investmentwatchblog--2020-12-10--Breaking! Arrested Chinese spy, Patrick Ho’s, first call in prison was to James Biden, Joe Bidens br

🚨 Breaking !
Arrested Chinese spy , Patrick Ho ’ s , first call in prison was to James Biden @ @ @ @ @ ( Looking for Hunter ) Investigation into Hunter included a gift given to him by @ @ @ @ @ under this arrested spy .
t.co/96C5aAMu0O

🚨 Breaking! Arrested Chinese spy, Patrick Ho’s, first call in prison was to James Biden, Joe Bidens brother.(Looking for Hunter)
Investigation into Hunter included a gift given to him by CCP member Ye Jianming working under this arrested spy. t.co/96C5aAMu0O
— ⚔😼🌹Bad Kitty 真相 🌹 😼⚔ (@pepesgrandma) December 10, 2020


investmentwatchblog--2020-12-10--If the Supreme Court sides with Trump and his allies in Texas v. Pennsylvania, what happens next?

The big corporate news networks are trying to convince us that there is absolutely no way that the Supreme Court will rule in favor of President Trump and his allies in Texas v. Pennsylvania , but what if they are wrong ?
The case is on the docket , and the states of Pennsylvania , Georgia , Michigan and Wisconsin have been ordered to file their responses by 3 PM on Thursday .
It appears that the Court understands the urgency of this matter , and they seem determined to move things along very quickly .
One way or the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ they are thinking fairly rapidly .
In the first part of this series , I discussed the fact that 18 other states have now joined with Texas in arguing that the election results in Pennsylvania , Georgia , Michigan and Wisconsin can not be allowed to stand .
And the more I examine the facts , the more I am convinced that their legal claims are right on target .
Everyone agrees that officials in Pennsylvania , Georgia , Michigan and Wisconsin changed election rules without consulting their legislatures .
But the Electors @ @ @ @ @ @ @ legislatures the sole authority in determining how electors will be selected .
The rule changes that officials in Pennsylvania , Georgia , Michigan and Wisconsin made were unconstitutional , and they had a material affect on the outcome in each of those states .
Similarly , everyone agrees that voters and ballots were treated very differently in left-leaning portions of Pennsylvania , Georgia , Michigan and Wisconsin than they were in right-learning portions of those states .
These are textbook violations of the Equal Protection Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment , and the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ blind not to see that .
If the Supreme Court is faithful to the U.S. Constitution , the voting results in all four states will have to be thrown out .
But what happens then ?
Well , Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton is asking the Court to declare that all electoral votes from those four states should not be counted… I do not believe that the Court will do that , because that would disenfranchise all of the legal voters in all of those states .
Alternatively , the Court could choose @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of those four states to choose their own slates of electors , but I don ’ t think that the Court would be willing to do that either .
Instead , I believe that the most likely remedy would be new elections .
That would be problematic as well , because the results of those elections may not be known before the electoral votes are supposed to be counted in Washington on January 6th .
But even though new elections would be a chaotic solution , I believe that it is the best @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , if the current election results are overturned by the Supreme Court and President Trump ultimately ends up winning , it will set off the biggest temper tantrum in all of U.S. history .
We have already seen widespread rioting , looting , arson and violence in our major cities all throughout 2020 , and we have continued to see more civil unrest in recent weeks .
Just check out what just happened in Portland .
But if Trump ends up getting a second term after everything that has already transpired , we @ @ @ @ @ @ @ anger that will be off the charts .
Already , politicians in some states are making decisions based on fear of what could potentially happen .
For example , members of the state legislature in Georgia were apparently afraid to call a special session to address problems with their elections because they were reportedly afraid that Atlanta “ will burn ” if they did… I guarantee you that the potential for violence will weigh heavily on the minds of members of the Supreme Court as they consider the merits of Texas v. Pennsylvania @ @ @ @ @ @ @ true , but the truth is that members of the Supreme Court are humans too .
If they are responsible for Biden losing the election , there is a very real possibility that radicals will violently attack them , their families and their homes .
Hopefully , there will be at least five justices that will be courageous enough to do what is right for the country no matter what the short-term consequences are .
As Sean Hannity recently explained , we have reached an absolutely critical moment in our history and the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ what happens , it is likely that the divisions in this country are just going to continue to grow deeper and deeper .
And as they get deeper , many are wondering if we will be able to stay united as a single nation .
For example , Rush Limbaugh seems to think that the U.S. is rapidly approaching a breaking point… Unfortunately , there is no easy solution , and the frustration on both sides is only going to continue to grow .
Whether it is now or later , it appears @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a lot more civil unrest in our major cities , and that is extremely unfortunate .
In the beginning , the United States was united by a single set of values and principles , and those values and principles helped to make us into the greatest nation on the entire planet .
But now we have abandoned those values and principles , and as a result we have a giant mess on our hands .

by Michael Snyder
The big corporate news networks are trying to convince us that there is absolutely no way that the Supreme Court will rule in favor of President Trump and his allies in Texas v. Pennsylvania, but what if they are wrong? The case is on the docket, and the states of Pennsylvania, Georgia, Michigan and Wisconsin have been ordered to file their responses by 3 PM on Thursday. It appears that the Court understands the urgency of this matter, and they seem determined to move things along very quickly. One way or the other, we should find out what they are thinking fairly rapidly.
In the first part of this series, I discussed the fact that 18 other states have now joined with Texas in arguing that the election results in Pennsylvania, Georgia, Michigan and Wisconsin cannot be allowed to stand.
And the more I examine the facts, the more I am convinced that their legal claims are right on target.
Everyone agrees that officials in Pennsylvania, Georgia, Michigan and Wisconsin changed election rules without consulting their legislatures. But the Electors Clause of the U.S. Constitution gives state legislatures the sole authority in determining how electors will be selected. The rule changes that officials in Pennsylvania, Georgia, Michigan and Wisconsin made were unconstitutional, and they had a material affect on the outcome in each of those states.
Similarly, everyone agrees that voters and ballots were treated very differently in left-leaning portions of Pennsylvania, Georgia, Michigan and Wisconsin than they were in right-learning portions of those states. These are textbook violations of the Equal Protection Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment, and the Supreme Court would have to be completely blind not to see that.
If the Supreme Court is faithful to the U.S. Constitution, the voting results in all four states will have to be thrown out.
But what happens then?
Well, Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton is asking the Court to declare that all electoral votes from those four states should not be counted…
In the suit, Paxton asks the high court to “declare that any electoral college votes cast by such presidential electors appointed in Defendant States Pennsylvania, Georgia, Michigan, and Wisconsin are in violation of the Electors Clause and the Fourteenth Amendment of the U.S. Constitution and cannot be counted.”
I do not believe that the Court will do that, because that would disenfranchise all of the legal voters in all of those states.
Alternatively, the Court could choose to direct the state legislatures in each of those four states to choose their own slates of electors, but I don’t think that the Court would be willing to do that either.
Instead, I believe that the most likely remedy would be new elections. That would be problematic as well, because the results of those elections may not be known before the electoral votes are supposed to be counted in Washington on January 6th.
But even though new elections would be a chaotic solution, I believe that it is the best of the choices.
We are primarily funded by readers. Please subscribe and donate to support us!
In any event, if the current election results are overturned by the Supreme Court and President Trump ultimately ends up winning, it will set off the biggest temper tantrum in all of U.S. history.
We have already seen widespread rioting, looting, arson and violence in our major cities all throughout 2020, and we have continued to see more civil unrest in recent weeks. Just check out what just happened in Portland.
But if Trump ends up getting a second term after everything that has already transpired, we are going to see an explosion of anger that will be off the charts.
Already, politicians in some states are making decisions based on fear of what could potentially happen. For example, members of the state legislature in Georgia were apparently afraid to call a special session to address problems with their elections because they were reportedly afraid that Atlanta “will burn” if they did…
In an interview with The Georgia Star News, State Representative Colton Moore (R-Trenton) shared that legislators are gun-shy about calling a special session to address the general and runoff elections. “The attitudes that a lot of Republicans had was, ‘Let’s just say out of it and let the court decide.’ One legislator said [if they did call a session that] Atlanta will burn down a second time,” he said. “My personal theory is that the governor has prevented a special session because roughly half of the Republicans in the house don’t want to be responsible for that burden.”
I guarantee you that the potential for violence will weigh heavily on the minds of members of the Supreme Court as they consider the merits of Texas v. Pennsylvania.
I wish that wasn’t true, but the truth is that members of the Supreme Court are humans too. If they are responsible for Biden losing the election, there is a very real possibility that radicals will violently attack them, their families and their homes.
Hopefully, there will be at least five justices that will be courageous enough to do what is right for the country no matter what the short-term consequences are. As Sean Hannity recently explained, we have reached an absolutely critical moment in our history and the American people deserve answers…
“The country deserves it. You deserve it,” Hannity argued. “We, the people, deserve it. I don’t know what the justices are going to do, but the American people deserve answers. We need to have confidence in both the integrity and the results of every state’s election, in the process, because we have millions of innocent Americans in states where the law, the Constitution were not followed. They are, then, disenfranchised in a corrupt process.”
But no matter what happens, it is likely that the divisions in this country are just going to continue to grow deeper and deeper.
And as they get deeper, many are wondering if we will be able to stay united as a single nation. For example, Rush Limbaugh seems to think that the U.S. is rapidly approaching a breaking point…
“There cannot be a peaceful coexistence of two completely different theories of life, theories of government, theories of how we manage our affairs. We can’t be in this dire a conflict without something giving somewhere along the way.” “I know that there’s a sizable and growing sentiment for people who believe that that is where we’re headed whether we want to or not. Whether we want to go there or not.”
Unfortunately, there is no easy solution, and the frustration on both sides is only going to continue to grow.
Whether it is now or later, it appears to be inevitable that there will be a lot more civil unrest in our major cities, and that is extremely unfortunate.
In the beginning, the United States was united by a single set of values and principles, and those values and principles helped to make us into the greatest nation on the entire planet.
But now we have abandoned those values and principles, and as a result we have a giant mess on our hands.


investmentwatchblog--2020-12-11--Gold: Fire Insurance For Currencies Already Burning To The Ground

After an extraordinary rally , gold recently entered an anticipated correction phase , which both math and history suggest is about to re-enter a continued trend dramatically upward .
A primary driver for such sustained precious metal strength is an historically undeniable ( as well as approaching ) paradigm shift toward rising inflation .
When properly understood , the topic of inflation , seemingly academic and even ” boring , ” in fact becomes rather exciting , as well as predictive , for informed and sophisticated investors .
The great inflation debate continues , with many investors wondering why hyper-inflation @ @ @ @ @ @ @ trillions in fiat currency creation .
Just consider the US money printing in the last 16 years : And yet despite such torrents of fake money creation , U.S. inflation has annualized at a reported 2 % rate with no “ Weimar-like ” wheel barrels of inflated money in sight .
In short , many are asking : Where ’ s the inflation ?
Toward this end , it is critical to first distinguish true vs. popular notions of inflation .
From the Austrian School to Milton Friedman , the true definition of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ measured ) by money supply .
As the supply increases , inflation follows .
The popular/media-driven definition , however , uses consumer prices as measured by such broken scales as the CPI to measure inflation .
Unfortunately , the CPI scale , which has undergone over 20 alterations since 1980 , is an openly comical and deliberately inaccurate inflation measure .
It ’ s akin to a bathroom scale that measures your body weight yet magically omits calories attributed to chocolate , beer , pasta or pizza .
That is , the CPI @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , housing , energy , education and other key costs—all of which have openly skyrocketed while the CPI rates have “ mysteriously ” fallen to the floor of history .
This is no accident , as treasury departments and global central banks fully understand that if inflation , as measured by such scales as the CPI , were accurately reported using 1980-based metrics , we ’ d already be looking at greater than 10 % inflation rates today .
If such truths were honestly confessed , then inflation-adjusted/real return on sovereign bonds would @ @ @ @ @ @ @ negative ( i.e .
> -8 % ) that no one would buy government IOU ’ s .
Of course , that ’ s a big problem in a now broken world where government IOU ’ s ( i.e .
global debt to the tune of 280 trillion ) is all that keeps our otherwise Frankenstein economies walking—arms outstretched .
Thus , rather than confess true inflation , the fiction writers at places like the Fed or the Bureau of Labor Statistics resort to a trick which all desperate policy makers inevitably embrace @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the numbers .
But then again , and as empirically shown elsewhere , the highest offices are not necessarily filled by the highest minds .
Dishonesty at the policy level is nothing new .
Since Nixon welched on the Gold Standard in 1971 , policy makers have been acting like college party boys without a chaperone .
They can borrow and spend with money created by a mouse click for the simple reason that it is backed , by well…nothing .
This fully explains why the US public debt to GDP ratio rose @ @ @ @ @ @ @ % by 2019 .
By the end of this year , thanks to unlimited QE ( money printing ) , that ratio will hit 120 % .
By the true definition of inflation ( above ) , such desperate money creation can only mean one thing : More inflation .
Remember , of course , that Nixon had said the dollar ’ s de-coupling from gold was only a “ temporary measure.
” That was 50 years ago and the “ temporary ” continues… DC and Wall Street continue to party without a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the Great Financial Crisis ( caused by great debt ) raged , Fed Chairman Bernanke equally assured the world that such money creation was a purely “ temporary emergency measure.
” This too was purely untrue , as over a decade later , Bernanke ’ s “ temporary ” and “ emergency ” policy has since become a policy norm .
Hence the market ’ s reaction : Party on .
Today , the Fed and the central banks of the world do nothing but print fiat currencies to pay for unpayable deficits @ @ @ @ @ @ @ historically unprecedented securities bubble .
COVID and the misguided policy reactions thereto , have only accelerated such insane debt levels and the creation of fake money to pay for it—all of which points to more inflation—namely , the kind that kills currencies and sends gold prices significantly upward .
The vast majority of investors , of course , pay no attention to these creeping inflationary forces and superficially supported risk assets , as they see only one thing : Rising markets riding a wave of fake liquidity over hidden rocks of unpayable debts @ @ @ @ @ @ @ warned , the vast majority of investors are simply wrong .
As of this writing , inflation in prices has not hit the Main Street ( yet bogus ) CPI scales , but has gone directly to Wall Street , as the bulk of the fake money printed since the GFC of 2008 went from the Fed to the primary dealer banks , and then to the publicly-traded corporations they serve .
In short , “ price inflation ” went to places like the S & P , not the deliberately false CPI @ @ @ @ @ @ @ S & P can break new highs as the real economy endures record lows .
Such artificial risk-asset support in a time of open economic decline is disgraceful—but that ’ s what central banks do : Support banks and markets , not economies and real-world issues .
Central bank experimentation and market “ accommodation ” is a direct cause of the growing wealth disparity seen in the U.S. and around the world , and hence explains the populist movements which made the headlines in 2020 .
Ironically , the vast majority of those @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of happy investors , can ’ t even point to the central bank source of both their woes and false comforts .
This is due to a fundamental ignorance ( or ignoring ) of basic economic forces .
The core lessons of economics , math and history repeatedly confirm that diluting currency power via fake money policies never leads to economic growth , just temporary ( and fatally dangerous ) asset bubbles .
That is , for every dollar of printed growth , it takes four dollars of debt .
Hardly a good @ @ @ @ @ @ @ other major economies of the world ) are effectively running uphill in roller skates using gobs of debt to essentially churn in place , and then paying for that debt with fiat money .
Does fiat currency creation still seem like a wise , long-term plan to you ?
For this , investors can thank “ honest brokers ” like gold-welching Nixon for taking US budget deficits from 2.8 billion in 1970 , to $ 1 trillion in fiscal year 2018-19 , and now $ 3.3 trillion for 2020 .
In turn , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ like Greenspan , Bernanke , Yellen and Powell for fattening total U.S. credit market debt from $ 1.6 trillion in 1970 to $ 80 trillion today .
Folks , debt like this can never be repaid .
Never .
Now , let ’ s get back to that elusive inflation question .
Just like families with more debt than income , the best option is to find ways to grow your income .
But as we ’ ve seen above , that kind of growth just isn ’ t there for a global @ @ @ @ @ @ @ now well past 3:1 .
The kind of economic growth needed to squelch such debt levels requires a near-perfect alignment of debt-free consumer strength , rapid growth in working age populations , massive productivity booms in manufacturing and free trade as well as a central bank providing discipline rather than punch bowls to the markets—none of which is likely or possible today .
The next ( and desperate ) option , however , is to make one ’ s currency weaker , inflate the same , and pay yesterday ’ s debt with @ @ @ @ @ @ @ policy now openly embraced by the Dr. Frankensteins at the Eccles Building in D.C .
This , I ’ d argue , is far more possible and far more likely , namely to finance deficits with inflation-diluted currencies , a policy aptly named “ inflationism.
” Thus , despite years of deflationary headlines and yield-curve controls by experimental central banks , inflationism is slowly ( and I mean SLOWLY ) becoming the new paradigm right under our noses .
As debt levels soar , fostering massive pricing bubbles in stocks , bonds , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ seeing the classic pattern of boom leading toward “ uh-oh ” and , in turn , a final shift toward rapidly rising inflation and hence rapidly declining currency valuations .
In the current paradigm shift , gold will rise not because gold only rises in inflationary periods ( after all , gold recently hit new highs in an openly deflationary global setting ) .
Instead , gold will rise simply because currency purchasing power will tank ( and is already tanking ) as inflationism progresses from a slow trot , to a cantor @ @ @ @ @ @ @ That is , gold will rise because currencies ( diluted daily via money printing ) are falling by the second .
This is not an opinion , but a mathematical certainty .
Like Picket ’ s charge at Gettysburg , currencies are marching straight into a deadly ( i.e .
inflationary ) cannon barrage .
One look at the recent rise in gold prices , for example… …is literally nothing more than taking a chart of the dollar or euro ’ s purchasing power and turning it upside down , like this : @ @ @ @ @ @ @ go but up simply because currencies , in an inflationary paradigm shift , ultimately have nowhere to go but down .
They are not nervously day-trading in and out of gold price fluctuations subject to extreme , near-term volatility and “ spoofing ” in the paper-gold trade ( for which banks like JP Morgan and Scotiabank are paying massive , $ 100M+ penalties ) .
They buy gold and hold , not because they watch price swings , but because they understand currency forces .
Informed investors hold gold because the dollars and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ markets are getting weaker by the second , regardless of the amounts listed on their ledgers , statements and portfolios .
Or stated even more simply , gold is their fire insurance for a currency that is already burning to the ground .

After an extraordinary rally, gold recently entered an anticipated correction phase, which both math and history suggest is about to re-enter a continued trend dramatically upward.
A primary driver for such sustained precious metal strength is an historically undeniable (as well as approaching) paradigm shift toward rising inflation.
When properly understood, the topic of inflation, seemingly academic and even” boring,” in fact becomes rather exciting, as well as predictive, for informed and sophisticated investors.
TRUE INFLATION VS. HEADLINE LIES
The great inflation debate continues, with many investors wondering why hyper-inflation has not been the norm given the trillions in fiat currency creation.
Just consider the US money printing in the last 16 years:
And yet despite such torrents of fake money creation, U.S. inflation has annualized at a reported 2% rate with no “Weimar-like” wheel barrels of inflated money in sight.
In short, many are asking: Where’s the inflation?
Toward this end, it is critical to first distinguish true vs. popular notions of inflation.
From the Austrian School to Milton Friedman, the true definition of inflation has always been understood (and measured) by money supply.
As the supply increases, inflation follows.
The popular/media-driven definition, however, uses consumer prices as measured by such broken scales as the CPI to measure inflation.
A POLICY OF DISHONESTY
Unfortunately, the CPI scale, which has undergone over 20 alterations since 1980, is an openly comical and deliberately inaccurate inflation measure.
It’s akin to a bathroom scale that measures your body weight yet magically omits calories attributed to chocolate, beer, pasta or pizza.
That is, the CPI scale magically under-weights (discounts) medical, housing, energy, education and other key costs—all of which have openly skyrocketed while the CPI rates have “mysteriously” fallen to the floor of history.
This is no accident, as treasury departments and global central banks fully understand that if inflation, as measured by such scales as the CPI, were accurately reported using 1980-based metrics, we’d already be looking at greater than 10% inflation rates today.
If such truths were honestly confessed, then inflation-adjusted/real return on sovereign bonds would be so openly (and shamefully) negative (i.e. > -8%) that no one would buy government IOU’s.
Of course, that’s a big problem in a now broken world where government IOU’s (i.e. global debt to the tune of 280 trillion) is all that keeps our otherwise Frankenstein economies walking—arms outstretched.
Thus, rather than confess true inflation, the fiction writers at places like the Fed or the Bureau of Labor Statistics resort to a trick which all desperate policy makers inevitably embrace when their experiments fail: They fudge the numbers.
Stated otherwise: They lie.
But then again, and as empirically shown elsewhere, the highest offices are not necessarily filled by the highest minds.
Dishonesty at the policy level is nothing new.
Since Nixon welched on the Gold Standard in 1971, policy makers have been acting like college party boys without a chaperone.
They can borrow and spend with money created by a mouse click for the simple reason that it is backed, by well…nothing.
This fully explains why the US public debt to GDP ratio rose from 33% in 1971 to 106% by 2019.
By the end of this year, thanks to unlimited QE (money printing), that ratio will hit 120%.
By the true definition of inflation (above), such desperate money creation can only mean one thing: More inflation.
AND MORE, WELL… LIES
Remember, of course, that Nixon had said the dollar’s de-coupling from gold was only a “temporary measure.”
That was 50 years ago and the “temporary” continues… DC and Wall Street continue to party without a golden chaperone.
In 2009, as the Great Financial Crisis (caused by great debt) raged, Fed Chairman Bernanke equally assured the world that such money creation was a purely “temporary emergency measure.”
This too was purely untrue, as over a decade later, Bernanke’s “temporary” and “emergency” policy has since become a policy norm.
Hence the market’s reaction: Party on.
Today, the Fed and the central banks of the world do nothing but print fiat currencies to pay for unpayable deficits and give liquidity to an artificial and historically unprecedented securities bubble.
ENTER THE COVID ACCELERATOR
COVID and the misguided policy reactions thereto, have only accelerated such insane debt levels and the creation of fake money to pay for it—all of which points to more inflation—namely, the kind that kills currencies and sends gold prices significantly upward.
The vast majority of investors, of course, pay no attention to these creeping inflationary forces and superficially supported risk assets, as they see only one thing: Rising markets riding a wave of fake liquidity over hidden rocks of unpayable debts.
But as we’ve also warned, the vast majority of investors are simply wrong.
BUT WHERE’S THE INFLATION?
That’s still the trillion-dollar question.
As of this writing, inflation in prices has not hit the Main Street (yet bogus) CPI scales, but has gone directly to Wall Street, as the bulk of the fake money printed since the GFC of 2008 went from the Fed to the primary dealer banks, and then to the publicly-traded corporations they serve.
In short, “price inflation” went to places like the S&P, not the deliberately false CPI.
We are primarily funded by readers. Please subscribe and donate to support us!
This explains why the DOW and S&P can break new highs as the real economy endures record lows.
Such artificial risk-asset support in a time of open economic decline is disgraceful—but that’s what central banks do: Support banks and markets, not economies and real-world issues.
Central bank experimentation and market “accommodation” is a direct cause of the growing wealth disparity seen in the U.S. and around the world, and hence explains the populist movements which made the headlines in 2020.
Ironically, the vast majority of those angry crowds, like the vast majority of happy investors, can’t even point to the central bank source of both their woes and false comforts.
This is due to a fundamental ignorance (or ignoring) of basic economic forces.
ECON 101, HISTORY 101, AND BASIC MATH
The core lessons of economics, math and history repeatedly confirm that diluting currency power via fake money policies never leads to economic growth, just temporary (and fatally dangerous) asset bubbles.
That is, for every dollar of printed growth, it takes four dollars of debt. Hardly a good trade.
The U.S. (like the other major economies of the world) are effectively running uphill in roller skates using gobs of debt to essentially churn in place, and then paying for that debt with fiat money.
Does fiat currency creation still seem like a wise, long-term plan to you?
For this, investors can thank “honest brokers” like gold-welching Nixon for taking US budget deficits from 2.8 billion in 1970, to $1 trillion in fiscal year 2018-19, and now $3.3 trillion for 2020.
In turn, investors can also thank print-happy central bankers like Greenspan, Bernanke, Yellen and Powell for fattening total U.S. credit market debt from $1.6 trillion in 1970 to $80 trillion today.
Folks, debt like this can never be repaid. Never.
So, what’s ahead?
THE GREAT PARADIGM SHIFT: INFLATIONISM
Now, let’s get back to that elusive inflation question.
Just like families with more debt than income, the best option is to find ways to grow your income.
But as we’ve seen above, that kind of growth just isn’t there for a global economy whose debt to GDP ratio is now well past 3:1.
The kind of economic growth needed to squelch such debt levels requires a near-perfect alignment of debt-free consumer strength, rapid growth in working age populations, massive productivity booms in manufacturing and free trade as well as a central bank providing discipline rather than punch bowls to the markets—none of which is likely or possible today.
Full stop.
The next (and desperate) option, however, is to make one’s currency weaker, inflate the same, and pay yesterday’s debt with tomorrow’s inflated/printed currency, a policy now openly embraced by the Dr. Frankensteins at the Eccles Building in D.C.
DELIBERATE INFLATION AHEAD—FROM BOOM TO “UH-OH”
This, I’d argue, is far more possible and far more likely, namely to finance deficits with inflation-diluted currencies, a policy aptly named “inflationism.”
Thus, despite years of deflationary headlines and yield-curve controls by experimental central banks, inflationism is slowly (and I mean SLOWLY) becoming the new paradigm right under our noses.
As debt levels soar, fostering massive pricing bubbles in stocks, bonds, commodities and real estate, we are seeing the classic pattern of boom leading toward “uh-oh” and, in turn, a final shift toward rapidly rising inflation and hence rapidly declining currency valuations.
GOLD’S MOMENT OF “AHHHH.”
In the current paradigm shift, gold will rise not because gold only rises in inflationary periods (after all, gold recently hit new highs in an openly deflationary global setting).
Instead, gold will rise simply because currency purchasing power will tank (and is already tanking) as inflationism progresses from a slow trot, to a cantor and then to a full gallop.
That is, gold will rise because currencies (diluted daily via money printing) are falling by the second. This is not an opinion, but a mathematical certainty.
Like Picket’s charge at Gettysburg, currencies are marching straight into a deadly (i.e. inflationary) cannon barrage.
One look at the recent rise in gold prices, for example…
…is literally nothing more than taking a chart of the dollar or euro’s purchasing power and turning it upside down, like this:
In short, gold has nowhere to go but up simply because currencies, in an inflationary paradigm shift, ultimately have nowhere to go but down.
SEEING CLEARLY
Informed investors see this.
They are not nervously day-trading in and out of gold price fluctuations subject to extreme, near-term volatility and “spoofing” in the paper-gold trade (for which banks like JP Morgan and Scotiabank are paying massive, $100M+ penalties).
Nope.
Informed investors are precisely that—investors, not traders.
They buy gold and hold, not because they watch price swings, but because they understand currency forces.
It’s that simple.
Informed investors hold gold because the dollars and euros in their pockets, banks and markets are getting weaker by the second, regardless of the amounts listed on their ledgers, statements and portfolios.
Or stated even more simply, gold is their fire insurance for a currency that is already burning to the ground.


investmentwatchblog--2020-12-11--The Stage Has Been Set For An Epic Battle Between Red States And Blue States At The Supreme Court

We have never seen anything like Texas v. Pennsylvania in the history of the Supreme Court .
A very large group of red states has lined up behind Texas , and a very large group of blue states is backing the other side .
I can not recall another Supreme Court case in which so many states have sought to be involved on some level , and so to me it would be unthinkable for the Supreme Court to try to slap this suit away as if it was insignificant .
The U.S. Constitution gives the Supreme Court original jurisdiction @ @ @ @ @ @ @ if the Supreme Court is not willing to properly deal with the grievances that the red states have there is no other place for them to go .
I believe that the Supreme Court is going to handle this case with the seriousness that it deserves , and that means that we are about to witness an absolutely epic legal battle between red states and blue states .
In an article that I published yesterday , I explained that the Court had required the states of Pennsylvania , Michigan , Wisconsin and Georgia @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 3 PM , and that is precisely what happened .
But a whole bunch of other parties decided to get involved in this case as well .
The following are all of the updates that were posted on the Supreme Court website on Thursday alone… Motion of State of Ohio for leave to file amicus brief not accepted for filing .
( December 10 , 2020 ) ( corrected motion electronically filed ) Response to motion for leave to file bill of complaint and motion for preliminary injunction and temporary restraining order or @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to Texas ’ s motion for leave to file bill of complaint and its motion for preliminary relief from defendant Georgia filed .
Opposition to motions for leave to file bill of complaint and for injunctive relief from defendant Michigan filed .
Opposition to motion for leave to file bill of complaint and motion for preliminary injunction , temporary restraining order , or stay from defendant Pennsylvania filed .
Motion for leave to file amicus brief from the District of Columbia on behalf of 22 States and Territories filed .
Motion to Intervene @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of State of Missouri submitted .
Motion of State of Ohio for leave to file amicus brief submitted .
Motion for Leave to File Brief as Amicus Curiae and Brief for Members of the Pennsylvania General Assembly .
as Amicus Curiae in Support of Plaintiff/Defendants of Members of the Pennsylvania General Assembly submitted .
Motion of Certain Select Pennsylvania State Senators for leave to file amicus brief submitted .
Motion of Christian Family Coalition for leave to file amicus brief submitted .
Amicus brief of Bryan Cutler Speaker of the Pennsylvania House of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the Pennsylvania House of Representatives submitted .
For Leave to File Complaint-in-Intervention of Ron Heuer , et al .
submitted .
Motion of U.S. Representative Mike Johnson and 105 Other Members for leave to file amicus brief submitted .
Motion of Lieutenant Governor Janice McGeachin , Senator Lora Reinbold , Representative David Eastment , et al .
( Elected State Officials ) for leave to file amicus brief submitted .
Amicus brief of City of Detroit submitted .
Motion for Leave to File and Amicus Curiae Brief of Justice and Freedom Fund in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Fund in Support of Plaintiff submitted .
Complaint in Intervention of Ron Heuer , et al .
submitted .
Amicus brief of Ga. state Sen. William Ligon et al .
submitted .
Motion of L. Lin Wood for leave to file amicus brief submitted .
Motion of Steve Bullock , in his official capacity as Governor of Montana for leave to file amicus brief submitted .
I have never seen a flurry of activity like this for any other Supreme Court case .
As you look over that list , you will see @ @ @ @ @ @ @ names on there and nearly all states are represented in at least some capacity .
But there is one huge name that is completely missing .
For some reason , Joe Biden has decided not to be involved in this case at all .
I think that Joe Biden ’ s lawyers are telling him that it would give the case credibility if they got involved and they don ’ t want to do that .
But to me , this is a major tactical mistake on their part .
If Texas wins @ @ @ @ @ @ @ not be the one sitting in the Oval Office for the next four years .
With so much on the line , if I was a presidential candidate I would want to make sure that my interests were being represented properly in this case .
In any event , this case is moving forward , and the outcome will make history no matter which way it goes .
Needless to say , Pennsylvania , Michigan , Wisconsin and Georgia are very upset about the suit that Texas has filed .
In fact , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ far as to call the suit a “ seditious abuse of the judicial process ” … Of course that is a bunch of nonsense .
As I detailed yesterday , Texas is alleging very serious violations of the Electors Clause and the Equal Protection Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment in all four states , and the evidence clearly shows that those constitutional violations did indeed take place .
Pennsylvania , Michigan , Wisconsin and Georgia would have us believe that Texas and other red states were not harmed by these constitutional violations , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the Supreme Court could not possibly take any action even if there were constitutional violations because that would “ disenfranchise ” millions of voters .
But it wouldn ’ t disenfranchise those voters if the Court ordered new elections in those four states , and that is what I believe is the appropriate remedy in this case .
I know that is a minority viewpoint , but I am sticking with it .
On Thursday , the District of Columbia , 20 blue states , the Virgin Islands and Guam filed an amicus @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , Wisconsin and Georgia .
An amicus brief had already been filed by a coalition of red states on Wednesday , and on Thursday six of them actually asked the court to allow them to become co-plaintiffs… Subsequently , 106 Republican members of the House of Representatives filed an amicus brief in support of Texas .
That has got to carry a lot of weight with the Court .
At this point , the Court is essentially boxed into a corner .
If they throw this case aside very quickly , that will @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
But if they actually allow oral arguments and give this case the attention that it deserves , that will cause a massive uproar on the left .
Whatever they do , about half the country is going to be exceedingly angry .
And if Texas v. Pennsylvania ultimately results in Trump winning the election , we will witness a national temper tantrum that will shake our nation to the core .
We have reached one of the most critical moments in American history , and the future of our Republic hangs in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Court likes to try to find an easy way out , and they may be very tempted to try to dispose of this case very quickly .
But that wouldn ’ t solve anything .
I think that it is a very ominous sign that there is so much open animosity between red states and blue states now .
Just like we witnessed prior to the Civil War , states are picking one side or the other , and talk of secession is starting to pick up steam .
In fact , it @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Report on Thursday morning .
And if the Supreme Court ignores the clear constitutional violations that occurred during this election , that will only make things a lot worse .
As Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton stated in his complaint , either we have a Constitution or we don ’ t .
That is what Texas v. Pennsylvania is really all about , and in a few days we will have a clear answer to that question .

by Michael Snyder
We have never seen anything like Texas v. Pennsylvania in the history of the Supreme Court. A very large group of red states has lined up behind Texas, and a very large group of blue states is backing the other side. I cannot recall another Supreme Court case in which so many states have sought to be involved on some level, and so to me it would be unthinkable for the Supreme Court to try to slap this suit away as if it was insignificant. The U.S. Constitution gives the Supreme Court original jurisdiction over controversies between states, and so if the Supreme Court is not willing to properly deal with the grievances that the red states have there is no other place for them to go.
I believe that the Supreme Court is going to handle this case with the seriousness that it deserves, and that means that we are about to witness an absolutely epic legal battle between red states and blue states.
In an article that I published yesterday, I explained that the Court had required the states of Pennsylvania, Michigan, Wisconsin and Georgia to file their responses by Thursday at 3 PM, and that is precisely what happened.
But a whole bunch of other parties decided to get involved in this case as well. The following are all of the updates that were posted on the Supreme Court website on Thursday alone…
Motion of State of Ohio for leave to file amicus brief not accepted for filing. (December 10, 2020) (corrected motion electronically filed)
Response to motion for leave to file bill of complaint and motion for preliminary injunction and temporary restraining order or stay from defendant Wisconsin filed.
Opposition to Texas’s motion for leave to file bill of complaint and its motion for preliminary relief from defendant Georgia filed.
Opposition to motions for leave to file bill of complaint and for injunctive relief from defendant Michigan filed.
Opposition to motion for leave to file bill of complaint and motion for preliminary injunction, temporary restraining order, or stay from defendant Pennsylvania filed.
Motion for leave to file amicus brief from the District of Columbia on behalf of 22 States and Territories filed.
Motion to Intervene and Proposed Bill of Complaint in Intervention of State of Missouri submitted.
Motion of State of Ohio for leave to file amicus brief submitted.
Motion for Leave to File Brief as Amicus Curiae and Brief for Members of the Pennsylvania General Assembly. as Amicus Curiae in Support of Plaintiff/Defendants of Members of the Pennsylvania General Assembly submitted.
Motion of Certain Select Pennsylvania State Senators for leave to file amicus brief submitted.
Motion of Christian Family Coalition for leave to file amicus brief submitted.
Amicus brief of Bryan Cutler Speaker of the Pennsylvania House of Representatives and Kerry Benninghoff Majority Leader of the Pennsylvania House of Representatives submitted.
For Leave to File Complaint-in-Intervention of Ron Heuer, et al. submitted.
Motion of U.S. Representative Mike Johnson and 105 Other Members for leave to file amicus brief submitted.
Motion of Lieutenant Governor Janice McGeachin, Senator Lora Reinbold, Representative David Eastment, et al. (Elected State Officials) for leave to file amicus brief submitted.
Amicus brief of City of Detroit submitted.
Motion for Leave to File and Amicus Curiae Brief of Justice and Freedom Fund in Support of Plaintiff of Justice and Freedom Fund in Support of Plaintiff submitted.
Complaint in Intervention of Ron Heuer, et al. submitted.
Amicus brief of Ga. state Sen. William Ligon et al. submitted.
Motion of L. Lin Wood for leave to file amicus brief submitted.
Motion of Steve Bullock, in his official capacity as Governor of Montana for leave to file amicus brief submitted.
I have never seen a flurry of activity like this for any other Supreme Court case.
We are primarily funded by readers. Please subscribe and donate to support us!
As you look over that list, you will see that there are all sorts of big names on there and nearly all states are represented in at least some capacity.
But there is one huge name that is completely missing.
For some reason, Joe Biden has decided not to be involved in this case at all.
I think that Joe Biden’s lawyers are telling him that it would give the case credibility if they got involved and they don’t want to do that.
But to me, this is a major tactical mistake on their part. If Texas wins this case, Joe Biden will probably not be the one sitting in the Oval Office for the next four years. With so much on the line, if I was a presidential candidate I would want to make sure that my interests were being represented properly in this case.
In any event, this case is moving forward, and the outcome will make history no matter which way it goes.
Needless to say, Pennsylvania, Michigan, Wisconsin and Georgia are very upset about the suit that Texas has filed. In fact, Pennsylvania Attorney General Josh Shapiro went so far as to call the suit a “seditious abuse of the judicial process”…
The Pennsylvania AG’s office described the Texas suit as a crass political maneuver to extend Trump’s term. ‘Texas’s effort to get this Court to pick the next President has no basis in law or fact. The Court should not abide this seditious abuse of the judicial process, and should send a clear and unmistakable signal that such abuse must never be replicated,’ they urged.
Of course that is a bunch of nonsense.
As I detailed yesterday, Texas is alleging very serious violations of the Electors Clause and the Equal Protection Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment in all four states, and the evidence clearly shows that those constitutional violations did indeed take place.
Pennsylvania, Michigan, Wisconsin and Georgia would have us believe that Texas and other red states were not harmed by these constitutional violations, and they would have us believe that the Supreme Court could not possibly take any action even if there were constitutional violations because that would “disenfranchise” millions of voters.
But it wouldn’t disenfranchise those voters if the Court ordered new elections in those four states, and that is what I believe is the appropriate remedy in this case.
I know that is a minority viewpoint, but I am sticking with it.
On Thursday, the District of Columbia, 20 blue states, the Virgin Islands and Guam filed an amicus brief in support of Pennsylvania, Michigan, Wisconsin and Georgia.
An amicus brief had already been filed by a coalition of red states on Wednesday, and on Thursday six of them actually asked the court to allow them to become co-plaintiffs…
Missouri on Wednesday led a group of 17 states in filing a brief that supported the Texas lawsuit, which alleges that the four key swing states that voted for President-elect Joe Biden violated the Constitution by having their judicial and executive branches make changes to their presidential elections rather than their legislatures. But the Thursday filing led by Missouri Attorney General Eric Schmitt, which also includes Arkansas, Utah, Louisiana, Mississippi and South Carolina, would make those states parties before the court in the case rather than just outside voices weighing in. President Trump’s campaign did the same on Wednesday.
Subsequently, 106 Republican members of the House of Representatives filed an amicus brief in support of Texas.
That has got to carry a lot of weight with the Court.
At this point, the Court is essentially boxed into a corner. If they throw this case aside very quickly, that will cause a massive uproar on the right.
But if they actually allow oral arguments and give this case the attention that it deserves, that will cause a massive uproar on the left.
Whatever they do, about half the country is going to be exceedingly angry.
And if Texas v. Pennsylvania ultimately results in Trump winning the election, we will witness a national temper tantrum that will shake our nation to the core.
We have reached one of the most critical moments in American history, and the future of our Republic hangs in the balance.
Historically, the Supreme Court likes to try to find an easy way out, and they may be very tempted to try to dispose of this case very quickly.
But that wouldn’t solve anything. I think that it is a very ominous sign that there is so much open animosity between red states and blue states now. Just like we witnessed prior to the Civil War, states are picking one side or the other, and talk of secession is starting to pick up steam. In fact, it was the top headline on the Drudge Report on Thursday morning.
And if the Supreme Court ignores the clear constitutional violations that occurred during this election, that will only make things a lot worse.
As Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton stated in his complaint, either we have a Constitution or we don’t.
That is what Texas v. Pennsylvania is really all about, and in a few days we will have a clear answer to that question.


investmentwatchblog--2020-12-11--48% Of U.S. Small Businesses Fear That They May Be Forced To “Shut Down Permanently” Soon

What would the United States look like if we lost half of our small businesses ?
The reason I ask that question is because approximately half of all small business owners in the entire country believe that they may soon be forced to close down for good .
Not even during the Great Depression of the 1930s did we see anything like this .
The big corporate giants with extremely deep pockets will be able to easily weather another round of lockdowns , but for countless small businesses this is literally a matter of life and death .
Every day @ @ @ @ @ @ @ somewhere in the nation , and the politicians that are doing this are killing the hopes and dreams of countless small business owners .
According to a recent Alignable survey , 48 percent of U.S. small business owners fear that they could be forced to “ shut down permanently ” in the very near future… Based on this week ’ s Alignable Q4 Revenue Poll of 9,201 small business owners , 48 % could shut down permanently before year ’ s end .
In fact , this number jumped from 42 % just @ @ @ @ @ @ @ factors have converged to devastate small businesses : COVID resurgences , forced government reclosures , elevated customer fears , and a surge in online shopping at Amazon and other national ecommerce giants .
When a small business with only a few employees closes down forever , it never makes any national headlines .
But the truth is that small businesses are the heart and soul of our economy , and we are losing more of them with each passing day .
Here are some quotes from actual small business owners that took part @ @ @ @ @ @ @ has raised its ugly head again .
I ’ m a caterer and I ’ ve had no work in November and my clients are cancelling for Dec .
This is so sad .
I have worked so hard to build my business the last 14 years .
My business has gone from half a million to not even 200,000 .
This is devastating for any business.
” • “ COVID closings are killing this country !
My business is on hold — no art walks or gallery openings , and I can @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Everything ’ s online.
” • “ Because therapeutic massage is so ‘ up close and personal , ’ I have only come back to about 40 % of my previous clientele .
I am afraid that the governor will shut us down again , which will be the end of my business .
I also believe the ‘ ruling elite ’ does not care about small businesses.
” How would you feel if you spent years putting everything you had into a small business in order to make it successful , only @ @ @ @ @ @ @ completely destroy it ?
And every time a small business has to let workers go , it just makes the unemployment crisis in this country even worse .
On Thursday , we learned that another 853,000 Americans filed new claims for unemployment benefits last week… I have been warning that the new lockdowns would make the numbers worse , and that is precisely what is happening .
And one expert that was interviewed by CNBC says that this is just the beginning… “ It looks like the unemployment losses are starting to stack @ @ @ @ @ @ @ s not going to be a good month , ” said Chris Rupkey , chief financial economist at MUFG Union Bank .
“ You ’ re starting the first week of the month on a bad note , and it ’ s probably going to be all downhill from here .
It feels like the lockdowns are intensifying .
It ’ s closer to reality for those forecasts that look for the economy to go negative in the first quarter.
” It is also important to remember that there are many Americans that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ they are no longer eligible to receive benefits .
One of those long-term unemployed workers is 35-year-old Sarah Groome… For six months , she received unemployment benefits from the government – but those payments shrank as the programmes wound down this summer .
Since October , she ’ s received nothing .
“ I don ’ t know what I ’ m going to do financially , ” she says .
“ I ’ m applying to jobs and I ’ ve probably applied to over 100 at this point and I ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ s scary , ” she says .
“ I don ’ t know what ’ s going to happen.
” What do you say to someone in her position ?
It ’ s heartbreaking to hear stories like that , and more people are being laid off with each passing day .
And as our new economic depression gets progressively deeper , an increasing number of Americans are becoming very desperate .
In fact , many have already become so desperate that they are turning to shoplifting… Everywhere we look , our @ @ @ @ @ @ @ around us .
Americans have filed new claims for unemployment benefits more than 70 million times this year , the number of homeless in New York City has reached an all-time record high , and civil unrest continues to erupt all over America .
No matter what happens politically , conditions are going to continue to deteriorate as we head into 2021 .
Of course the mainstream media is boldly proclaiming that the new vaccines will pull us out of this tailspin and that life in America will soon return to normal .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ you want , but in the end the “ hope ” that they are promising will turn out to be a complete mirage .

by Michael Snyder
What would the United States look like if we lost half of our small businesses? The reason I ask that question is because approximately half of all small business owners in the entire country believe that they may soon be forced to close down for good. Not even during the Great Depression of the 1930s did we see anything like this. The big corporate giants with extremely deep pockets will be able to easily weather another round of lockdowns, but for countless small businesses this is literally a matter of life and death. Every day we are seeing new restrictions being implemented somewhere in the nation, and the politicians that are doing this are killing the hopes and dreams of countless small business owners. According to a recent Alignable survey, 48 percent of U.S. small business owners fear that they could be forced to “shut down permanently” in the very near future…
Based on this week’s Alignable Q4 Revenue Poll of 9,201 small business owners, 48% could shut down permanently before year’s end. In fact, this number jumped from 42% just two months ago, demonstrating how several factors have converged to devastate small businesses: COVID resurgences, forced government reclosures, elevated customer fears, and a surge in online shopping at Amazon and other national ecommerce giants.
When a small business with only a few employees closes down forever, it never makes any national headlines.
But the truth is that small businesses are the heart and soul of our economy, and we are losing more of them with each passing day.
Here are some quotes from actual small business owners that took part in the Alignable survey…
“COVID has raised its ugly head again. I’m a caterer and I’ve had no work in November and my clients are cancelling for Dec. This is so sad. I have worked so hard to build my business the last 14 years. My business has gone from half a million to not even 200,000. This is devastating for any business.”
“COVID closings are killing this country! My business is on hold — no art walks or gallery openings, and I can’t even open my studio. Everything’s online.”
“Because therapeutic massage is so ‘up close and personal,’ I have only come back to about 40% of my previous clientele. I am afraid that the governor will shut us down again, which will be the end of my business. I also believe the ‘ruling elite’ does not care about small businesses.”
How would you feel if you spent years putting everything you had into a small business in order to make it successful, only to have the politicians come along and completely destroy it?
And every time a small business has to let workers go, it just makes the unemployment crisis in this country even worse.
On Thursday, we learned that another 853,000 Americans filed new claims for unemployment benefits last week…
First-time claims for unemployment insurance totaled 853,000, an increase from the upwardly revised 716,000 total a week before, the Labor Department reported Thursday. Economists surveyed by Dow Jones had been expecting 730,000.
I have been warning that the new lockdowns would make the numbers worse, and that is precisely what is happening.
And one expert that was interviewed by CNBC says that this is just the beginning…
We are primarily funded by readers. Please subscribe and donate to support us!
“It looks like the unemployment losses are starting to stack up for the economy. It’s not going to be a good month,” said Chris Rupkey, chief financial economist at MUFG Union Bank. “You’re starting the first week of the month on a bad note, and it’s probably going to be all downhill from here. It feels like the lockdowns are intensifying. It’s closer to reality for those forecasts that look for the economy to go negative in the first quarter.”
It is also important to remember that there are many Americans that have been unemployed for so long that they are no longer eligible to receive benefits.
One of those long-term unemployed workers is 35-year-old Sarah Groome…
For six months, she received unemployment benefits from the government – but those payments shrank as the programmes wound down this summer. Since October, she’s received nothing. “I don’t know what I’m going to do financially,” she says. “I’m applying to jobs and I’ve probably applied to over 100 at this point and I’ve had one interview.” “It’s scary,” she says. “I don’t know what’s going to happen.”
What do you say to someone in her position?
It’s heartbreaking to hear stories like that, and more people are being laid off with each passing day.
And as our new economic depression gets progressively deeper, an increasing number of Americans are becoming very desperate.
In fact, many have already become so desperate that they are turning to shoplifting…
Shoplifting is up markedly since the pandemic began in the spring and at higher levels than in past economic downturns, according to interviews with more than a dozen retailers, security experts and police departments across the country. But what’s distinctive about this trend, experts say, is what’s being taken – more staples like bread, pasta and baby formula. “We’re seeing an increase in low-impact crimes,” said Jeff Zisner, chief executive of workplace security firm Aegis. “It’s not a whole lot of people going in, grabbing TVs and running out the front door. It’s a very different kind of crime – it’s people stealing consumables and items associated with children and babies.”
Everywhere we look, our society is starting to break down all around us. Americans have filed new claims for unemployment benefits more than 70 million times this year, the number of homeless in New York City has reached an all-time record high, and civil unrest continues to erupt all over America.
No matter what happens politically, conditions are going to continue to deteriorate as we head into 2021.
Of course the mainstream media is boldly proclaiming that the new vaccines will pull us out of this tailspin and that life in America will soon return to normal.
You can believe the mainstream media if you want, but in the end the “hope” that they are promising will turn out to be a complete mirage.


investmentwatchblog--2020-12-12--BREAKING: Texas case REFUSED by US Supreme Court for ‘lack of standing’… UPDATED: Texas GOP release

BREAKING: Texas case REFUSED by US Supreme Court for ‘lack of standing’… UPDATED: Texas GOP release statement after SC ruling, all but calling for SECESSION

The US Supreme Court rejected the request by Texas to sue four battleground states for improperly administered elections , citing “ lack of standing ” under the Constitution .
Justices Alito and Thomas dissented .
Texas Suing My State , Biden First 100 Days Surprise & More UBI Test Pilots For 2021 READ Texas Suing My State , Biden First 100 Days Surprise & More UBI Test Pilots For 2021 Texas has not demonstrated a judicially cognizable interest in the manner in which another State conducts its elections .
All other pending motions are dismissed as moot .
The court @ @ @ @ @ @ @ by Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton was denied the leave to file “ for lack of standing under Article III of the Constitution.
” Six States Have Filed a MOTION TO INTERVENE Making Them CO-PLAINTIFFS in the Texas USSC Case READ Six States Have Filed a MOTION TO INTERVENE Making Them CO-PLAINTIFFS in the Texas USSC Case The @ TexasGOP is out with a statement in the wake of the Supreme Court decision , all but calling for secession : “ Perhaps law-abiding states should bond together and form a Union of states @ @ @ @ @ @ @ pic.twitter.com/4bB3gk88t4

The US Supreme Court rejected the request by Texas to sue four battleground states for improperly administered elections, citing “lack of standing” under the Constitution. Justices Alito and Thomas dissented.
Texas has not demonstrated a judicially cognizable interest in the manner in which another State conducts its elections. All other pending motions are dismissed as moot.
The court announced on Friday evening that the motion by Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton was denied the leave to file “for lack of standing under Article III of the Constitution.”
sputniknews.com/us/202012111081434273-us-supreme-court-rejects-texas-motion-to-challenge-election-results-in-four-battleground-states/
www.npr.org/2020/12/11/945617913/supreme-court-shuts-door-on-trump-election-prospects?utm_campaign=politics&utm_term=nprnews&utm_medium=social&utm_source=twitter.com
thehill.com/regulation/court-battles/529910-supreme-court-rejects-texas-push-to-overturn-biden-victory
The @TexasGOP is out with a statement in the wake of the Supreme Court decision, all but calling for secession:
“Perhaps law-abiding states should bond together and form a Union of states that will abide by the constitution.” pic.twitter.com/4bB3gk88t4
— Adam Kelsey (@adamkelsey) December 12, 2020


investmentwatchblog--2020-12-12--China Seems Ready for a Fight Over Taiwan

I have been warning about this for months here on this feed .
The timeline continues to be filled in .
Keep a sharp eye on events in Straits and the South China Sea in the near term .
Now I 'm at the nervous level .
For decades China-watchers have debated what form a People ’ s Liberation Army ( PLA ) offensive against Taiwan might take .
An onslaught seems to be coming .
Saying no to a cross-strait union is not an option Chinese Communist Party ( CCP ) supremo Xi Jinping means to grant the islanders @ @ @ @ @ @ @ force into law back in 2005 .
Xi regularly reminds everyone that the party ’ s patience is finite .
It seems the only question is timing .
Nor , however , is Xi likely to cow Taipei officialdom or ordinary folk into submission .
Taiwanese are not obtuse .
They saw what happened in Hong Kong last summer , when Beijing enacted a national security law summarily revoking the city ’ s status as a liberal democratic enclave in a totalitarian state .
They know a similar fate awaits them should they @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Nor are they likely to be gulled by mainland sloganeering .
Beijing deploys formulas like “ peaceful unification ” in an effort to lull inhabitants of lands it covets into complying with its wishes .
Well , sure .
Submitting meekly to conquest is peaceful .
It ’ s the kind of cost-free peace aggressors adore .
Meanwhile the CCP ’ s “ one state , two systems ” formula assures prospective new subjects they can keep their system more or less intact if they accept union with China .

I have been warning about this for months here on this feed. The timeline continues to be filled in. Keep a sharp eye on events in Straits and the South China Sea in the near term. Now I'm at the nervous level.
For decades China-watchers have debated what form a People’s Liberation Army (PLA) offensive against Taiwan might take. An onslaught seems to be coming. Saying no to a cross-strait union is not an option Chinese Communist Party (CCP) supremo Xi Jinping means to grant the islanders. Beijing wrote its threat to use force into law back in 2005. Xi regularly reminds everyone that the party’s patience is finite. It seems the only question is timing.
Nor, however, is Xi likely to cow Taipei officialdom or ordinary folk into submission. Taiwanese are not obtuse. They saw what happened in Hong Kong last summer, when Beijing enacted a national security law summarily revoking the city’s status as a liberal democratic enclave in a totalitarian state. They know a similar fate awaits them should they capitulate to blandishments from Xi & Co.
Nor are they likely to be gulled by mainland sloganeering. Beijing deploys formulas like “peaceful unification” in an effort to lull inhabitants of lands it covets into complying with its wishes. Well, sure. Submitting meekly to conquest is peaceful. It’s the kind of cost-free peace aggressors adore. Meanwhile the CCP’s “one state, two systems” formula assures prospective new subjects they can keep their system more or less intact if they accept union with China.


investmentwatchblog--2020-12-11--SCOTUS Action “Any Moment” Per Jay Seculow

INTRODUCTION By this Reply , Texas addresses Defendant States ’ arguments that Texas fails to state a claim because the @ @ @ @ @ or violate state election statutes .
In an effort to obfuscate their unconstitutional abrogation of @ @ @ @ @ name of COVID-19 , Defendant States tack between misstating the facts pled in the Complaint @ @ @ @ @ can ignore the express language in those statutes .
Neither approach has merit .
Texas @ @ @ @ @ against Texas ’ s standing and purportedly alternate remedies to this action in its separate @ @ @ @ @ motion for interim relief .

Watch @JaySekulow's broadcast: ANY MOMENT: SCOTUS Action on Texas Case t.co/sBiN5EusN2 — Pam Presnell ⭐⭐⭐ (@PamPresnell) December 11, 2020
Texas SCOTUS filing:
www.supremecourt.gov/search.aspx?filename=/docket/docketfiles/html/public/22o155.html
Texas has filed its reply brief at the US Supreme Court, which means the Justices could act on the matter as early as today t.co/NdMVF7yyFL — Jamie Dupree (@jamiedupree) December 11, 2020
INTRODUCTION
By this Reply, Texas addresses Defendant
States’ arguments that Texas fails to state a claim
because the challenged actions did not change or
violate state election statutes. In an effort to obfuscate
their unconstitutional abrogation of election security
measures in the name of COVID-19, Defendant States
tack between misstating the facts pled in the
Complaint and arguing that this Court can ignore the express language in those statutes. Neither approach
has merit.
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Texas addresses Defendant States’ arguments
against Texas’s standing and purportedly alternate
remedies to this action in its separate reply in support
of the motion for interim relief.
h/t Revbo


investmentwatchblog--2020-12-11--Your card can be cloned at ATMs, This ATM had a camera & chip installed very cleverly. WATCH video t

Your card can be cloned at ATMs, This ATM had a camera & chip installed very cleverly. WATCH video to see what to check before using

Your card can be cloned at ATMs This ATM had a camera & chip installed very cleverly .
WATCH video @ @ @ @ @ before using ATMs

Your card can be cloned at ATMs
This ATM had a camera & chip installed very cleverly. WATCH video to see what to check before using ATMs
We are primarily funded by readers. Please subscribe and donate to support us!
Your card can be cloned at ATMs 😨 This ATM had a camera & chip installed very cleverly. WATCH video to see what to check before using ATMs 👀 pic.twitter.com/eKUwM2xusf — Rosy (@rose_k01) August 24, 2019
h/t Dangerous Times


investmentwatchblog--2020-12-11--Italian Police Use Lamborghini Huracan to Transport Kidney 300 Miles in Just Two Hours

Grazie alla nostra @ Lamborghini Huracan abbiamo trasportato in tempo il rene di un donatore per il trapianto a una @ @ @ @ @ vita non servono superpoteri ” anche solidarietà , tecnologia ed efficienza aiutano @ CNTrapianti @ @ @ @ @ @ pic.twitter.com/teUxqbMgvW

Grazie alla nostra @Lamborghini Huracan abbiamo trasportato in tempo il rene di un donatore per il trapianto a una persona
“Per salvare una vita non servono superpoteri” anche solidarietà, tecnologia ed efficienza aiutano @CNTrapianti @MinisteroSalute #essercisempre#5novembre pic.twitter.com/teUxqbMgvW
— Polizia di Stato (@poliziadistato) November 5, 2020


investmentwatchblog--2020-12-11--Ominous Sign: Americans Have Begun STEALING FOOD to Survive

by Daisy Luther of The Organic Prepper If you ’ ve been waiting for a sign that things are really bad economically in the United States , here it is .
Americans who never would have contemplated shoplifting before are stealing food to survive .
One of the things that we often say in preparedness circles as we watch chaotic Black Friday scenes or fiery riots unfold is , “ You think it ’ s bad now ?
Just wait until people are hungry !
” I wrote the other day about how the response to the pandemic has destroyed @ @ @ @ @ @ @ An area that deserves more attention is food insecurity .
Food insecurity is defined by the U.S. Department of Agriculture ( USDA ) as a lack of consistent access to enough food for an active , healthy life at a household level .
Hunger , on the other hand , is a personal , physiological condition that results from food insecurity .
More than 50 million people are suffering from food insecurity in the United States right now , a number that has leaped dramatically due to the response to the coronavirus .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ is occurring at such large numbers .
• Children who used to get breakfast and lunch at school are now eating all three meals at home • Many families who can ’ t afford their bills and groceries still make too much money to qualify for federal food assistance This is a topic that a lot of people are judgmental about because they ’ ve never experienced it and consider it a sign of a character flaw .
I spent several years living with food insecurity and poverty when my children were younger @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a fact , it ’ s a terrifying feeling when you have no idea what you ’ re going to feed those precious little humans for dinner .
I skipped many meals so my kids could eat and I was working full time .
Food insecurity is not just something that happens to lazy bums .
It could be happening to that nice family next door to you and you ’ d never know it .
Having been in this horrible position , I want to urge you , if you are able @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to food banks , soup kitchens , or directly to families in need .
Non-perishable foods , treats for the kids , peanut butter , things that don ’ t require a lot of cooking ( families in need may not have the utilities available to cook beans and rice from scratch ) , and hygiene products are all very welcome .
When you ’ re broke , fresh produce is always the first to go , so if you ’ re donating directly and can swing it , consider adding some fresh @ @ @ @ @ @ @ more difficult to acquire , people are becoming desperate .
Hunger in the United States has reached a level that hasn ’ t been seen in decades .
Much of the additional aid from the government expired months ago and our elected officials are too busy playing games to pass a bill that will actually assist the people who are suffering without lining the pockets of big businesses .
The government – you know – the ones who have caused this crisis by destroying millions of jobs and hundreds of thousands of businesses @ @ @ @ @ @ @ lot to help .
While it isn ’ t the government ’ s job to take care of everybody , does that change when they ’ re the ones who screwed everybody in the first place and created a situation in which people couldn ’ t take care of themselves ?
So how are people without any money getting food ?
Twenty percent of Americans are now turning to food banks to help keep their families fed .
And according to a report in the Washington Post , the shoplifting of food and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ I ’ m sure we can all agree that stealing is wrong .
But I ’ m also sure we can all agree that being unable to feed our children could compel us to do things we ’ d otherwise never do .
The Washington Post article shows the human side of those who are shoplifting .
So who is actually doing the stealing ?
It ’ s a mixed bag .
There are some people who are literally stealing to survive while others are stealing items to continue to maintain their lifestyle @ @ @ @ @ @ @ meals .
Jean is a single mom who was working full time and going to college when the pandemic hit , causing her son ’ s preschool to close , which in turn , meant she had to quit her job to care for him , which in turn meant she wasn ’ t eligible for unemployment .
While Jean feels terrible about it and has focused on necessities , there ’ s another side to the shoplifting – those who don ’ t seem to feel badly about it at all and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ exactly keeping them alive .
Sloane lost her job in the initial wave of layoffs and her partner quit because he didn ’ t feel safe working in retail during the pandemic .
She focuses on large chains instead of smaller businesses because they can afford the loss .
And Alex graduated with a master ’ s degree in May when absolutely nobody was hiring .
She steals from Whole Foods and doesn ’ t feel guilty .
This is just a small glimpse into the mindset of people whose circumstances have changed @ @ @ @ @ @ @ focus on the last two .
If you did that , I think you ’ d be overlooking the bigger picture .
Those who are stealing to survive are not out there talking to the Washington Post about it .
They ’ re ashamed to be in the position in which they have to steal .
And the statistics support this theory .
To be clear , more of the things being stolen are far from luxury items like body wash and avocados .
Items being stolen the most frequently are diapers , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ pasta , bread , milk , and winter clothing .
They may not be getting away with as much as they think they are .
The people who are stealing smaller items and focusing on big companies that “ can absorb the losses ” may think that they ’ ll get in less trouble because the value of the items is so low .
But they could be in for a terrible surprise .
An employee of Target who spoke to me on the condition of anonymity warned that many of the larger @ @ @ @ @ @ @ recognition software and they keep records of what a person is stealing .
He explained how it works : You know all those cameras that are everywhere at the large discount stores now , including at the self-checkout counter and over the doors as you walk in ?
Yeah , those are the ones putting you in a database .
So what happens next ?
While it feels like our nation ’ s economic disaster has been going on for a very long time , we ’ re still in the early stages @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of law in most places .
We have police officers , a court system , and some forms of government aid .
But as things worsen – and they will – so too will the level of desperation .
Shoplifting of food and necessities has increased dramatically since last March .
Retail theft in Philadelphia is up 60 % over last year ’ s numbers .
This kind of theft always increases after a major disaster , but according to Read Hayes , a criminologist at the University of Florida and the director @ @ @ @ @ @ @ “ the current trend line is skewing even higher ” than normal post-disaster .
The fact that retail theft has continued to increase so dramatically is an incredibly important warning sign for us to heed .
While some people seem to be stealing out of a sense of entitlement , others are stealing in order to survive .
No longer are people able to put together meals from food banks , government assistance , their jobs – they are stealing in order to feed their families .
If you look at economic collapses @ @ @ @ @ @ @ You see the things we ’ re seeing now .
A mom trying to feed her toddler .
A broke young couple trying to replace the things they can no longer afford to buy .
But don ’ t expect things to stay at the current level .
Where do we go next ?
Well , hopefully , it won ’ t get this bad , but consider Venezuela – a country whose path to economic disaster we are parallelling at a rather unsettling level .
Remember in Venezuela when people began attacking @ @ @ @ @ @ @ people have stolen cows and horses from farms ?
Or how they ’ ve raided the zoos in search of meat ?
Remember the videos and photos you ’ ve seen of hungry people looting – not for televisions and expensive sneakers – but in order to eat ?
And then what ?
When all the stores are out of food ?
When all the farms have been plundered ?
Where do those hungry people go next ?
It ’ s not a stretch of the imagination to think they might show up @ @ @ @ @ @ @ probably start with the folks who know you .
Friends , extended family , neighbors who all think you might be able to spare a meal or a loaf of bread .
You should consider now how you plan to answer that question , which will , of course , vary from person to person .
I hope that you ’ ve practiced careful OpSec all these years we ’ ve been talking about it .
Because we are approaching a time when that your insistence on privacy won ’ t seem silly @ @ @ @ @ @ @ cute but maybe a little paranoid or a little kooky .
If things continue to decline and it becomes well known that you have a supply of food , you ’ d better hope that you have a vigorous defensive plan and the means to enact it .
Because you ’ re going to have a Black Friday mob at your gate .
And they ’ re going to be after the means to stay alive , not just sale-priced bathroom linens .
What do you think ?
Have you seen evidence of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ area ?
Are you experiencing it yourself ?
Have you considered what your response would be if someone came asking for food ?
Let ’ s talk about it in the comments .
Daisy Luther is a coffee-swigging , gun-toting blogger who writes about current events , preparedness , frugality , voluntaryism , and the pursuit of liberty on her website , The Organic Prepper .
She is widely republished across alternative media and she curates all the most important news links on her aggregate site , PreppersDailyNews.com .
Daisy is the best-selling @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the mountains of Virginia with her two daughters and an ever-growing menagerie .
You can find her on Facebook , Pinterest , and Twitter .

by Daisy Luther of The Organic Prepper
If you’ve been waiting for a sign that things are really bad economically in the United States, here it is. Americans who never would have contemplated shoplifting before are stealing food to survive.
One of the things that we often say in preparedness circles as we watch chaotic Black Friday scenes or fiery riots unfold is, “You think it’s bad now? Just wait until people are hungry!”
Well, guess what?
People are hungry.
Food insecurity and hunger
I wrote the other day about how the response to the pandemic has destroyed the personal finances of American families. An area that deserves more attention is food insecurity. Food insecurity is defined by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) as a lack of consistent access to enough food for an active, healthy life at a household level.
Hunger, on the other hand, is a personal, physiological condition that results from food insecurity.
The word “hunger,” the panel stated in its final report, “…should refer to a potential consequence of food insecurity that, because of prolonged, involuntary lack of food, results in discomfort, illness, weakness, or pain that goes beyond the usual uneasy sensation.” (source)
More than 50 million people are suffering from food insecurity in the United States right now, a number that has leaped dramatically due to the response to the coronavirus.
Meanwhile, an estimated 54 million Americans will struggle with hunger this year, a 45 percent increase from 2019, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture. With food aid programs like SNAP and WIC being reduced, and other federal assistance on the brink of expiration, food banks and pantries are being inundated, reporting hours-long waits and lines that stretch into the thousands. (source)
There are a number of reasons this is occurring at such large numbers.
Massive numbers of job losses
The increasing price of food
Children who used to get breakfast and lunch at school are now eating all three meals at home
Many families who can’t afford their bills and groceries still make too much money to qualify for federal food assistance
This is a topic that a lot of people are judgmental about because they’ve never experienced it and consider it a sign of a character flaw.
I spent several years living with food insecurity and poverty when my children were younger, and I can tell you for a fact, it’s a terrifying feeling when you have no idea what you’re going to feed those precious little humans for dinner. I skipped many meals so my kids could eat and I was working full time. Food insecurity is not just something that happens to lazy bums. It could be happening to that nice family next door to you and you’d never know it.
Having been in this horrible position, I want to urge you, if you are able to afford it, to please donate to food banks, soup kitchens, or directly to families in need. Non-perishable foods, treats for the kids, peanut butter, things that don’t require a lot of cooking (families in need may not have the utilities available to cook beans and rice from scratch), and hygiene products are all very welcome. When you’re broke, fresh produce is always the first to go, so if you’re donating directly and can swing it, consider adding some fresh fruits and vegetables.
Elected officials are busy playing games.
As food becomes more difficult to acquire, people are becoming desperate. Hunger in the United States has reached a level that hasn’t been seen in decades. Much of the additional aid from the government expired months ago and our elected officials are too busy playing games to pass a bill that will actually assist the people who are suffering without lining the pockets of big businesses.
More than 20 million Americans are on some form of unemployment assistance, and 12 million will run out of benefits the day after Christmas unless new relief materializes. Though lawmakers have made progress this week on a $908 billion bill, details are still being worked out, congressional aides said… …Several federal food programs that have provided billions of dollars in fresh produce, dairy and meat to U.S. food banks also are set to expire at the end of the year. The largest among them, the Farmers to Families Food Box, has provided more than 120 million food boxes during the pandemic and is already running out of funding in many parts of the country. (source)
The government – you know – the ones who have caused this crisis by destroying millions of jobs and hundreds of thousands of businesses – aren’t doing a whole lot to help. While it isn’t the government’s job to take care of everybody, does that change when they’re the ones who screwed everybody in the first place and created a situation in which people couldn’t take care of themselves?
So how are people without any money getting food?
Twenty percent of Americans are now turning to food banks to help keep their families fed. And according to a report in the Washington Post, the shoplifting of food and other essential items is increasing significantly.
The result is a growing subset of Americans who are stealing food to survive.
Shoplifting is up markedly since the pandemic began in the spring and at higher levels than in past economic downturns, according to interviews with more than a dozen retailers, security experts and police departments across the country. But what’s distinctive about this trend, experts say, is what’s being taken — more staples like bread, pasta and baby formula. “We’re seeing an increase in low-impact crimes,” said Jeff Zisner, chief executive of workplace security firm Aegis. “It’s not a whole lot of people going in, grabbing TVs and running out the front door. It’s a very different kind of crime — it’s people stealing consumables and items associated with children and babies.” (source)
I’m sure we can all agree that stealing is wrong. But I’m also sure we can all agree that being unable to feed our children could compel us to do things we’d otherwise never do.
The Washington Post article shows the human side of those who are shoplifting.
So who is actually doing the stealing? It’s a mixed bag. There are some people who are literally stealing to survive while others are stealing items to continue to maintain their lifestyle or “spice up” their inexpensive meals.
Jean is a single mom who was working full time and going to college when the pandemic hit, causing her son’s preschool to close, which in turn, meant she had to quit her job to care for him, which in turn meant she wasn’t eligible for unemployment.
Jean said she was out of options. So she began sneaking food into her son’s stroller at the local Walmart. She said she’d take things like ground beef, rice or potatoes but always pay for something small, like a packet of M&M’s. Each time, she’d tell herself that God would understand.
“I used to think, if I get in trouble, I’d say, ‘Look, I’m sorry, I wasn’t stealing a television. I just didn’t know what else to do. It wasn’t malicious. We were hungry,’ ” said Jean, 21, who asked to be identified by her middle name to discuss her situation freely. “It’s not something I’m proud of, but it’s what I had to do.” (source)
While Jean feels terrible about it and has focused on necessities, there’s another side to the shoplifting – those who don’t seem to feel badly about it at all and who shoplift things that aren’t exactly keeping them alive.
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Sloane lost her job in the initial wave of layoffs and her partner quit because he didn’t feel safe working in retail during the pandemic. She focuses on large chains instead of smaller businesses because they can afford the loss.
In Virginia, Sloane, 28, says she has been dropping avocados, mushrooms and other fresh produce into her bag without paying for them since September. She worries constantly about getting caught and takes only a couple of items at a time. “But when you’re eating cheap meals every day, sometimes it’s nice to have an avocado to spice things up for one night,” she said. (source)
And Alex graduated with a master’s degree in May when absolutely nobody was hiring. She steals from Whole Foods and doesn’t feel guilty.
She’d spent most of her $1,200 stimulus check on rent, and used what little she had left to buy groceries. Everything else — vitamins, moisturizer, body wash — she said she shoplifted from a Whole Foods Market a few miles from her apartment in Chicago.
“It was like, I could spend $10 and get a couple of vegetables or I could spend $10 on just a box of tampons,” said Alex, 27, who asked to be identified by her middle name to speak candidly…
…She says she moves through the store mostly unnoticed. Usually, she said, she picks up a few bulky vegetables — a bunch of kale, maybe, or a few avocados — to disguise the pricier items she slips into her bag at the self checkout.
“I don’t feel much guilt about it,” she said. “It’s been very frustrating to be part of a class of people who is losing so much right now. And then to have another class who is profiting from the pandemic — well, let’s just say I don’t feel too bad about taking $15 or $20 of stuff from Whole Foods when Jeff Bezos is the richest man on Earth.” (Bezos is the founder and chief executive of Amazon, which owns Whole Foods. He also owns The Washington Post.) (source)
This is just a small glimpse into the mindset of people whose circumstances have changed.
You may read these stories and focus on the last two. If you did that, I think you’d be overlooking the bigger picture. Those who are stealing to survive are not out there talking to the Washington Post about it. They’re ashamed to be in the position in which they have to steal. And the statistics support this theory. To be clear, more of the things being stolen are far from luxury items like body wash and avocados. Items being stolen the most frequently are diapers, formula, ground beef, rice, pasta, bread, milk, and winter clothing.
They may not be getting away with as much as they think they are.
The people who are stealing smaller items and focusing on big companies that “can absorb the losses” may think that they’ll get in less trouble because the value of the items is so low. But they could be in for a terrible surprise.
An employee of Target who spoke to me on the condition of anonymity warned that many of the larger stores like Target and Walmart have facial recognition software and they keep records of what a person is stealing. He explained how it works:
Stores like Target and Walmart have facial recognition software and they will put you into a database even if you’ve only stolen one small thing and will wait until you’ve stolen a cumulative amount of 600-1000 dollars worth of merchandise so they can charge you with something bigger. So for example, if you walked into a Target in Richmond and stole a pair of panties, and then went to a different city, say, Charlotte, as soon as you walk into the store, it pulls up your face and gives security the option to open the file and like see all the other tapes with your face on them.
You know all those cameras that are everywhere at the large discount stores now, including at the self-checkout counter and over the doors as you walk in? Yeah, those are the ones putting you in a database.
So what happens next?
While it feels like our nation’s economic disaster has been going on for a very long time, we’re still in the early stages. We still have a regular rule of law in most places. We have police officers, a court system, and some forms of government aid. But as things worsen – and they will – so too will the level of desperation.
Shoplifting of food and necessities has increased dramatically since last March. Retail theft in Philadelphia is up 60% over last year’s numbers. This kind of theft always increases after a major disaster, but according to Read Hayes, a criminologist at the University of Florida and the director of the Loss Prevention Research Council, “the current trend line is skewing even higher” than normal post-disaster.
The fact that retail theft has continued to increase so dramatically is an incredibly important warning sign for us to heed. While some people seem to be stealing out of a sense of entitlement, others are stealing in order to survive. No longer are people able to put together meals from food banks, government assistance, their jobs – they are stealing in order to feed their families.
If you look at economic collapses, historically the thefts start small. You see the things we’re seeing now. A mom trying to feed her toddler. A broke young couple trying to replace the things they can no longer afford to buy. But don’t expect things to stay at the current level.
Where do we go next? Well, hopefully, it won’t get this bad, but consider Venezuela – a country whose path to economic disaster we are parallelling at a rather unsettling level.
Remember in Venezuela when people began attacking trucks carrying supplies? Or how hungry people have stolen cows and horses from farms? Or how they’ve raided the zoos in search of meat? Remember the videos and photos you’ve seen of hungry people looting – not for televisions and expensive sneakers – but in order to eat?
And then what?
When all the stores are out of food? When all the farms have been plundered? Where do those hungry people go next?
It’s not a stretch of the imagination to think they might show up at your front door. It would probably start with the folks who know you. Friends, extended family, neighbors who all think you might be able to spare a meal or a loaf of bread. You should consider now how you plan to answer that question, which will, of course, vary from person to person.
I hope that you’ve practiced careful OpSec all these years we’ve been talking about it. Because we are approaching a time when that your insistence on privacy won’t seem silly to the people who thought you were cute but maybe a little paranoid or a little kooky.
If things continue to decline and it becomes well known that you have a supply of food, you’d better hope that you have a vigorous defensive plan and the means to enact it. Because you’re going to have a Black Friday mob at your gate. And they’re going to be after the means to stay alive, not just sale-priced bathroom linens.
What do you think?
Have you seen evidence of an increase in food insecurity in your area? Are you experiencing it yourself? Have you considered what your response would be if someone came asking for food? Let’s talk about it in the comments.
Daisy Luther is a coffee-swigging, gun-toting blogger who writes about current events, preparedness, frugality, voluntaryism, and the pursuit of liberty on her website, The Organic Prepper. She is widely republished across alternative media and she curates all the most important news links on her aggregate site, PreppersDailyNews.com. Daisy is the best-selling author of 4 books and lives in the mountains of Virginia with her two daughters and an ever-growing menagerie. You can find her on Facebook, Pinterest, and Twitter.