting fraud appears to have been on the order of five to ten percent of the votes cast , enough to swamp an otherwise substantial Trump lead in the crucial swing states .
This @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and it accounts for the unexpected result .
The question of voting fraud has implications far beyond the outcome of the 2020 election .
If the fraud is successful , if it continues , and if steps are not taken to eliminate it , then democracy in America is dead .
That ’ s a topic for another day .

BY JAMES RICKARDS
I predicted that Trump would win a close election. I didn’t have the same conviction as I did in 2016, but I still gave him the slight edge while allowing for the real possibility of a Biden victory.
That wasn’t trying to have it both ways. It’s just that there were so many wild cards involved that made it exceptionally difficult to nail.
What happened?
Well, I was correct about it being a close election. I was correct about the acrimony and litigation around issues like mail-in ballots, dead people voting, etc. And, I was correct that the winner might not be declared for weeks.
So, I got the process and the dynamics right, but the outcome seems likely to be Biden, not Trump.
There’s still a longshot chance that Trump prevails depending on the evidence his team can present in the coming days, but for now, we’ll assume that Biden won.
When the forecasts are off, I don’t blame the models I use. They’ve been proven to be highly reliable in the past.
My models told me the polls were wildly wrong (they were), that “shy Trump voters” would turn out (they did), that Blacks and Hispanics would vote in larger numbers for Trump than expected (they did), that Trump had momentum and higher enthusiasm (he did), and that the Amy Coney Barrett confirmation to the Supreme Court would motivate Trump support (it did).
I expected that Republicans would have a stronger ground game in terms of registration and turnout efforts, that Trump would be helped by a majority of voters saying they were “better off” than they were four years ago, and that anecdotal evidence such as lawn signs pointed in Trump’s favor.
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Voter registration, turnout, enthusiasm and the structure of the Electoral College itself (which gives disproportionate weight to states with smaller populations) all favored Trump.
If I was right about those factors favoring Trump, what did I miss? There’s a one-word answer to that: Fraud.
I certainly expected some fraud, there always is. Political rogues have been stuffing ballot boxes since the invention of the ballot. But, I gave this a weight of one or two percent at most.
What appears to have happened in the election of 2020 is fraud on a scale that has never happened in the United States before.
The magnitude of the voting fraud appears to have been on the order of five to ten percent of the votes cast, enough to swamp an otherwise substantial Trump lead in the crucial swing states.
This was not factored into my models, and it accounts for the unexpected result.
The question of voting fraud has implications far beyond the outcome of the 2020 election. If the fraud is successful, if it continues, and if steps are not taken to eliminate it, then democracy in America is dead. That’s a topic for another day.
Regards,
Jim Rickards
for The Daily Reckoning


investmentwatchblog--2020-12-04--Gold Returns Above $1,800: Has It Bottomed Out?

The price of gold returned to above $ 1,800 .
Is the correction over ?
As the chart below shows , the price of gold rebounded , jumping from $ 1,763 to $ 1,811 on Tuesday ( December 1 ) and increased further on Wednesday .
As a reminder , the price of gold corrected more than 6 percent in November and almost 15 percent from its peak in August .
Now , the key question is whether the worst is behind the gold bulls .
Well , it ’ s too early to declare it with certainty , but @ @ @ @ @ @ @ are very close to the bottom – at least , if history is any guide .
After all , in the past few years , gold used to reach the local bottom either in November or December .
So , recently , there has been seasonal weakness between September and December in the gold market , with November being a tough period for the yellow metal .
Hence , the hopes about revival in the gold market could be justified .
After all , the price of gold has been in a correction @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the recent news about the vaccines – I refer here to the fact that yesterday ( December 2 ) , the UK approved the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine for use as the first country in the world and said that it will be rolled beginning next week – have not sent gold prices down .
So , it could be the case that the endgame for the pandemic has already been priced into the price of gold .
Of course , gold can decline even further in the short-term .
Wild fluctuations are possible on @ @ @ @ @ @ @ fundamental outlook remains positive for the precious metal , no matter what the case is with gold ’ s technical performance .
You see , regardless of when the vaccines against the coronavirus are distributed around the world and when the pandemic comes to an ultimate end , the global economy will not recover anytime soon .
Actually , we are likely to stay under the “ new normal ” .
Implications for Gold Under a New Normal What do I mean by the “ new normal ” ?
First of all , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
We will fall into the debt trap , so the Fed ’ s ultra-easy monetary policy is not likely to be normalized anytime soon .
Indeed , as Powell has recently said in his testimony to Congress , The rise in new COVID-19 cases , both here and abroad , is concerning and could prove challenging for the next few months .
A full economic recovery is unlikely until people are confident that it is safe to reengage in a broad range of activities .
Recent news on the vaccine front is @ @ @ @ @ @ @ For now , significant challenges and uncertainties remain , including timing , production and distribution , and efficacy across different groups .
It remains difficult to assess the timing and scope of the economic implications of these developments with any degree of confidence .
In consequence , the real interest rates should stay near zero for years .
Actually , if inflation accelerates – and this risk has increased after the pandemic – the real rates can decline even further .
The ultra-low bond yields will decrease the opportunity costs of holding the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ for gold .
Oh , by the way , the public debt is going to expand .
The fiscal packages should be finally delivered by US policymakers , which will add to the ballooning indebtedness , exerting downward pressure both on the interest rates and the US dollar .
You see , the greenback may still be the prettiest amongst the ugly fiat currency sisters , but its charm has recently been diminished because of the Fed ’ s interest rate cuts and spikes in America ’ s fiscal deficits .
It seems @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the ultimate safe haven asset , in the long-run .
If you enjoyed today ’ s free gold report , we invite you to check out our premium services .
We provide much more detailed fundamental analyses of the gold market in our monthly Gold Market Overview reports , and we provide daily Gold & Silver Trading Alerts with clear buy and sell signals .
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Disclaimer : Please note that the aim of the above analysis is to discuss the likely long-term impact of the featured phenomenon on the price of gold and this analysis does not indicate ( nor does it aim to do so ) whether gold is likely to move higher or lower in the short- or medium term .
In order to determine the latter , many additional factors need to be @ @ @ @ @ @ @ patterns , cycles , indicators , ratios , self-similar patterns and more ) and we are taking them into account ( and discussing the short- and medium-term outlook ) in our Gold & Silver Trading Alerts .

by Arkadiusz Sieron of Sunshine Profits
The price of gold returned to above $1,800. Is the correction over?
As the chart below shows, the price of gold rebounded, jumping from $1,763 to $1,811 on Tuesday (December 1) and increased further on Wednesday. As a reminder, the price of gold corrected more than 6 percent in November and almost 15 percent from its peak in August. Now, the key question is whether the worst is behind the gold bulls.
Well, it’s too early to declare it with certainty, but it’s possible. Or we are very close to the bottom – at least, if history is any guide. After all, in the past few years, gold used to reach the local bottom either in November or December. So, recently, there has been seasonal weakness between September and December in the gold market, with November being a tough period for the yellow metal.
Hence, the hopes about revival in the gold market could be justified. After all, the price of gold has been in a correction for about four months now. And the recent news about the vaccines – I refer here to the fact that yesterday (December 2), the UK approved the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine for use as the first country in the world and said that it will be rolled beginning next week – have not sent gold prices down. So, it could be the case that the endgame for the pandemic has already been priced into the price of gold.
Of course, gold can decline even further in the short-term. Wild fluctuations are possible on a daily basis. However, the fundamental outlook remains positive for the precious metal, no matter what the case is with gold’s technical performance. You see, regardless of when the vaccines against the coronavirus are distributed around the world and when the pandemic comes to an ultimate end, the global economy will not recover anytime soon. Actually, we are likely to stay under the “new normal”.
Implications for Gold Under a New Normal
What do I mean by the “new normal”? First of all, interest rates will stay low for longer. We will fall into the debt trap, so the Fed’s ultra-easy monetary policy is not likely to be normalized anytime soon. Indeed, as Powell has recently said in his testimony to Congress,
We are primarily funded by readers. Please subscribe and donate to support us!
The rise in new COVID-19 cases, both here and abroad, is concerning and could prove challenging for the next few months. A full economic recovery is unlikely until people are confident that it is safe to reengage in a broad range of activities. Recent news on the vaccine front is very positive for the medium term. For now, significant challenges and uncertainties remain, including timing, production and distribution, and efficacy across different groups. It remains difficult to assess the timing and scope of the economic implications of these developments with any degree of confidence.
In consequence, the real interest rates should stay near zero for years. Actually, if inflation accelerates – and this risk has increased after the pandemic – the real rates can decline even further. The ultra-low bond yields will decrease the opportunity costs of holding the precious metals, thus increasing the demand for gold.
Oh, by the way, the public debt is going to expand. The fiscal packages should be finally delivered by US policymakers, which will add to the ballooning indebtedness, exerting downward pressure both on the interest rates and the US dollar. You see, the greenback may still be the prettiest amongst the ugly fiat currency sisters, but its charm has recently been diminished because of the Fed’s interest rate cuts and spikes in America’s fiscal deficits. It seems to be positive news for gold, the ultimate safe haven asset, in the long-run.
If you enjoyed today’s free gold report, we invite you to check out our premium services. We provide much more detailed fundamental analyses of the gold market in our monthly Gold Market Overview reports, and we provide daily Gold & Silver Trading Alerts with clear buy and sell signals. To enjoy our gold analyses in their full scope, we invite you to subscribe today. If you’re not ready to subscribe yet, and you are not on our gold mailing list yet, we urge you to sign up there as well for daily yellow metal updates. Sign up now!
Arkadiusz Sieron, PhD
Sunshine Profits: Analysis. Care. Profits.
—–
Disclaimer: Please note that the aim of the above analysis is to discuss the likely long-term impact of the featured phenomenon on the price of gold and this analysis does not indicate (nor does it aim to do so) whether gold is likely to move higher or lower in the short- or medium term. In order to determine the latter, many additional factors need to be considered (i.e. sentiment, chart patterns, cycles, indicators, ratios, self-similar patterns and more) and we are taking them into account (and discussing the short- and medium-term outlook) in our Gold & Silver Trading Alerts.


investmentwatchblog--2020-12-04--Banks Are Bust: EU Banking System Imploding

Alasdair discusses the recent price action with gold and how it is typical for it to fall in November near the end of the option cycle .
It often rebounds in December , which seasonally speaking is an excellent time to get into gold .
He expects an exciting market going into 2021 , especially when considering the economic environment .
The dollar is looking very weak , and the yield on the ten-year is rising .
Alasdair believes there is no shortage of US dollars in foreign markets .
Companies that should have failed years ago need to go @ @ @ @ @ @ @ However , the last thing Central Banks and Politicians want is failures on their watch .
He outlines how the Target Two settlement system works between countries in Europe and the ECB .
Italy has been using a lot of non-performing loans as collateral by dumping these into Target Two .
These non-performing loans are creating huge imbalances across the EU and are not sustainable .
The banks are bust in the Eurozone , and it ’ s only a matter of time .
He is concerned about the possibility of Central Bank @ @ @ @ @ @ @ freedom .
Central Banks hide what inflation is by relying on some metrics they control .
This way , they can inflate the money supply as they wish .
They are just impoverishing everyone who is not in government .
He says , “ We are on a hyperinflationary course , and there is no exit .
No politician is strong enough to change this direction.
” At some point , they will be forced to back their currencies with gold , or they will become worthless .
Any government that relies on @ @ @ @ @ @ @ deficits will destroy it ’ s currency .
If you look at the whole range of commodities and raw materials , you will see that they have gone up along with most markets .
We have inflation across most assets , and that is due to excessive money printing .
Lastly , he discusses the benefits of silver in a future monetary standard .
Time Stamp References : 0:00 – Intro 1:00 – Recent Price Action 13:50 – EU Banking Problems 20:47 – Defining Inflation 23:44 – Government Debt Trap 28:30 – A @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Comparisons 41:05 – Golds Purchasing Power 49:06 – Fiat Implosion & Crypto 56:05 – The Role of Silver

Alasdair Macleod on Palisades Radio
Alasdair discusses the recent price action with gold and how it is typical for it to fall in November near the end of the option cycle. It often rebounds in December, which seasonally speaking is an excellent time to get into gold. He expects an exciting market going into 2021, especially when considering the economic environment.
The dollar is looking very weak, and the yield on the ten-year is rising. Alasdair believes there is no shortage of US dollars in foreign markets. Companies that should have failed years ago need to go bust so we can move ahead. However, the last thing Central Banks and Politicians want is failures on their watch.
He outlines how the Target Two settlement system works between countries in Europe and the ECB. Italy has been using a lot of non-performing loans as collateral by dumping these into Target Two. These non-performing loans are creating huge imbalances across the EU and are not sustainable. The banks are bust in the Eurozone, and it’s only a matter of time. He is concerned about the possibility of Central Bank digital currencies and the potential loss of freedom.
Central Banks hide what inflation is by relying on some metrics they control. This way, they can inflate the money supply as they wish. They are just impoverishing everyone who is not in government.
He says, “We are on a hyperinflationary course, and there is no exit. No politician is strong enough to change this direction.”
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At some point, they will be forced to back their currencies with gold, or they will become worthless. Any government that relies on printing money to finance it’s deficits will destroy it’s currency.
If you look at the whole range of commodities and raw materials, you will see that they have gone up along with most markets. We have inflation across most assets, and that is due to excessive money printing.
Lastly, he discusses the benefits of silver in a future monetary standard.
Talking Points From This Episode
November Gold Price Action
Coming EU Bank Crisis
Historic Fiat Collapses
Golds Purchasing Power
Time Stamp References:
0:00 – Intro
1:00 – Recent Price Action
13:50 – EU Banking Problems
20:47 – Defining Inflation
23:44 – Government Debt Trap
28:30 – A New Gold Standard?
31:10 – Historic Comparisons
41:05 – Golds Purchasing Power
49:06 – Fiat Implosion & Crypto
56:05 – The Role of Silver


investmentwatchblog--2020-12-04--The UK Public Accounts Committee joins the war on cash

We have become used to a range of attacks on cash with public enemy number one in this regard being Kenneth Rogoff .
The attacks are full of insinuations and claims and come with a mostly unspoken agenda .
The former have been repeated by the BBC overnight so let us take a look at them .
This is an interesting one and in many ways is really rather ignorant .
For example should people chose to hold cash at home that is their business .
There is a risk of theft but again that is their issue.Also last time @ @ @ @ @ @ @ foreigners or indeed UK expats to hold Pounds abroad .
Furthermore overseas use of your currency is usually seen as a strength and I have noted several times in the past the ECB referring to overseas use of the Euro in glowing terms .
For example it released this in June 2019 .
Indeed it is part of their strategy .
Now they are mostly referring to electronic Euros but they would have been grateful for purchasers of say Greek and Italian debt in any form including cash .
Next we can switch @ @ @ @ @ @ @ England which seems to have been expanded by the Public Accounts Committee .
Here from the latest Quarterly Bulletin is its view of its role .
As the UK ’ s central bank , we are responsible for banknote production and ensuring banknotes are high quality , durable and difficult to counterfeit .
We also monitor trends in cash usage and cash demand to understand what is behind changing behaviours so we know how many notes we need to produce in the future , and how best we can support access to cash @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
As you can see they have a general and generic interest in the matter as their role is to make sure that there are enough banknotes as well as producing ones which are hard to counterfeit .
Which is why we have the new “ plastic fantastic ” ones which former Governor Mark Carney dipped in some curry .
Actually it is more of a change in behaviour than a problem so let me return to the Bank of England for a description of what has been taking place .
Regular readers @ @ @ @ @ @ @ play as we have noted it several times before .
I doubt you will be surprised to read that the Covid-19 pandemic has given it another push .
I can vouch for that on a personal basis as I had the same ten pound note in my pocket for some time and only in fact used it when a neighbour ’ s children were washing cars to earn some money.Apart from that I was entirely electronic in cash terms .
But demand for cash notes actually rose .
Okay so step one is @ @ @ @ @ @ @ have been observing .
Oh and we are far from alone .
This really is extraordinary stuff and the Public Accounts Committee should know better .
Or they should take advice from those aware of what is taking place .
This is a call for a type of financial Stasi .
If we switch now to the reasons behind the changes in cash demand the Bank of England identifies two main factors .
Firstly a cash buffer .
Also an adaptation to changing times .
Returning to Meg Hillier MP she seems to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ be snooping around , perhaps looking under people ’ s mattresses ?
The BBC chimes in with the establishment line .
However it seems to have not noticed the amount of financial crime that goes on in banks .
This has been taking place on a grand scale .
Also some situations like Wirecard in Germany really are extraordinary .
Yet this gets ignored because electronic money is a way of enforcing negative interest-rates .
Whereas the ordinary person seems to be singing along with Cardi-B As well as Pink Floyd .

by Shaun Richards
We have become used to a range of attacks on cash with public enemy number one in this regard being Kenneth Rogoff. The attacks are full of insinuations and claims and come with a mostly unspoken agenda. The former have been repeated by the BBC overnight so let us take a look at them.
The Bank of England should be trying to track down £50bn of “missing” UK currency, a committee of MPs has said. The cash is not used in transactions or held as savings, but may be overseas, tucked away in homes unreported or being used in the “shadow economy”. The issue was first identified by the National Audit Office (NAO), which highlighted it in September. Now the Public Accounts Committee has said the Bank should “get a better handle” on the currency.
This is an interesting one and in many ways is really rather ignorant. For example should people chose to hold cash at home that is their business. There is a risk of theft but again that is their issue.Also last time I checked it was not illegal for foreigners or indeed UK expats to hold Pounds abroad. Furthermore overseas use of your currency is usually seen as a strength and I have noted several times in the past the ECB referring to overseas use of the Euro in glowing terms. For example it released this in June 2019.
Euro’s share in global foreign exchange reserves rose by 1.2 percentage points in 2018 Role of euro also strengthened in debt issuance and remained stable as invoicing currency Policies for deeper economic and monetary union are key to supporting a further rise in international role of the euro
Indeed it is part of their strategy.
The report provides background to the initiative launched by the European Commission in December 2018 to strengthen the international role of the euro.
Now they are mostly referring to electronic Euros but they would have been grateful for purchasers of say Greek and Italian debt in any form including cash.
Next we can switch to the role of the Bank of England which seems to have been expanded by the Public Accounts Committee. Here from the latest Quarterly Bulletin is its view of its role.
As the UK’s central bank, we are responsible for banknote production and ensuring banknotes are high quality, durable and difficult to counterfeit. We also monitor trends in cash usage and cash demand to understand what is behind changing behaviours so we know how many notes we need to produce in the future, and how best we can support access to cash for those who want to use it.
As you can see they have a general and generic interest in the matter as their role is to make sure that there are enough banknotes as well as producing ones which are hard to counterfeit. Which is why we have the new “plastic fantastic” ones which former Governor Mark Carney dipped in some curry.
The Problem
Actually it is more of a change in behaviour than a problem so let me return to the Bank of England for a description of what has been taking place.
While the transactional use of cash has declined, the value of notes in circulation (NIC) has increased (Chart 1). Between 2005 and 2017, the value of banknotes in circulation doubled. Even adjusting for rising economic activity and price levels, NIC has generally been trending upwards since the early 1990s. This fall in the use of cash for transactions, but continued growth in demand for notes, has been called the ‘paradox of banknotes’
Regular readers will be aware of the state of play as we have noted it several times before. I doubt you will be surprised to read that the Covid-19 pandemic has given it another push.
There has been a significant fall in cash withdrawn from ATMs (Chart 2). Both the volume and value of cash withdrawn from the ATM network overseen by LINK, a private not-for-profit company run on behalf of its commercial members, were approximately 60% lower in late March 2020 than the same period in 2019. Cash withdrawals from ATMs increased slowly over subsequent weeks but remain well below previous levels. By the second week of October ATM volumes and values were still about 40% and 30% lower respectively than the previous year.
I can vouch for that on a personal basis as I had the same ten pound note in my pocket for some time and only in fact used it when a neighbour’s children were washing cars to earn some money.Apart from that I was entirely electronic in cash terms. But demand for cash notes actually rose.
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Growth in demand for banknotes increased slightly in late March around the time the Prime Minister first announced lockdown measures. This is likely to be due to people withdrawing some extra cash as a precautionary response to heightened uncertainty. The level of banknotes in circulation then remained broadly flat until the start of May, following which there was very strong growth in the value of notes in circulation. This occurred around the same time that economic activity began to recover.
Okay so step one is part of the rise in savings we have been observing.
The households saving ratio increased to a record 29.1% in Quarter 2 (Apr to June) 2020, compared with 9.6% in Quarter 1 (Jan to Mar) 2020. ( UK ONS)
Oh and we are far from alone.
The UK is not alone in experiencing a sharp increase in the value of cash in circulation during the Covid pandemic. In both the US and the euro area, total currency in circulation in September was more than 10% higher than a year earlier, with a similar pattern in Canada and many other countries. ( Bank of England)
Comment
This really is extraordinary stuff and the Public Accounts Committee should know better. Or they should take advice from those aware of what is taking place. This is a call for a type of financial Stasi.
The money “is stashed somewhere, but the Bank of England doesn’t know where, who by or what for – and doesn’t seem very curious”, said Meg Hillier, who chairs the committee. ( BBC)
If we switch now to the reasons behind the changes in cash demand the Bank of England identifies two main factors. Firstly a cash buffer.
First, people could be holding more cash than before the Covid crisis began. This is for contingency reasons, in line with cash’s established role as an emergency means of payment; a survey by the ATM network LINK in April found that 14% of respondents were keeping more cash at home in case of emergencies.
Also an adaptation to changing times.
Second, it is also possible that cash use — particularly in non-retail environments — recovered as lockdown measures eased and economic activity picked up, but cash took longer to be deposited. Cash is often used for person-to-person transactions, such as between family and friends. Indeed, new forms of cash payment may have emerged during the Covid crisis, such as payments made by isolating households to friends and family in return for shopping or other services. Cash is also used as payment for household services including window cleaning and gardening. These services recovered as the economy reopened over the summer.
Returning to Meg Hillier MP she seems to think that the Bank of England should be snooping around, perhaps looking under people’s mattresses?
“It needs to be more concerned about where the missing £50bn is. Depending where it is and what it’s being used for, that amount of money could have material implications for public policy and the public purse. “The Bank needs to get a better handle on the national currency it controls.”
The BBC chimes in with the establishment line.
In the case of the dollar, only about 15% of the US currency supply can be accounted for – a significantly lower proportion than for the UK. Both those currencies are more attractive to criminals because they have higher-denomination notes which make it easier to smuggle or stash ill-gotten gains.
However it seems to have not noticed the amount of financial crime that goes on in banks. This has been taking place on a grand scale. Also some situations like Wirecard in Germany really are extraordinary. Yet this gets ignored because electronic money is a way of enforcing negative interest-rates.
Whereas the ordinary person seems to be singing along with Cardi-B
Shake a little ass (money)
You get a little bag and take it to the store (store, money)
Get a little cash (money)
You shake it real fast, you get a little more (money)
As well as Pink Floyd.
Money, get away
Get a good job with more pay and you’re okay
Money, it’s a gas
Grab that cash with both hands and make a stash
New car, caviar, four star daydream
Think I’ll buy me a football team


investmentwatchblog--2020-12-04--Joe Biden Wants a Huge New Tax on Gun Owners

Joe Biden ’ s gun policy platform offers support for almost all conceivable forms of government restrictions on the Second Amendment .
This includes bans and restrictions on sales , expansion of registration and background checks , expansion of buyback programs and gun-grabbing statutes , and the closing of all sorts of “ loopholes.
” 1 While we are only at the policy platform stage , where proposals are grandiose and imprecise , Biden ’ s legislative agenda will clearly be anti–Second Amendment and not a program to reduce crime and violence .
First , he wants to stop the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ on rifles when it is handgun shootings , not rifles , that are a problem and one that is mostly confined to big cities controlled by leftists .
Second , he wants to go after “ assault weapons ” and “ weapons of war ” when he should know that rifles like the AK and AR “ sporters ” are not military-grade fully automatic weapons .
Third , he would like to hold gun manufactures civilly liable for criminal acts committed with guns , a move which would shut down the industry , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ s buyback program , i.e.
, the carrot , Biden has added a gun tax for anyone who wishes to keep their rifles and high-capacity magazines .
If you want to avoid the buyback and keep your guns and high-capacity ( greater than ten rounds ) magazine , you would have to register both under the National Firearms Act , which triggers a $ 200 tax for each rifle and magazine—the stick .
The stick behind the stick is a penalty of up to ten years in federal prison and a $ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a thirteen-page registration form and providing fingerprints and a photograph of yourself .
This is certainly bad enough for gun owners and Americans in general , but if history is a teacher the end results could be much worse , potentially catastrophic .
Joe Biden was sold to the American voter in 2020 as a moderate of the Democrat Party .
He was not a conservative , but neither was he an AOC progressive or a Sanders socialist .
His image as a white moderate male was also used to help sell the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ also a time when Biden was actually a pragmatist on Second Amendment rights .
As the ranking member on the Judiciary Committee , he helped pass the 1986 Firearm Owners Protection Act , which overturned decades of anti-gun court rulings and regulations to restore most gun owner rights and reexpanded commerce by eliminating restrictions on how and where guns could be sold .
The legislation ’ s passage helped lay the foundation of the modern gun rights movement .
According to Biden the pragmatist circa 1985 : Despite his recognition of the futility @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and gun violence , the “ pragmatist ” turned to the dark side when it became politically expedient to do so .
In 1993 he helped pass the Brady Handgun Violence Prevention Act , which required background checks through a new national checking system ( the National Instant Criminal Background Check System [ NICS ] ) .
The next year he helped obtain a ten-year ban on assault weapons and high-capacity magazine sales .
As vice president , he was President Obama ’ s point man in developing legislative proposals and executive orders @ @ @ @ @ @ @ national level , and yet even that administration admitted that gun control is almost a futile endeavor and that their efforts amounted to little more than feel-good measures .
Indeed , with more than a century of experience we know that gun control does not reduce crime but rather increases it , as John Lott has demonstrated .
According to Lott ’ s evidence and that of independent researchers , no form of gun control has positive effects and most forms have negative effects on crime , murder , and mass shootings .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ improve these problems are the elimination of gun-free zones and the expansion of concealed carry laws.4 With respect to Biden ’ s proposed gun tax , what are the expected outcomes ?
The tax is certainly not designed to raise revenue , as it would raise little and entail a good deal of bureaucratic spending .
It would no doubt encourage gun buybacks and reduce gun ownership at the margin , but to what end ?
It would mostly impact responsible gun owners economically impacted by the lockdowns and unemployment .
These are @ @ @ @ @ @ @ because of the deterrence factor they provide .
The gun tax would also encourage the diversion of guns and high-capacity magazines to the black market .
Most importantly , would the gun tax reduce access to guns and in turn reduce crime and violence ?
Biden has already admitted that the answer is no : “ a criminal who wants a firearm can get one through illegal , nontraceable , unregistered sources , with or without gun control.
” Efforts to reduce gun violence through policies of red tape and taxes are doomed @ @ @ @ @ @ @ inroads of enhanced policies of restrictionism and even outright prohibition .
For example , in order to address the real and imagined problem of narcotics addiction , which was already in decline at the end of the nineteenth century , the Harrison Narcotics Tax Act was passed in 1914 to regulate and tax the production , importation , and distribution of opiates and cocaine products .
However , the courts interpreted the legislation to mean that doctors could prescribe these drugs in the course of normal treatment , as a dental anesthetic or @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , but not as a treatment for addiction .
This turned regulation into prohibition and quickly turned the imaginary crimes of blacks and Asians into very real crimes all across the country .
Desperate addicts were willing to pay high prices and commit crimes to satisfy their addictions , and smugglers and drug dealers quickly developed a black market .
Similar negative consequences resulted from the Marijuana Tax Act of 1937 , which started as a tax to reduce imagined crimes by minorities , i.e.
, Reefer Madness , only to quickly devolve @ @ @ @ @ @ @ we as a people have recognized this mistake and are moving to legalize cannabis and hemp , i.e.
, marijuana , in a state-by-state process that works in the face of federal and international law .
As horrific and far-reaching as the consequences of the war on drugs have been , the consequences of “ commonsense ” gun control laws are potentially much greater in the long run .
In a very important contribution , Stephen Holbrook demonstrates that the Nazis used gun registration information instituted and collected by the Weimar Regime to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ adversaries .
This in turn greatly facilitated the Holocaust.5 A disarmed American population would similarly be much more vulnerable to political repression .
But putting this possibility aside , Biden ’ s gun control proposals , including the gun tax , offer no possibility of improved security , while most of them will make us less secure and more prone to crime and violence .
Most importantly , they are all an affront and threat to our liberty as enshrined in the Second Amendment to the Constitution .
• 3.
“ Now Is @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Violence , ” Obama White House archives , the White House ( website ) , Jan. 16 , 2013 , obamawhitehouse.archives.gov/issues/preventing-gun-violence .
• 4.What Type of Gun Control Will Actually Make Us Safer ?
Before the Joint Economic Committee of the United States House of Representatives and Senate , 115th Cong .
( 2019 ) ( statement of John R. Lott Jr. , president of the Crime Prevention Research Center ) , www.jec.senate.gov/public/_cache/files/eb963cec-e717-4d0f-aa1a-9e5a46aff789/john-r.-lott-jr.-testimony.pdf .
• 5.Stephen P. Halbrook , Gun Control in the Third Reich : Disarming the Jews and “ Enemies of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ : Independent Institute , 2013 ) ; Audrey D. Klein , review of Gun Control in the Third Reich : Disarming the Jews and “ Enemies of the State , ” by Stephen P. Halbrook , Quarterly Journal of Austrian Economics 17 , no .
2 ( Summer 2014 ) : 264–70 , cdn.mises.org/qjae17_2_9.pdf .
Mark Thornton is a Senior Fellow at the Mises Institute and the book review editor of the Quarterly Journal of Austrian Economics .
He has authored seven books and is a frequent guest on national radio shows .

by Mark Thornton via Mises
Joe Biden’s gun policy platform offers support for almost all conceivable forms of government restrictions on the Second Amendment. This includes bans and restrictions on sales, expansion of registration and background checks, expansion of buyback programs and gun-grabbing statutes, and the closing of all sorts of “loopholes.”1
While we are only at the policy platform stage, where proposals are grandiose and imprecise, Biden’s legislative agenda will clearly be anti–Second Amendment and not a program to reduce crime and violence. First, he wants to stop the “gun violence epidemic” with restriction on rifles when it is handgun shootings, not rifles, that are a problem and one that is mostly confined to big cities controlled by leftists. Second, he wants to go after “assault weapons” and “weapons of war” when he should know that rifles like the AK and AR “sporters” are not military-grade fully automatic weapons. Third, he would like to hold gun manufactures civilly liable for criminal acts committed with guns, a move which would shut down the industry, the true goal.In support of the government’s buyback program, i.e., the carrot, Biden has added a gun tax for anyone who wishes to keep their rifles and high-capacity magazines. If you want to avoid the buyback and keep your guns and high-capacity (greater than ten rounds) magazine, you would have to register both under the National Firearms Act, which triggers a $200 tax for each rifle and magazine—the stick. The stick behind the stick is a penalty of up to ten years in federal prison and a $10,000 fine. Registration involves filling out a thirteen-page registration form and providing fingerprints and a photograph of yourself.
This is certainly bad enough for gun owners and Americans in general, but if history is a teacher the end results could be much worse, potentially catastrophic.
Joe Biden was sold to the American voter in 2020 as a moderate of the Democrat Party. He was not a conservative, but neither was he an AOC progressive or a Sanders socialist. His image as a white moderate male was also used to help sell the voters on Barack Obama.
There was also a time when Biden was actually a pragmatist on Second Amendment rights. As the ranking member on the Judiciary Committee, he helped pass the 1986 Firearm Owners Protection Act, which overturned decades of anti-gun court rulings and regulations to restore most gun owner rights and reexpanded commerce by eliminating restrictions on how and where guns could be sold. The legislation’s passage helped lay the foundation of the modern gun rights movement. According to Biden the pragmatist circa 1985:
During my 12.5 years as a Member of this body, I have never believed that additional gun control or Federal registration of guns would reduce crime. I am convinced that a criminal who wants a firearm can get one through illegal, nontraceable, unregistered sources, with or without gun control. In my opinion a national register or ban of handguns would be impossible to carry out and may not result in reductions in crime.2
Despite his recognition of the futility of using gun control to reduce crime and gun violence, the “pragmatist” turned to the dark side when it became politically expedient to do so. In 1993 he helped pass the Brady Handgun Violence Prevention Act, which required background checks through a new national checking system (the National Instant Criminal Background Check System [NICS]). The next year he helped obtain a ten-year ban on assault weapons and high-capacity magazine sales.
As vice president, he was President Obama’s point man in developing legislative proposals and executive orders to shore up gun control at the national level, and yet even that administration admitted that gun control is almost a futile endeavor and that their efforts amounted to little more than feel-good measures.
While no law or set of laws will end gun violence, it is clear that the American people want action. If even one child’s life can be saved, then we need to act. Now is the time to do the right thing for our children, our communities, and the country we love.3
Indeed, with more than a century of experience we know that gun control does not reduce crime but rather increases it, as John Lott has demonstrated. According to Lott’s evidence and that of independent researchers, no form of gun control has positive effects and most forms have negative effects on crime, murder, and mass shootings. Indeed, the most noteworthy policies that improve these problems are the elimination of gun-free zones and the expansion of concealed carry laws.4
With respect to Biden’s proposed gun tax, what are the expected outcomes? The tax is certainly not designed to raise revenue, as it would raise little and entail a good deal of bureaucratic spending. It would no doubt encourage gun buybacks and reduce gun ownership at the margin, but to what end? It would mostly impact responsible gun owners economically impacted by the lockdowns and unemployment. These are the gun owners who reduce crime rates because of the deterrence factor they provide. The gun tax would also encourage the diversion of guns and high-capacity magazines to the black market.
We are primarily funded by readers. Please subscribe and donate to support us!
Most importantly, would the gun tax reduce access to guns and in turn reduce crime and violence? Biden has already admitted that the answer is no: “a criminal who wants a firearm can get one through illegal, nontraceable, unregistered sources, with or without gun control.” Efforts to reduce gun violence through policies of red tape and taxes are doomed to fail and only lead to further inroads of enhanced policies of restrictionism and even outright prohibition.
For example, in order to address the real and imagined problem of narcotics addiction, which was already in decline at the end of the nineteenth century, the Harrison Narcotics Tax Act was passed in 1914 to regulate and tax the production, importation, and distribution of opiates and cocaine products.
However, the courts interpreted the legislation to mean that doctors could prescribe these drugs in the course of normal treatment, as a dental anesthetic or for short-term pain management, for example, but not as a treatment for addiction. This turned regulation into prohibition and quickly turned the imaginary crimes of blacks and Asians into very real crimes all across the country. Desperate addicts were willing to pay high prices and commit crimes to satisfy their addictions, and smugglers and drug dealers quickly developed a black market.
Similar negative consequences resulted from the Marijuana Tax Act of 1937, which started as a tax to reduce imagined crimes by minorities, i.e., Reefer Madness, only to quickly devolve into an outright prohibition. Fortunately, we as a people have recognized this mistake and are moving to legalize cannabis and hemp, i.e., marijuana, in a state-by-state process that works in the face of federal and international law.
As horrific and far-reaching as the consequences of the war on drugs have been, the consequences of “commonsense” gun control laws are potentially much greater in the long run. In a very important contribution, Stephen Holbrook demonstrates that the Nazis used gun registration information instituted and collected by the Weimar Regime to rapidly disarm the Jews and other political adversaries. This in turn greatly facilitated the Holocaust.5 A disarmed American population would similarly be much more vulnerable to political repression.
But putting this possibility aside, Biden’s gun control proposals, including the gun tax, offer no possibility of improved security, while most of them will make us less secure and more prone to crime and violence. Most importantly, they are all an affront and threat to our liberty as enshrined in the Second Amendment to the Constitution.
1.“The Biden Plan to End Our Gun Violence Epidemic,” JoeBiden.com, accessed Dec. 1, 2020, joebiden.com/gunsafety/.
2.131 Cong. Rec. S18229 (July 9, 1985), www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/GPO-CRECB-1985-pt13/pdf/GPO-CRECB-1985-pt13-4-2.pdf.
3.“Now Is the Time to Do Something about Gun Violence,” Obama White House archives, the White House (website), Jan. 16, 2013, obamawhitehouse.archives.gov/issues/preventing-gun-violence.
4.What Type of Gun Control Will Actually Make Us Safer? Before the Joint Economic Committee of the United States House of Representatives and Senate, 115th Cong. (2019) (statement of John R. Lott Jr., president of the Crime Prevention Research Center), www.jec.senate.gov/public/_cache/files/eb963cec-e717-4d0f-aa1a-9e5a46aff789/john-r.-lott-jr.-testimony.pdf.
5.Stephen P. Halbrook, Gun Control in the Third Reich: Disarming the Jews and “Enemies of the State” (Oakland, CA: Independent Institute, 2013); Audrey D. Klein, review of Gun Control in the Third Reich: Disarming the Jews and “Enemies of the State,” by Stephen P. Halbrook, Quarterly Journal of Austrian Economics 17, no. 2 (Summer 2014): 264–70, cdn.mises.org/qjae17_2_9.pdf.
Author:
Contact Mark Thornton
Mark Thornton is a Senior Fellow at the Mises Institute and the book review editor of the Quarterly Journal of Austrian Economics. He has authored seven books and is a frequent guest on national radio shows.


investmentwatchblog--2020-12-04--Governor wants kids to rat out their parents’ Covid violations

Are you ready for this week ’ s absurdity ?
Here ’ s our Friday roll-up of the most ridiculous stories from around the world that are threats to your liberty , risks to your prosperity… and on occasion , inspiring poetic justice .
90 year old nursing home resident chooses assisted suicide over another lockdown A Canadian woman , Nancy Russel , was as healthy as a 90 year old could be .
But she chose to die rather than go through another lockdown at her nursing home , and the isolation which comes with it .
Canada does @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to qualify for medically assisted suicide .
But still , the first time Nancy applied she was denied .
But the second time she asked to die , “ more concrete medical health issues ” had developed , and she was approved .
Nancy was allowed to die surrounded by family , singing a song she chose , instead of alone and depressed .
What is wrong with this world that a government would rather assist someone to die rather than allow people to live their lives ?
Click here to read the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the Governor of Vermont hopped on Twitter– which is apparently the only platform now for making important announcements .
He started by shaming and guilt tripping anyone who dared to celebrate Thanksgiving with family .
So the Vermont Department of Education instructed schools to interrogate children about what they did over Thanksgiving weekend , so that they can inform on their families .
Click here to read the Twitter stream .
Hypocrisy Roundup : The Latest Politicians Who Broke Their Own Rules You ’ ve probably already heard about Governor Newsom of California @ @ @ @ @ @ @ maskless birthday dinner party .
Or Nancy Pelosi demanding a salon open up to do her hair , when it was supposed to be closed according to San Francisco ’ s lockdown rules .
But it ’ s not just these top politicians guilty of COVID hypocrisy .
It seems like everyone from Governors to County Dog Catchers feel like they are above the laws they create and enforce on the peasants .
Last month , the Mayor of Austin appeared on screen , from Mexico , and told Austin residents : “ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ can .
This is not the time to relax.
” The Wednesday before Thanksgiving , the Mayor of Denver Tweeted to “ avoid travel if you can.
” 30 minutes later , he boarded a flight to Houston , and then drove to Mississippi to spend Thanksgiving with his family .
Last week the Los Angeles County Supervisor voted to ban outdoor dining .
And just a few hours later , she was seen dining out at an LA restaurant .
Peasants !
The rules are for thee , not for me .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ against proposed new rules which could see them punished for free speech critical of certain ideas .
The governing body of the University proposed forcing professors to be respectful of all opinions and identities .
But Professors say the wording of the new rules is so vague , that it could neuter their ability to state an opinion .
One Cambridge Professor claims that the “ Stalinist left among the student union who like to “ cancel ” people ” are responsible for trying to restrict any controversial speech .
In turn , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ among them , making it harder to ban or disinvite campus speakers because of student protests .
Interesting to see the professors take a stand against mob rule on campus .
They have likely painted targets on themselves for the woke mob .
Click here to read the full story .
Biden already signals reckless abandon on spending and debt The incoming presidential administration wants Neera Tanden to lead the US Office of Budget and Management .
This former Hillary Clinton Aide wrote an article at the beginning of the pandemic titled : @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Factor Into Coronavirus Recession Response.
” She argued , “ Deficits and debt pose no comparable risk [ to COVID-19 ] .
Policymakers should set aside their concerns about red ink and deliver the response the crisis demands.
” Sure , let ’ s continue to pretend that massive debts and the devaluing of the dollar will have no impact , ever .
This is just another clear signal that debt and money printing will only accelerate , stealing from future generations .
Click here to read the full story .

by Team Sovereign Man
Are you ready for this week’s absurdity? Here’s our Friday roll-up of the most ridiculous stories from around the world that are threats to your liberty, risks to your prosperity… and on occasion, inspiring poetic justice.
90 year old nursing home resident chooses assisted suicide over another lockdown
A Canadian woman, Nancy Russel, was as healthy as a 90 year old could be.
But she chose to die rather than go through another lockdown at her nursing home, and the isolation which comes with it.
Canada does not require a terminal illness in order to qualify for medically assisted suicide. But still, the first time Nancy applied she was denied.
But the second time she asked to die, “more concrete medical health issues” had developed, and she was approved.
Nancy was allowed to die surrounded by family, singing a song she chose, instead of alone and depressed.
What is wrong with this world that a government would rather assist someone to die rather than allow people to live their lives?
Click here to read the full story.
Governor Instructs Schools to Interrogate Children About Thanksgiving Gatherings
Just before Thanksgiving, the Governor of Vermont hopped on Twitter– which is apparently the only platform now for making important announcements.
He started by shaming and guilt tripping anyone who dared to celebrate Thanksgiving with family.
He continued:
“Unfortunately, we know some will still get together and schools have asked for help.
@VTEducation will direct schools to ask students or parents if they were part of multi-family gatherings and if the answer is yes, they’ll need to go remote for 14 days or 7 days and a test.”
So the Vermont Department of Education instructed schools to interrogate children about what they did over Thanksgiving weekend, so that they can inform on their families.
Click here to read the Twitter stream.
Hypocrisy Roundup: The Latest Politicians Who Broke Their Own Rules
You’ve probably already heard about Governor Newsom of California breaking his own rules to attend a maskless birthday dinner party.
Or Nancy Pelosi demanding a salon open up to do her hair, when it was supposed to be closed according to San Francisco’s lockdown rules.
But it’s not just these top politicians guilty of COVID hypocrisy.
It seems like everyone from Governors to County Dog Catchers feel like they are above the laws they create and enforce on the peasants.
We are primarily funded by readers. Please subscribe and donate to support us!
Last month, the Mayor of Austin appeared on screen, from Mexico, and told Austin residents: “We need to stay home if you can. This is not the time to relax.”
The Wednesday before Thanksgiving, the Mayor of Denver Tweeted to “avoid travel if you can.” 30 minutes later, he boarded a flight to Houston, and then drove to Mississippi to spend Thanksgiving with his family.
Last week the Los Angeles County Supervisor voted to ban outdoor dining. And just a few hours later, she was seen dining out at an LA restaurant.
Peasants! The rules are for thee, not for me.
Cambridge professors fight back against new free speech rules
Cambridge University professors are taking a stand against proposed new rules which could see them punished for free speech critical of certain ideas.
The governing body of the University proposed forcing professors to be respectful of all opinions and identities. But Professors say the wording of the new rules is so vague, that it could neuter their ability to state an opinion.
One Cambridge Professor claims that the “Stalinist left among the student union who like to “cancel” people” are responsible for trying to restrict any controversial speech.
In turn, professors proposed amendments to the rules, among them, making it harder to ban or disinvite campus speakers because of student protests.
Interesting to see the professors take a stand against mob rule on campus. They have likely painted targets on themselves for the woke mob.
Click here to read the full story.
Biden already signals reckless abandon on spending and debt
The incoming presidential administration wants Neera Tanden to lead the US Office of Budget and Management.
This former Hillary Clinton Aide wrote an article at the beginning of the pandemic titled: “Deficit and Debt Shouldn’t Factor Into Coronavirus Recession Response.”
She argued, “Deficits and debt pose no comparable risk [to COVID-19]. Policymakers should set aside their concerns about red ink and deliver the response the crisis demands.”
Sure, let’s continue to pretend that massive debts and the devaluing of the dollar will have no impact, ever.
This is just another clear signal that debt and money printing will only accelerate, stealing from future generations.
Click here to read the full story.


investmentwatchblog--2020-12-04--VIDEO: Asked if he still had confidence in Attorney General Bill Barr, Pres. Trump says, “Ask me tha

VIDEO: Asked if he still had confidence in Attorney General Bill Barr, Pres. Trump says, “Ask me that in a number of weeks from now.”

Asked if he still had confidence in Attorney General Bill Barr , Pres .
Trump says , `` Ask me @ @ @ @ @ weeks from now . ''
t.co/8V9PU3kdro pic.twitter.com/5WmbcDVggy

Asked if he still had confidence in Attorney General Bill Barr, Pres. Trump says, "Ask me that in a number of weeks from now." t.co/8V9PU3kdro pic.twitter.com/5WmbcDVggy
— ABC News (@ABC) December 3, 2020


investmentwatchblog--2020-12-04--And it’s official… Corporate bonds now yield less than inflation expectation for the first time in h

And it’s official… Corporate bonds now yield less than inflation expectation for the first time in history.

Corporate bonds now yield less than inflation expectation for the first time in history .

And it’s official……..
Corporate bonds now yield less than inflation expectation for the first time in history.
BRRRRRRRRRRR……… pic.twitter.com/uuJsrkVSzY
— Otavio (Tavi) Costa (@TaviCosta) December 3, 2020


investmentwatchblog--2020-12-04--We have not found a President Elect yet. But you know what we have found? 600k+ illegal votes in PA;

We have not found a President Elect yet. But you know what we have found? 600k+ illegal votes in PA; 120-330k illegal votes in GA; 400k illegal votes in MI; 200k illegal votes in WI; 40-110k illegal votes in NV; 400k illegal votes in AZ

Important to note : It appears Georgia will flip for Trump .
It also appears PA will follow suit .
@ @ @ @ @ to Trump , that puts Biden at 270 .
[ Edited ] The chances of @ @ @ @ @ this point he would need only one faithless elector to bring Biden under 270 .
@ @ @ @ @ PA , they would 1 ) not request date AFTER deadline , 2 ) motion @ @ @

Good Friday Morning! We have not found a #PresElect yet! But you know what we have found? PA: 600k+ illegal votes
GA: 120-330k illegal votes
MI: 400k illegal votes
WI: 200k illegal votes
NV: 40-110k illegal votes
AZ: 400k illegal votes — Kevin McCullough (@KMCRadio) December 4, 2020
Important to note: It appears Georgia will flip for Trump. It also appears PA will follow suit.
If GA and PA go to Trump, that puts Biden at 270. [Edited]
The chances of this are likely. At this point he would need only one faithless elector to bring Biden under 270.
We are primarily funded by readers. Please subscribe and donate to support us!
If Justices were leaning toward PA, they would 1) not request date AFTER deadline, 2) motion to dismiss.
Yesterday we learned a forensics examination of a Ware County, GA #DominionVotingSystems machine found votes were switched from @realDonaldTrump to @JoeBiden. This is one machine in one county in one state. Did this happen elsewhere? We need to know! EXAMINE ALL THE MACHINES! — Rep. Jody Hice (@CongressmanHice) December 4, 2020
h/t axolotl_peyotl


investmentwatchblog--2020-12-04--Amazing store front advertising slamming democrats

We The People are fighting back !

Holy cow this is absolutely spectacular.
Kitsons in Los Angeles.
We The People are fighting back!
🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸 pic.twitter.com/JfeGEuL4B7
— Dave Rubin (@RubinReport) December 3, 2020


investmentwatchblog--2020-12-04--War with Iran on the horizon as Intel shows the U.S. has deployed THAAD in Saudi

The US has reportedly moved a THAAD battery into Saudi Arabia – really big sign of conflict with Iran soon
— 🌲 emperor inteIwave 🌲 (@inteldotwav) December 3, 2020


investmentwatchblog--2020-12-04--Meltdown as Fraud Exposed: Watch Michigan Rep Cynthia A. Johnson MELTDOWN as the Biden Cheating Scan

Meltdown as Fraud Exposed: Watch Michigan Rep Cynthia A. Johnson MELTDOWN as the Biden Cheating Scandal becomes EXPOSED

As one of the funnier moments as democrats become unhinged while their Biden Cheating Scandal becomes exposed , this is @ @ @ @ @ Cynthia A. Johnson fucking LOSES IT !
Enjoy !
That ’ s a mighty big @ @ @ @ @ the boxes of hidden ballots appeared .
So one of the boxes from # suitcasegate @ @ @ @ @ , 2 % trump .
This is the dumbest coup attempt in history

As one of the funnier moments as democrats become unhinged while their Biden Cheating Scandal becomes exposed, this is the moment Michigan Democratic Rep Cynthia A. Johnson fucking LOSES IT! Enjoy!
Related:
That’s a mighty big jump the same time as the boxes of hidden ballots appeared.
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BREAKING: Gov. Brian Kemp calls for a 'signature audit' after new surveillance video shown today in Georgia. pic.twitter.com/5jWMdIlOim — Benny (@bennyjohnson) December 4, 2020
So one of the boxes from #suitcasegate was 98% biden votes, 2% trump. This is the dumbest coup attempt in history
.@RudyGiuliani has 5,000 sworn affidavits… Five Thousand! — Sam Girgis (@DrSamGirgis) December 4, 2020
h/t I_am_Not_A_Robot_13


investmentwatchblog--2020-12-04--“Did Joe Biden just leak their secret strategy to elevate Kamala to office? Dementia is no joke folk

“Did Joe Biden just leak their secret strategy to elevate Kamala to office? Dementia is no joke folks.”

USPS Contractor : `` I 'm not a Trump supporter .
I 'm not a Biden supporter either ...
But @ @ @ @ @ in Wisconsin during the presidential election - and the American people have a right to @ @ @

This was a wild slip up. Am I missing something? Let me know! t.co/Nduf9IYzPL
— An0maly (@LegendaryEnergy) December 4, 2020


investmentwatchblog--2020-12-04--Small business owner interrupts live coverage to encourage people to fight back against the Coronavi

Small business owner interrupts live coverage to encourage people to fight back against the Coronavirus tyranny.

Small business owner interrupts live coverage to encourage people to fight back against the # Coronavirus # tyranny .
pic.twitter.com/LFVC8LZMeJ

Small business owner interrupts live coverage to encourage people to fight back against the #Coronavirus #tyranny. pic.twitter.com/LFVC8LZMeJ
— Alternative News (@NewsAlternative) December 3, 2020


investmentwatchblog--2020-12-04--4 Warning Signs in the November Jobs Report: ‘This Feels Like the Calm Before the Storm’…. America’s

4 Warning Signs in the November Jobs Report: ‘This Feels Like the Calm Before the Storm’…. America’s Hidden Depression

4 Warning Signs in the November Jobs Report : ‘ This Feels Like the Calm Before the Storm ’ The U.S. economy added jobs in November and the unemployment rate fell .
But trouble is brewing under the surface , according to economists .
Biden Warns the Economy Is Stalling After ‘ Dire ’ Jobs Report , Calls for ‘ Urgent Action ’ on Stimulus Biden said Friday ’ s underwhelming jobs report foreshadows a “ dark winter ” that demands “ urgent action ” from Trump and Congress .
Southwest Airlines Notifies Nearly 7,000 Employees That They May Be @ @ @ @ @ @ @ laid off a worker in its 49-year history , notified 6,828 employees Thursday that they may be involuntarily furloughed next year .
Hospitality Industry Sees Job Growth Come to a Halt , With Little Hope Ahead Signs of hope for workers in the hard-hit Hospitality field all but disappeared in November , and their prospects for getting re-hired grow bleaker by the month .
Restaurant Industry Loses Jobs for the First Time Since April as New Restrictions Hit Employment Food and drinking places lost 17,400 jobs in November , and the industry has @ @ @ @ @ @ @ There is a recovery happening .
But it ’ s helping some people immensely and others not at all .
And it ’ s that second part that poses a massive risk to the Biden-Harris administration ’ s chance of success .

The U.S. economy added jobs in November and the unemployment rate fell. But trouble is brewing under the surface, according to economists.
Biden said Friday’s underwhelming jobs report foreshadows a “dark winter” that demands “urgent action” from Trump and Congress.
Southwest Airlines, which has never laid off a worker in its 49-year history, notified 6,828 employees Thursday that they may be involuntarily furloughed next year.
We are primarily funded by readers. Please subscribe and donate to support us!
Signs of hope for workers in the hard-hit Hospitality field all but disappeared in November, and their prospects for getting re-hired grow bleaker by the month.
Food and drinking places lost 17,400 jobs in November, and the industry has an unemployment rate of 13.8%.
There is a recovery happening. But it’s helping some people immensely and others not at all. And it’s that second part that poses a massive risk to the Biden-Harris administration’s chance of success.


investmentwatchblog--2020-12-04--I’ve never seen so many really-extreme sentiment readings. I realize price/momentum/breadth are very

I’ve never seen so many really-extreme sentiment readings. I realize price/momentum/breadth are very, very positive, but if — if — this thing ever goes down we’re going to look back at the sentiment stuff and say “Of course; it was obvious.”  The market is a cruel mistress…

I've never seen so many really-extreme sentiment readings. I realize price/momentum/breadth are very, very positive, but if — if — this thing ever goes down we're going to look back at the sentiment stuff and say "Of course; it was obvious." The market is a cruel mistress… — Walter Deemer (@WalterDeemer) December 4, 2020
It can be powerful when you review data with an open mind. pic.twitter.com/2m6K7gl29C — Chris Ciovacco (@CiovaccoCapital) December 4, 2020
It’s time to trade Caracas stock market.. at least you know that the economy sucks for real — Alessio Urban (@AlessioUrban) December 4, 2020
Buy stocks: a meteor strike adds pressure to the Fed to ease policy further at its next meeting t.co/foHF2hfeCv — zerohedge (@zerohedge) December 4, 2020
This is incredible. The CEO of the software company $SNOW is currently on a compensation package that's netting him $95 million in stock options every single month. t.co/0cb59T7o5C — Joe Weisenthal (@TheStalwart) December 4, 2020
Put/call ratio hits 10 year low pic.twitter.com/BSNGyyhj6D — zerohedge (@zerohedge) December 4, 2020
Bitcoin is potentially facing some serious technical headways… the daily DeMark is showing a cluster on 2 13's and a 9 and tomorrow might put in ANOTHER 13! pic.twitter.com/TNPpLfR2nH — Raoul Pal (@RaoulGMI) December 4, 2020


investmentwatchblog--2020-12-04--Anon: “BOMBSHELL: The Votes During the TIME They Were COUNTING THE SECRET BALLOTS!

Someone has estimated that each of the suitcases could contain about 6,000 ballots , for a total of 24,000 , @ @ @ @ @ amount dumped at 12:18AM .
Georgia recount worker with 20 years of experience handling ballots @ @ @ @ @ stood out `` there was a different feel . ''
`` Pristine '' sheets `` @ @ @ @ @ the paper '' with `` no markings '' and *98 % FOR BIDEN*❗

Someone has estimated that each of the suitcases could contain about 6,000 ballots, for a total of 24,000, which is almost exactly the amount dumped at 12:18AM.
Georgia recount worker with 20 years of experience handling ballots described an odd batch that stood out "there was a different feel."
"Pristine" sheets "difference in the texture of the paper" with "no markings" and *98% FOR BIDEN*❗
Source: t.co/k7yJWIJA3z pic.twitter.com/V7k5qpjMd0
— Kanekoa (@KanekoaTheGreat) November 22, 2020


investmentwatchblog--2020-12-04--VIDEO: Georgia Senator Elena Parent: The Voting Machines and NOT Secure And They Are Destroying Peop

VIDEO: Georgia Senator Elena Parent: The Voting Machines and NOT Secure And They Are Destroying People’s Faith in Voting Results

ALERT : Video of Dominion employee Gwinnett County Election manipulating the data in real time by using a USB and @ @ @ @ @ back in to the Dominion system .
Dominion is compromised .

On March 13th 2019, GA Senator Elena Parent astutely spoke against the passage of HB316.If you want to understand the depravity of the current and apocalyptic state of Democracy in Georgia, you MUST WATCH this video.
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h/t dr0id


investmentwatchblog--2020-12-04--Observation on Shifting US, Japanese “Full Employment”, “Financial Crisis”, & Asset Appreciation

What if rather than mathematical economic formula ’ s and double speak , we just looked at the population of potential workers by age group , and employment among them .
Then cross reference against the Federal Reserve set Fed Funds rate , Federal Reserve purchased assets , and the debt these policies incentive ( Federally , Corporately , Personally ) .
What is plain ?
There was a period of growth via population growth , a period of growth via increasing participation among females , and now a period of “ growth ” via ZIRP , QE , and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ also obvious is the interplay of ZIRP , QE , and debt to inflate asset prices .
All of the debt is undertaken to purportedly achieve the Fed ’ s mandate of “ full employment ” but nearly all the real benefits flow to a shrinking cadre of institutional and elderly asset holders .
As for the poor , young adults , retirees living on fixed incomes…they are all punished via costs of living rising far faster than incomes thanks to the flow through of the higher asset prices .
25 to 54 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ vs. those employed among them ( green line ) , Fed Funds Rate % ( dashed black line ) , Federal Reserve assets ( yellow line ) , and US federal government marketable Treasury debt ( red shaded area ) .
1- Population growth decelerates into and through 2007…and entirely ceases thereafter .
2- 25 to 54 year old employment growth ends as of 2000 , and has been essentially flat-lining for twenty years .
3- Fed funds rate essentially moves inverse the population/employment rate of growth…rising as rate of growth accelerated and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ as population/employment ceased growth .
4- From 1981 , as population/employment growth decelerated , the Fed Funds Rate was consistently cut to encourage the substitution of debt for the decelerating growth .
But since 2007 , as population/employment growth no longer existed , ZIRP plus QE were abused to encourage the explosion of unrepayable debt…and debt that can only be serviced at ZIRP or more likely NIRP .
By simply dividing the employed vs. the population of the age group , we can see clearly where “ full employment ” lies .
As @ @ @ @ @ @ @ just over 80 % …but to achieve the Fed ’ s full employment mandate , it has taken exponentially lower rates and higher debt to fulfill that mandate .
The male vs. female participation ( again , population vs. employed among them ) explains why the total participation rate rose to 1989 and then has subsequently flatlined since .
Female participation nearly doubled from 1960 to the peak of 2000…and since has risen no further .
All while male participation continually declines .
Expanding to the wider 15 to 54 year old population @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the same variables .
You can see for yourself that population growth ended putting a lid on employment growth…and the substitution of cheaper/greater debt thanks to ZIRP and QE .
But to highlight the impact of the Federal Reserves reaction to no population/employment growth , check the Wilshire 5000 ( representing all publicly traded US equity ) .
The explosion of equities since ZIRP nicely mimics the surge in federal debt and Federal Reserve held assets .
BIS Central Banker Admits EPIC Level Crisis Is the Most Likely Result of Global Mass QE @ @ @ @ @ @ @ winners of the Federal Reserves “ full employment ” mandate…not employees but asset holders .
To punctuate the full inclusion of females into the workforce , check the 25 to 54 year old male / female participation ( yes , duplicate from above ) coupled with the now identical participation rates among 15 to 24 year old males and females .
15 to 24 year old population , employees among them , and participation rate .
Forty years of essentially zero population growth , declining employment among them , and declining participation begs @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , and financial growth will come from ?
15 to 24 year old male , female participation .
The rise , the 1989 peak of combined male/female participation , and thirty years of declining participation since .
Widening out to the greatest possible “ work force ” , below is the 15 to 74 year old population , employees , and like variables .
What should be obvious is that all the population growth and employment growth since 2007 has been among the 55 to 74 year old population .
But as the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ elderly , the “ full employment ” participation rate continues to decline…and ever greater ZIRP/NIRP , QE will be unleashed to get politicians to do what they want to do…spend .
It will also get corporations to undertake ever more debt as the servicing costs of that debt go to zero ( or in the case of NIRP , they are paid to undertake debt ) .
Looking at the 15 to 74 year old male and female participation , the clear peak in 2000 and declining participation is plain to see .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ Cut !
Crisis of 2020 Put Funds Into Critical State But it ’ s incomplete to review the US alone , without including the demographic patient zero , Japan .
Japan ’ s working age population peaked in 1997 and has declined by 12 million ( 14 % ) since while employment among them has fallen by 3.6 million ( 6 % ) .
The BoJ discount rate went to zero as the working age population ceased growth , incenting an explosion in debt/GDP , and since 2012 the Bank of Japan balance @ @ @ @ @ @ @ except adding in the Nikkei 225 equity index , which peaked in 1989 but since the explosion in the Bank of Japan balance sheet , is likewise reflating…against all population/employment/economic fundamentals .
Note that the participation ratio ( below ) of 15 to 64 year old Japanese reached unheard of heights as of 2019 .
This is solely due to females entering and staying in the workforce at higher rates than post-war Japan has ever seen .
In short , there was population growth , then female participation growth , and then the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ debt .
The benefits of these different phases have shifted progressively toward the wealthiest .
The Fed ’ s full employment mandate ( somehow never achieved , according to the Fed ) has simply turned into an excuse to encourage unlimited / unrepayable debt…creating untold wealth for a decreasing few at an ever increasing pace .

by Econimica
What if rather than mathematical economic formula’s and double speak, we just looked at the population of potential workers by age group, and employment among them. Then cross reference against the Federal Reserve set Fed Funds rate, Federal Reserve purchased assets, and the debt these policies incentive (Federally, Corporately, Personally).
What is plain? There was a period of growth via population growth, a period of growth via increasing participation among females, and now a period of “growth” via ZIRP, QE, and unrepayable federal debt accrual. What is also obvious is the interplay of ZIRP, QE, and debt to inflate asset prices. All of the debt is undertaken to purportedly achieve the Fed’s mandate of “full employment” but nearly all the real benefits flow to a shrinking cadre of institutional and elderly asset holders. As for the poor, young adults, retirees living on fixed incomes…they are all punished via costs of living rising far faster than incomes thanks to the flow through of the higher asset prices.
25 to 54 year old Population / Employees
25 to 54 year old population (blue line) vs. those employed among them (green line), Fed Funds Rate % (dashed black line), Federal Reserve assets (yellow line), and US federal government marketable Treasury debt (red shaded area).
1- Population growth decelerates into and through 2007…and entirely ceases thereafter.
2- 25 to 54 year old employment growth ends as of 2000, and has been essentially flat-lining for twenty years.
3- Fed funds rate essentially moves inverse the population/employment rate of growth…rising as rate of growth accelerated and falling as growth decelerated…and then turned ZIRP as population/employment ceased growth.
4- From 1981, as population/employment growth decelerated, the Fed Funds Rate was consistently cut to encourage the substitution of debt for the decelerating growth. But since 2007, as population/employment growth no longer existed, ZIRP plus QE were abused to encourage the explosion of unrepayable debt…and debt that can only be serviced at ZIRP or more likely NIRP.
We are primarily funded by readers. Please subscribe and donate to support us!
By simply dividing the employed vs. the population of the age group, we can see clearly where “full employment” lies. As of 1989, full employment has occurred just over 80%…but to achieve the Fed’s full employment mandate, it has taken exponentially lower rates and higher debt to fulfill that mandate.
The male vs. female participation (again, population vs. employed among them) explains why the total participation rate rose to 1989 and then has subsequently flatlined since. Female participation nearly doubled from 1960 to the peak of 2000…and since has risen no further. All while male participation continually declines. 15 to 54 year old Population / Employees Expanding to the wider 15 to 54 year old population & employees among them, still against the same variables. You can see for yourself that population growth ended putting a lid on employment growth…and the substitution of cheaper/greater debt thanks to ZIRP and QE. But to highlight the impact of the Federal Reserves reaction to no population/employment growth, check the Wilshire 5000 (representing all publicly traded US equity). The explosion of equities since ZIRP nicely mimics the surge in federal debt and Federal Reserve held assets. And below you can find the real winners of the Federal Reserves “full employment” mandate…not employees but asset holders. To punctuate the full inclusion of females into the workforce, check the 25 to 54 year old male / female participation (yes, duplicate from above) coupled with the now identical participation rates among 15 to 24 year old males and females. 15 to 24 year old population, employees among them, and participation rate. Forty years of essentially zero population growth, declining employment among them, and declining participation begs the question of where economic, consumption, and financial growth will come from? 15 to 24 year old male, female participation. The rise, the 1989 peak of combined male/female participation, and thirty years of declining participation since. 15 to 74 year old Population / Employees Widening out to the greatest possible “work force”, below is the 15 to 74 year old population, employees, and like variables. What should be obvious is that all the population growth and employment growth since 2007 has been among the 55 to 74 year old population. But as the final demographic growth bleeds out among the elderly, the “full employment” participation rate continues to decline…and ever greater ZIRP/NIRP, QE will be unleashed to get politicians to do what they want to do…spend. It will also get corporations to undertake ever more debt as the servicing costs of that debt go to zero (or in the case of NIRP, they are paid to undertake debt). Looking at the 15 to 74 year old male and female participation, the clear peak in 2000 and declining participation is plain to see. Japan But it’s incomplete to review the US alone, without including the demographic patient zero, Japan. 15 to 64 year old population / Employees Japan’s working age population peaked in 1997 and has declined by 12 million (14%) since while employment among them has fallen by 3.6 million (6%). The BoJ discount rate went to zero as the working age population ceased growth, incenting an explosion in debt/GDP, and since 2012 the Bank of Japan balance sheet has exploded. Same as above except adding in the Nikkei 225 equity index, which peaked in 1989 but since the explosion in the Bank of Japan balance sheet, is likewise reflating…against all population/employment/economic fundamentals. Note that the participation ratio (below) of 15 to 64 year old Japanese reached unheard of heights as of 2019. This is solely due to females entering and staying in the workforce at higher rates than post-war Japan has ever seen. In short, there was population growth, then female participation growth, and then the growth of ZIRP/NIRP, QE, and debt. The benefits of these different phases have shifted progressively toward the wealthiest. The Fed’s full employment mandate (somehow never achieved, according to the Fed) has simply turned into an excuse to encourage unlimited / unrepayable debt…creating untold wealth for a decreasing few at an ever increasing pace.


investmentwatchblog--2020-12-04--NASDAQ green lights seedless watermelons to join company boards

NASDAQ is one of the largest stock exchanges in the world and home to most of the biggest names in tech .
Companies worth a total of $ 17 TRILLION– nearly the entire size of the US economy– are listed on the NASDAQ exchange , including Google , Apple , Microsoft , Facebook , and Amazon .
You ’ d think the executives behind NASDAQ would be remarkably sharp people who understand what it takes to build and run a wonderful business .
But here we are again with another sign that the world has lost its mind .
NASDAQ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in trying to mandate that all of its listed companies meet minimum diversity requirements .
Specifically , the wonderful wizards of WOKEDAQ insist that every company should have at least one woman on its board , plus one person who is either an ethnic minority or LGBTQRSTUVWXYZ .
WOKEDAQ justifies its position by claiming that “ the benefits .
.
.
of increased diversity are becoming more apparent .
.
.
” I just love this statement .
They ’ ve already taken it as a foregone conclusion that board diversity makes a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ ve read any one of the dozens of studies showing that board diversity does not , in fact , improve a company ’ s performance .
The University of Pennsylvania ’ s famous Wharton School of Business , for example , analyzed dozens of studies of corporate diversity requirements that specifically demand women on company boards : “ Rigorous , peer-reviewed studies suggest that companies do not perform better when they have women on the board .
Nor do they perform worse.
” What a shocker !
It turns out that the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ no difference in someone ’ s qualifications !
Could that possibly be because , deep down , we ’ re all made up of the same stuff… and someone ’ s sex organs and ethnicity are completely irrelevant when it comes to business and finance ?
What ’ s even more revolting is how WOKEDAQ defines terms in its proposal , like when they say that one Board Member should be an “ underrepresented minority ” .
Then they go on to define what constitutes an “ underrepresented minority.
” It reminds me @ @ @ @ @ @ @ civilization that also used to be obsessed with ethnicity and sexual orientation– Nazi Germany .
At its annual rally in Nuremberg in 1935 , the Nazi government drafted a strict legal code defining a Jew as someone who had at least three Jewish grandparents .
It didn ’ t matter if you were a member of the Jewish faith ; it was merely about your ancestry .
Ironically , being Jewish does not qualify as an underrepresented minority , at least according to WOKEDAQ ’ s definition .
In fact there are many @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and personal identifications that don ’ t fall under WOKEDAQ ’ s proposal .
If you ’ re a disabled veteran whose legs were blown off in Afghanistan , for example , your perspective isn ’ t diverse enough to be considered valuable by WOKEDAQ .
Ditto if you ’ re a refugee from Afghanistan who was orphaned by a US airstrike .
WOKEDAQ doesn ’ t think your perspective is diverse enough either .
But if you identify as a seedless watermelon , WOKEDAQ is giving you the green light to join @ @ @ @ @ @ @ millions of dollars of stock options !
Honestly I can not think of anything more insulting to a human being than to advance them , not due to their talent , but because of irrelevant identity features .
Competence and character should be the only things that matter .
And those qualities exist irrespective of someone ’ s gender , ethnicity , and sexual orientation .
Focusing on how someone ‘ identifies ’ totally misses the point .
The only question to ask is ‘ Who is the best person to do the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ turns out be a Board of Directors that is comprised entirely of pansexual , non-binary Wiccan martians who identify as seedless watermelons , then so be it .
But WOKEDAQ wants to judge you by the color of your skin , not by the content of your character .
If your skin tissue contains a certain amount of melanin , you ’ re qualified .
If not , you ’ re unqualified .
WOKEDAQ also thinks it matters whether or not you have a penis .
And they they REALLY think it matters @ @ @ @ @ @ @ identify as someone without a penis .
They care who you sleep with , who you ’ re attracted to , and all sorts of things that are completely meaningless in terms of your value as a human being .
No one should EVER be regarded as more qualified , or less qualified , simply because of their ethnicity , gender , or sexual orientation .
But to WOKEDAQ , these are the qualities that matter : sex organs and skin color .
They don ’ t care whether your skills can create @ @ @ @ @ @ @ whether you even have any experience .
And they damn sure don ’ t care who the shareholders , i.e .
the actual OWNERS of the company , choose as their elected leaders .
Ironically as I ’ m about to hit SEND on this missive , I ’ ve just found out that Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez is now selling horrendously overpriced $ 58 sweatshirts ( plus shipping ) that say “ Tax the Rich.
” All proceeds are considered campaign contributions… so the Queen Marxist herself is relying on capitalism to promote socialism @ @ @ @ @ @ @ one of the largest stock exchanges in the world tries to take away your right to choose your own company directors .
This pretty much sums up the world in 2020 .
And yet it only scratches the surface of how much more absurd everything is about to become .

by Simon Black
NASDAQ is one of the largest stock exchanges in the world and home to most of the biggest names in tech.
Companies worth a total of $17 TRILLION– nearly the entire size of the US economy– are listed on the NASDAQ exchange, including Google, Apple, Microsoft, Facebook, and Amazon.
You’d think the executives behind NASDAQ would be remarkably sharp people who understand what it takes to build and run a wonderful business.
But here we are again with another sign that the world has lost its mind.
NASDAQ has now joined with other woke warriors in trying to mandate that all of its listed companies meet minimum diversity requirements.
Specifically, the wonderful wizards of WOKEDAQ insist that every company should have at least one woman on its board, plus one person who is either an ethnic minority or LGBTQRSTUVWXYZ.
(I can only imagine how ridiculous annual reports will become once companies have to start disclosing details of the private lives of their new lesbian directors.)
WOKEDAQ justifies its position by claiming that “the benefits . . . of increased diversity are becoming more apparent. . .”
I just love this statement. They’ve already taken it as a foregone conclusion that board diversity makes a better company.
I wonder if they’ve read any one of the dozens of studies showing that board diversity does not, in fact, improve a company’s performance.
The University of Pennsylvania’s famous Wharton School of Business, for example, analyzed dozens of studies of corporate diversity requirements that specifically demand women on company boards:
“Rigorous, peer-reviewed studies suggest that companies do not perform better when they have women on the board. Nor do they perform worse.”
What a shocker! It turns out that the absence of a Y chromosome makes absolutely no difference in someone’s qualifications!
Could that possibly be because, deep down, we’re all made up of the same stuff… and someone’s sex organs and ethnicity are completely irrelevant when it comes to business and finance?
But WOKEDAQ can’t comprehend this simple truth.
What’s even more revolting is how WOKEDAQ defines terms in its proposal, like when they say that one Board Member should be an “underrepresented minority”.
Then they go on to define what constitutes an “underrepresented minority.”
It reminds me of the historic language from a past civilization that also used to be obsessed with ethnicity and sexual orientation– Nazi Germany.
At its annual rally in Nuremberg in 1935, the Nazi government drafted a strict legal code defining a Jew as someone who had at least three Jewish grandparents. It didn’t matter if you were a member of the Jewish faith; it was merely about your ancestry.
(I can only imagine some corporate board members will now feel compelled to take DNA tests so they can say, “Look! I’m 12% Native American! I’m still qualified to serve on the board!!”)
We are primarily funded by readers. Please subscribe and donate to support us!
Ironically, being Jewish does not qualify as an underrepresented minority, at least according to WOKEDAQ’s definition.
In fact there are many other ethnicities, nationalities, orientations, and personal identifications that don’t fall under WOKEDAQ’s proposal.
If you’re a disabled veteran whose legs were blown off in Afghanistan, for example, your perspective isn’t diverse enough to be considered valuable by WOKEDAQ.
Ditto if you’re a refugee from Afghanistan who was orphaned by a US airstrike. WOKEDAQ doesn’t think your perspective is diverse enough either.
But if you identify as a seedless watermelon, WOKEDAQ is giving you the green light to join a corporate board and be showered with millions of dollars of stock options!
It’s so wonderfully progressive!
Honestly I cannot think of anything more insulting to a human being than to advance them, not due to their talent, but because of irrelevant identity features.
Competence and character should be the only things that matter. And those qualities exist irrespective of someone’s gender, ethnicity, and sexual orientation.
Focusing on how someone ‘identifies’ totally misses the point. The only question to ask is ‘Who is the best person to do the job?’
And if the answer turns out be a Board of Directors that is comprised entirely of pansexual, non-binary Wiccan martians who identify as seedless watermelons, then so be it.
But WOKEDAQ wants to judge you by the color of your skin, not by the content of your character. If your skin tissue contains a certain amount of melanin, you’re qualified. If not, you’re unqualified.
WOKEDAQ also thinks it matters whether or not you have a penis. And they they REALLY think it matters if you have a penis, but identify as someone without a penis.
They care who you sleep with, who you’re attracted to, and all sorts of things that are completely meaningless in terms of your value as a human being.
No one should EVER be regarded as more qualified, or less qualified, simply because of their ethnicity, gender, or sexual orientation.
But to WOKEDAQ, these are the qualities that matter: sex organs and skin color.
They don’t care whether your skills can create more value for the organization, or whether you even have any experience.
And they damn sure don’t care who the shareholders, i.e. the actual OWNERS of the company, choose as their elected leaders.
Ironically as I’m about to hit SEND on this missive, I’ve just found out that Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez is now selling horrendously overpriced $58 sweatshirts (plus shipping) that say “Tax the Rich.”
All proceeds are considered campaign contributions… so the Queen Marxist herself is relying on capitalism to promote socialism and keep herself in power, while one of the largest stock exchanges in the world tries to take away your right to choose your own company directors.
This pretty much sums up the world in 2020. And yet it only scratches the surface of how much more absurd everything is about to become.


investmentwatchblog--2020-12-04--Facebook Will Launch Its Digital Currency Libra in January

will be released in January and its value will be backed by the US dollar .
According to information from @ @ @ @ @ year and a half ago Facebook wanted to launch a cryptocurrency that was similar to @ @ @ @ @ Libra , after some companies such as Visa and Mastercard withdrew from the project , @ @ @ @ @ by some banks and financial institutions , As well as the European Union , in @ @ @ @ @ Libra Association introduced changes that made Libra more of a PayPal-type payment system .

Facebook’s digital currency project, Libra,
will be released in January and its value will be backed by the US dollar.
According to information from the Financial Times, a year and a half ago Facebook wanted to launch a cryptocurrency that was similar to Bitcoin, which it called Libra, after some companies such as Visa and Mastercard withdrew from the project, and given the concerns expressed by some banks and financial institutions, As well as the European Union, in April of last year The Libra Association introduced changes that made Libra more of a PayPal-type payment system.
kizafair.com/blog/facebook-will-launch-its-digital-currency-libra-in-january/