investmentwatchblog--2020-05-22--The Slippery Slope to Despotism: Paved with Lockdowns, Raids and Forced Vaccinations

You have no rights .
That ’ s the lesson the government wants us to learn from this COVID-19 business .
Well , the government is wrong .
For years now , the powers-that-be—those politicians and bureaucrats who think like tyrants and act like petty dictators regardless of what party they belong to—have attempted to brainwash us into believing that we have no right to think for ourselves , make decisions about our health , protect our homes and families and businesses , act in our best interests , demand accountability and transparency from government , or generally operate as @ @ @ @ @ @ @ own lives .
We have every right , and you know why ?
Because we were born free .
As the Declaration of Independence states , we are endowed by our Creator with certain inalienable rights—to life , liberty , property and the pursuit of happiness—that no government can take away from us .
Unfortunately , that hasn ’ t stopped the government from constantly trying to usurp our freedoms at every turn .
Indeed , the nature of government is such that it invariably oversteps its limits , abuses its authority , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ this COVID-19 crisis , for example .
What started out as an apparent effort to prevent a novel coronavirus from sickening the nation ( and the world ) has become yet another means by which world governments ( including our own ) can expand their powers , abuse their authority , and further oppress their constituents .
Until now , the police state has been more circumspect in its power grabs , but this latest state of emergency has brought the beast out of the shadows .
We are on a slippery slope @ @ @ @ @ @ @ are traveling is paved with lockdowns , SWAT team raids , mass surveillance and forced vaccinations .
It is littered with the debris of our First and Fourth Amendment freedoms .
This is what we have to look forward to in the months and years to come unless we can find some way to regain control over our runaway government .
The government has made no secret of its plans .
Just follow the money trail , and you ’ ll get a sense of what ’ s in store : more militarized @ @ @ @ @ @ @ more surveillance , more lockdowns , more strong-armed tactics aimed at suppressing dissent and forcing us to comply with the government ’ s dictates .
It ’ s chilling to think about , but it ’ s not surprising .
Remember that Pentagon training video created by the Army for U.S. Special Operations Command ?
The one that anticipates the future domestic political and social problems the government is grooming its armed forces to solve through the use of martial law ?
The chilling five-minute training video , obtained by The Intercept through @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , paints a dystopian picture of the future bedeviled by “ criminal networks , ” “ substandard infrastructure , ” “ religious and ethnic tensions , ” “ impoverishment , slums , ” “ open landfills , over-burdened sewers , ” a “ growing mass of unemployed , ” and an urban landscape in which the prosperous economic elite must be protected from the impoverishment of the have nots .
But here ’ s the kicker : what they ’ re really talking about is martial law , packaged as a well-meaning and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ security .
This COVID-19 crisis is pushing us that much closer to that dystopian vision becoming a present-day reality .
For starters , let ’ s talk about the COVID-19 stormtroopers , SWAT team raids and ongoing flare-ups of police brutality .
With millions of dollars in stimulus funds being directed towards policing agencies across the country , the federal government plans to fight this COVID-19 virus with riot gear , gas masks , ballistic helmets , drones , and hi-tech surveillance technology .
Indeed , although crime rates have fallen dramatically in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , there ’ s been no relief from the brutality and violence of the American police state .
While the majority of the country has been social distancing under varying degrees of lockdowns , it ’ s been business as usual for the nation ’ s SWAT teams and police trained to shoot first and ask questions later .
In Kentucky , plain-clothed cops in unmarked cars used a battering ram to break down Breonna Taylor ’ s door and carry out a no-knock raid on her home after midnight .
Fearing a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ technician and her boyfriend—who had been in bed at the time of the invasion—called 911 and prepared to defend themselves .
Taylor ’ s boyfriend shot one of the intruders—later identified as police—in the leg .
Police fired at least 20 shots into the apartment and a neighboring home , killing Taylor .
The drug dealer who was the target of the late-night raid lived 10 miles away and had already been arrested prior to the raid on Taylor ’ s home .
In Illinois , police opened fire in a subway station @ @ @ @ @ @ @ resisted their attempts to tackle and arrest him for violating a city ordinance by passing between two cars of a moving train .
Ariel Roman , a short-order cook , claimed he was suffering from an anxiety attack when he was “ harassed , chased , tackled , pepper-sprayed , tasered and shot twice ” by police .
In Maryland , police dispatched on a nuisance call to break up a crowd of neighborhood kids ( half of them teenagers , and the other half youngsters around 4 and 5 years old ) @ @ @ @ @ @ @ opened fire on a 29-year-old man seen exiting his car with a gun .
An eyewitness claimed “ the officer pointed a flashlight and his gun at the group immediately and began chasing and shooting a minute or two after getting out of the patrol car.
” Police reportedly shot the man after he threw down his gun and ran in the opposite direction .
In Virginia , more than 80 local , state , and federal police agents risked spreading COVID-19 to “ a highly vulnerable population ” when they raided a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ an effort to crack down on six individuals suspected of selling , on average , $ 20 to $ 100 worth of drugs .
In Texas , a SWAT team backed up with a military tank Armored Personnel Carrier raided Big Daddy Zane ’ s Bar whose owner and patrons were staging a peaceful First and Second Amendment protest of the governor ’ s shutdown orders .
Police have even been called out to shut down churches , schools and public parks and beaches that have been found “ in violation ” of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ s talk of mobilizing the military to deliver forced vaccinations , mass surveillance in order to carry out contact tracing , and heavy fines and jail time for those who dare to venture out without a mask , congregate in worship without the government ’ s blessing , or re-open their businesses without the government ’ s say-so .
There are rumblings that the Transportation Security Administration ( TSA ) will start thermal screenings to monitor passengers ’ temperatures in coming weeks .
This is in addition to the virtual strip searches that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Restaurants in parts of the country are being tasked with keeping daily logs of phone numbers , emails , and arrival times for everybody who participates in dine-services , with no mention of how long such records will be kept on file , with whom they will be shared , and under what circumstances .
With the help of Google and Nest cameras , hospitals are morphing into real-time surveillance centers with round-the-clock surveillance cameras monitoring traffic in patients ’ rooms .
Forget patient privacy , however .
Google has a track @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
And then rounding out the power-grabs , the Senate just voted to give police access to web browsing data without a warrant , which would dramatically expand the government ’ s Patriot Act surveillance powers .
The Senate also voted to give Attorney General William Barr the ability to look through the web browsing history of any American — including journalists , politicians , and political rivals — without a warrant , just by saying it is relevant to an investigation .
If enacted , privacy experts warn that the new provisions @ @ @ @ @ @ @ potentially preventing the media from exposing abuses of power or acting as a watchdog against political leaders .
If we haven ’ t already crossed over , we ’ re skating dangerously close to that line that keeps us on the functioning side of a constitutional republic .
It won ’ t take much to push us over that edge into a full-blown banana republic .
In many ways , this is just more of the same heavy-handed tactics we ’ ve been seeing in recent years but with one major difference : @ @ @ @ @ @ @ government officials ( and those who view their lives as more valuable than ours ) with a sanctimonious , self-righteous , arrogant , Big Brother Knows Best approach to top-down governing , and the fall-out can be seen far and wide .
It ’ s an ugly , self-serving mindset that views the needs , lives and rights of “ we the people ” as insignificant when compared to those in power .
That ’ s how someone who should know better such as Alan Dershowitz , a former Harvard law professor , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ freedom , endowed by their Creator with inalienable rights , and living in a country birthed out of a revolutionary struggle for individual liberty—have no rights to economic freedom , to bodily integrity , or to refuse to comply with a government order with which they disagree .
According to Dershowitz , who has become little more than a legal apologist for the power elite , “ You have no right not to be vaccinated , you have no right not to wear a mask , you have no right to open up @ @ @ @ @ @ @ be vaccinated , the state has the power to literally take you to a doctor ’ s office and plunge a needle into your arm.
” Dershowitz is wrong : while the courts may increasingly defer to the government ’ s brand of Nanny State authoritarianism , we still have rights .
The government may try to abridge those rights , it may refuse to recognize them , it may even attempt to declare martial law and nullify them , but it can not litigate , legislate or forcefully eradicate them out of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ ve been largely passive participants in this experiment in self-governance .
Our inaction and inattention has left us at the mercy of power-hungry politicians , corrupt corporations and brutal , government-funded militias .
As I make clear in my book Battlefield America : The War on the American People , these ongoing violations of our rights—this attitude by the government that we have no rights—this tyrannical movement that is overtaking our constitutional republic and gaining in momentum and power by the minute—this incessant auction block in which government officials appointed to represent @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to the highest bidder—all of these betrayals scream for a response .
To quote the great Rod Serling : “ If we don ’ t listen to that scream—and if we don ’ t respond to it—we may well wind up sitting amidst our own rubble , looking for the truck that hit us—or the bomb that pulverized us .
Get the license number of whatever it was that destroyed the dream .
And I think we will find that the vehicle was registered in our own name .
”

by John W. Whitehead
“You have no right not to be vaccinated, you have no right not to wear a mask, you have no right to open up your business… And if you refuse to be vaccinated, the state has the power to literally take you to a doctor’s office and plunge a needle into your arm.”—Alan Dershowitz, Harvard law professor
You have no rights.
That’s the lesson the government wants us to learn from this COVID-19 business.
Well, the government is wrong.
For years now, the powers-that-be—those politicians and bureaucrats who think like tyrants and act like petty dictators regardless of what party they belong to—have attempted to brainwash us into believing that we have no right to think for ourselves, make decisions about our health, protect our homes and families and businesses, act in our best interests, demand accountability and transparency from government, or generally operate as if we are in control of our own lives.
We have every right, and you know why? Because we were born free.
As the Declaration of Independence states, we are endowed by our Creator with certain inalienable rights—to life, liberty, property and the pursuit of happiness—that no government can take away from us.
Unfortunately, that hasn’t stopped the government from constantly trying to usurp our freedoms at every turn. Indeed, the nature of government is such that it invariably oversteps its limits, abuses its authority, and flexes its totalitarian muscles.
Take this COVID-19 crisis, for example.
What started out as an apparent effort to prevent a novel coronavirus from sickening the nation (and the world) has become yet another means by which world governments (including our own) can expand their powers, abuse their authority, and further oppress their constituents.
Until now, the police state has been more circumspect in its power grabs, but this latest state of emergency has brought the beast out of the shadows.
We are on a slippery slope to outright despotism.
This road we are traveling is paved with lockdowns, SWAT team raids, mass surveillance and forced vaccinations. It is littered with the debris of our First and Fourth Amendment freedoms.
This is what we have to look forward to in the months and years to come unless we can find some way to regain control over our runaway government.
The government has made no secret of its plans.
Just follow the money trail, and you’ll get a sense of what’s in store: more militarized police, more SWAT team raids, more surveillance, more lockdowns, more strong-armed tactics aimed at suppressing dissent and forcing us to comply with the government’s dictates.
It’s chilling to think about, but it’s not surprising.
We’ve been warned.
Remember that Pentagon training video created by the Army for U.S. Special Operations Command? The one that anticipates the future domestic political and social problems the government is grooming its armed forces to solve through the use of martial law?
The chilling five-minute training video, obtained by The Intercept through a FOIA request and made available online, paints a dystopian picture of the future bedeviled by “criminal networks,” “substandard infrastructure,” “religious and ethnic tensions,” “impoverishment, slums,” “open landfills, over-burdened sewers,” a “growing mass of unemployed,” and an urban landscape in which the prosperous economic elite must be protected from the impoverishment of the have nots.
But here’s the kicker: what they’re really talking about is martial law, packaged as a well-meaning and overriding concern for the nation’s security.
This COVID-19 crisis is pushing us that much closer to that dystopian vision becoming a present-day reality.
For starters, let’s talk about the COVID-19 stormtroopers, SWAT team raids and ongoing flare-ups of police brutality.
With millions of dollars in stimulus funds being directed towards policing agencies across the country, the federal government plans to fight this COVID-19 virus with riot gear, gas masks, ballistic helmets, drones, and hi-tech surveillance technology.
We are primarily funded by readers. Please subscribe and donate to support us!
Indeed, although crime rates have fallen dramatically in the midst of this global COVID-19 lockdown, there’s been no relief from the brutality and violence of the American police state.
While the majority of the country has been social distancing under varying degrees of lockdowns, it’s been business as usual for the nation’s SWAT teams and police trained to shoot first and ask questions later.
In Kentucky, plain-clothed cops in unmarked cars used a battering ram to break down Breonna Taylor’s door and carry out a no-knock raid on her home after midnight. Fearing a home invasion, the 26-year-old emergency medical technician and her boyfriend—who had been in bed at the time of the invasion—called 911 and prepared to defend themselves. Taylor’s boyfriend shot one of the intruders—later identified as police—in the leg. Police fired at least 20 shots into the apartment and a neighboring home, killing Taylor. The drug dealer who was the target of the late-night raid lived 10 miles away and had already been arrested prior to the raid on Taylor’s home.
In Illinois, police opened fire in a subway station, shooting a 33-year-old man who allegedly resisted their attempts to tackle and arrest him for violating a city ordinance by passing between two cars of a moving train. Ariel Roman, a short-order cook, claimed he was suffering from an anxiety attack when he was “harassed, chased, tackled, pepper-sprayed, tasered and shot twice” by police.
In Maryland, police dispatched on a nuisance call to break up a crowd of neighborhood kids( half of them teenagers, and the other half youngsters around 4 and 5 years old) gathered in an apartment complex parking lot opened fire on a 29-year-old man seen exiting his car with a gun. An eyewitness claimed “the officer pointed a flashlight and his gun at the group immediately and began chasing and shooting a minute or two after getting out of the patrol car.” Police reportedly shot the man after he threw down his gun and ran in the opposite direction.
In Virginia, more than 80 local, state, and federal police agents risked spreading COVID-19 to “a highly vulnerable population” when they raided a low income, public housing community in an effort to crack down on six individuals suspected of selling, on average, $20 to $100 worth of drugs.
In Texas, a SWAT team backed up with a military tank Armored Personnel Carrier raided Big Daddy Zane’s Bar whose owner and patrons were staging a peaceful First and Second Amendment protest of the governor’s shutdown orders.
Police have even been called out to shut down churches, schools and public parks and beaches that have been found “in violation” of various lockdown orders.
Now there’s talk of mobilizing the military to deliver forced vaccinations, mass surveillance in order to carry out contact tracing, and heavy fines and jail time for those who dare to venture out without a mask, congregate in worship without the government’s blessing, or re-open their businesses without the government’s say-so.
There are rumblings that the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) will start thermal screenings to monitor passengers’ temperatures in coming weeks. This is in addition to the virtual strip searches that have become routine aspects of airport security.
Restaurants in parts of the country are being tasked with keeping daily logs of phone numbers, emails, and arrival times for everybody who participates in dine-services, with no mention of how long such records will be kept on file, with whom they will be shared, and under what circumstances.
With the help of Google and Nest cameras, hospitals are morphing into real-time surveillance centers with round-the-clock surveillance cameras monitoring traffic in patients’ rooms. Forget patient privacy, however. Google has a track record of sharing surveillance footage with police.
And then rounding out the power-grabs, the Senate just voted to give police access to web browsing data without a warrant, which would dramatically expand the government’s Patriot Act surveillance powers. The Senate also voted to give Attorney General William Barr the ability to look through the web browsing history of any American — including journalists, politicians, and political rivals — without a warrant, just by saying it is relevant to an investigation. If enacted, privacy experts warn that the new provisions threaten to undermine the free press by potentially preventing the media from exposing abuses of power or acting as a watchdog against political leaders.
If we haven’t already crossed over, we’re skating dangerously close to that line that keeps us on the functioning side of a constitutional republic. It won’t take much to push us over that edge into a full-blown banana republic.
In many ways, this is just more of the same heavy-handed tactics we’ve been seeing in recent years but with one major difference: this COVID-19 state of emergency has invested government officials (and those who view their lives as more valuable than ours) with a sanctimonious, self-righteous, arrogant, Big Brother Knows Best approach to top-down governing, and the fall-out can be seen far and wide.
It’s an ugly, self-serving mindset that views the needs, lives and rights of “we the people” as insignificant when compared to those in power.
That’s how someone who should know better such as Alan Dershowitz, a former Harvard law professor, can suggest that a free people—born in freedom, endowed by their Creator with inalienable rights, and living in a country birthed out of a revolutionary struggle for individual liberty—have no rights to economic freedom, to bodily integrity, or to refuse to comply with a government order with which they disagree.
According to Dershowitz, who has become little more than a legal apologist for the power elite, “You have no right not to be vaccinated, you have no right not to wear a mask, you have no right to open up your business… And if you refuse to be vaccinated, the state has the power to literally take you to a doctor’s office and plunge a needle into your arm.”
Dershowitz is wrong: while the courts may increasingly defer to the government’s brand of Nanny State authoritarianism, we still have rights.
The government may try to abridge those rights, it may refuse to recognize them, it may even attempt to declare martial law and nullify them, but it cannot litigate, legislate or forcefully eradicate them out of existence.
Up to now, we’ve been largely passive participants in this experiment in self-governance. Our inaction and inattention has left us at the mercy of power-hungry politicians, corrupt corporations and brutal, government-funded militias.
Wake up, America.
As I make clear in my book Battlefield America: The War on the American People, these ongoing violations of our rights—this attitude by the government that we have no rights—this tyrannical movement that is overtaking our constitutional republic and gaining in momentum and power by the minute—this incessant auction block in which government officials appointed to represent our best interests keep selling us out to the highest bidder—all of these betrayals scream for a response.
To quote the great Rod Serling: “If we don’t listen to that scream—and if we don’t respond to it—we may well wind up sitting amidst our own rubble, looking for the truck that hit us—or the bomb that pulverized us. Get the license number of whatever it was that destroyed the dream. And I think we will find that the vehicle was registered in our own name.”


investmentwatchblog--2020-05-22--OFFICIAL: New money-tree virus to bankrupt planet until next Millennium

DEFRA Secretary George Eustace announced this morning that money does indeed grow on trees .
The environment , food and rural affairs Supremo issued a scathing statement about previous Prime Minister Theresa May ’ s “ blatant lie ” on the subject of money orchards , revealing for the first time that money trees are carefully cultivated under extreme security in Kent and Sussex .
But his message was far from being all Glad Tidings .
Speaking exclusively to Saddam “ Piggy ” Bolt-On from Sky News , Eustace told viewers that “ Government experts have detected several billion money @ @ @ @ @ @ @ for Novel Monetary Realm Virus Disease [ Nodoshvid20 ] ” .
He added , “ As most of your incredibly knowledgeable viewers can tell Saddam , the word ‘ Nodoshvid ’ is obviously of Russian origin , and so we shall be imposing upon the evil Vladimir Rasputin the sort of trade embargo that will bring the Russian Bear to heel in very short order ” .
UK Chancellor Rishi Sunak stressed that the deadly killer virus Nodoshvid20 meant there would be a shortage of money “ for at least the next thousand @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in the private sector would have to pay much lower wages , whereas the Exchequer would reluctantly have to ask all patriotic citizens to pay higher taxes to fund the investment in new trees , and troops to repel reckless invasion plans hatched in Moscow .
Speaking from his secret onanist shagnest in Dagenham , Neil Fergus-Random told The Slog , “ We fully expect Nodoshvid20 to mutate in the next few days , and start eating the Pound in your Pocket .
To avoid such a critical outcome , it is absolutely @ @ @ @ @ @ @ from physical cash .
We shall therefore be urging the Government to declare all cash illegal in favour of electronic money which remains virus-free and dead easy to nick for the purposes of fighting this deadly Nodoshvid20 thing on the average fuckwit ’ s behalf ” .
Labour leader Sir Steer Calmer told Channel Four that “ it is ridiculous for this unelected Tory cabal to keep on rejecting the philanthropic protection of the European Union given the obvious certainty of immediate bankruptcy at the hands of Nodoshvid20″ .

by John Ward
DEFRA Secretary George Eustace announced this morning that money does indeed grow on trees.
The environment, food and rural affairs Supremo issued a scathing statement about previous Prime Minister Theresa May’s “blatant lie” on the subject of money orchards, revealing for the first time that money trees are carefully cultivated under extreme security in Kent and Sussex.
But his message was far from being all Glad Tidings. Speaking exclusively to Saddam “Piggy” Bolt-On from Sky News, Eustace told viewers that “Government experts have detected several billion money trees in the Canterbury area testing positive for Novel Monetary Realm Virus Disease [Nodoshvid20]”.
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He added, “As most of your incredibly knowledgeable viewers can tell Saddam, the word ‘Nodoshvid’ is obviously of Russian origin, and so we shall be imposing upon the evil Vladimir Rasputin the sort of trade embargo that will bring the Russian Bear to heel in very short order”.
UK Chancellor Rishi Sunak stressed that the deadly killer virus Nodoshvid20 meant there would be a shortage of money “for at least the next thousand years”, and therefore all employers in the private sector would have to pay much lower wages, whereas the Exchequer would reluctantly have to ask all patriotic citizens to pay higher taxes to fund the investment in new trees, and troops to repel reckless invasion plans hatched in Moscow.
Speaking from his secret onanist shagnest in Dagenham, Neil Fergus-Random told The Slog, “We fully expect Nodoshvid20 to mutate in the next few days, and start eating the Pound in your Pocket. To avoid such a critical outcome, it is absolutely vital for all citizens to be isolated from physical cash. We shall therefore be urging the Government to declare all cash illegal in favour of electronic money which remains virus-free and dead easy to nick for the purposes of fighting this deadly Nodoshvid20 thing on the average fuckwit’s behalf”.
Labour leader Sir Steer Calmer told Channel Four that “it is ridiculous for this unelected Tory cabal to keep on rejecting the philanthropic protection of the European Union given the obvious certainty of immediate bankruptcy at the hands of Nodoshvid20″.


investmentwatchblog--2020-05-22--How U.S. Consumers are Spending Differently During COVID-19

In 2019 , nearly 70 % of U.S. GDP was driven by personal consumption .
However , in the first quarter of 2020 , the COVID-19 pandemic has initiated a transformation of consumer spending trends as we know them .
By leveraging new data from analytics platform 1010Data , today ’ s infographic dives into the credit and debit card spending of five million U.S. consumers over the past few months .
Let ’ s see how their spending habits have evolved over that short timeframe : The above data on consumer spending , which comes from 1010Data and powered @ @ @ @ @ @ @ into 18 different categories : It ’ s no surprise that COVID-19 has consumers cutting back on most of their purchases , but that doesn ’ t mean that specific categories don ’ t benefit from changes in consumer habits .
The onset of changing consumer behavior can be observed from February 25 , 2020 , when compared year-over-year ( YoY ) .
As of May 12 , 2020 , combined spending in all categories dropped by almost 30 % YoY .
Here ’ s how that shakes out across the different categories @ @ @ @ @ @ @ saw a sharp spike in initial spending , as Americans scrambled to stockpile on non-perishable food , hand sanitizer , and toilet paper from Big Box stores like Walmart , or Wholesale Clubs like Costco .
In particular , spending on groceries reached a YoY increase of 97.1 % on March 18 , 2020 .
However , these sudden panic-buying urges leveled out by the start of April .
Pharmaceutical purchases dropped the most in this segment , possibly as individuals cut back on their healthcare expenditures during this time .
In fact @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of physicians , 80 % reported a decline in patient volumes .
With less foot traffic in malls and entire stores forced to close , sales of apparel plummeted both in physical locations and over e-commerce platforms .
Interestingly , sales of office supplies rose as many pivoted to working from home .
Many parents also likely required more of these resources to home-school their children .
The food and beverage industry has been hard-hit by COVID-19 .
While many businesses turned to delivery services to stay afloat , those in fine dining @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a shift , and spiraled by 88.2 % by May 5 , 2020 , year-over-year .
Applebees or Olive Garden exemplify casual dining , while Panera or Chipotle characterize fast casual .
Meanwhile , many consumers also shifted from eating out to home cooking .
As a result , grocery delivery services jumped by over five-fold—with consumers spending a whopping 558.4 % more at its April 19 , 2020 peak compared to last year .
Food delivery services are also in high demand , with Doordash seeing the highest growth in U.S. users @ @ @ @ @ @ @ April .
While all travel categories experienced an immense decline , cruises suffered the worst blow by far , down by 87.0 % in YoY spending since near the start of the pandemic .
Airlines have also come to a halt , nosediving by 91.4 % in a 10-week span .
In fact , governments worldwide have pooled together nearly $ 85 billion in an attempt to bail the industry out .
Consumer spending offers a pulse of the economy ’ s health .
These sharp drops in consumer spending fall in line @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
In fact , consumer confidence has eroded even more intensely than the stock market ’ s performance this quarter , as observed when the Index of Consumer Sentiment ( ICS ) is compared to the S & P 500 Index .
Many investors dumped their stocks as the coronavirus hit , but consumers tightened their purse strings even more .
Yet , as the chart also shows , both the stock market and consumer sentiment are slowly but surely on the mend since April .
As the stay-at-home curtain cautiously begins to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ yet be hope for economic recovery on the horizon .

by visualcapitalist
In 2019, nearly 70% of U.S. GDP was driven by personal consumption.
However, in the first quarter of 2020, the COVID-19 pandemic has initiated a transformation of consumer spending trends as we know them.
Consumer Spending in Charts
By leveraging new data from analytics platform 1010Data, today’s infographic dives into the credit and debit card spending of five million U.S. consumers over the past few months.
Let’s see how their spending habits have evolved over that short timeframe:
The above data on consumer spending, which comes from 1010Data and powered by AI platform Exabel, is broken into 18 different categories:
General Merchandise & Grocery : Big Box, Pharmacy, Wholesale Club, Grocery
: Big Box, Pharmacy, Wholesale Club, Grocery Retail: Apparel, Office Supplies, Pet Supplies
Apparel, Office Supplies, Pet Supplies Restaurant: Casual dining, Fast casual, Fast food, Fine dining
Casual dining, Fast casual, Fast food, Fine dining Food Delivery: Food delivery, Grocery Delivery, Meal/Snack kit
Food delivery, Grocery Delivery, Meal/Snack kit Travel: Airline, Car rental, Cruise, Hotel
It’s no surprise that COVID-19 has consumers cutting back on most of their purchases, but that doesn’t mean that specific categories don’t benefit from changes in consumer habits.
Consumer Spending Changes By Category
The onset of changing consumer behavior can be observed from February 25, 2020, when compared year-over-year (YoY).
As of May 12, 2020, combined spending in all categories dropped by almost 30% YoY. Here’s how that shakes out across the different categories, across two months.
General Merchandise & Grocery
This segment saw a sharp spike in initial spending, as Americans scrambled to stockpile on non-perishable food, hand sanitizer, and toilet paper from Big Box stores like Walmart, or Wholesale Clubs like Costco.
In particular, spending on groceries reached a YoY increase of 97.1% on March 18, 2020. However, these sudden panic-buying urges leveled out by the start of April.
Feb 25, 2020 YoY Spending May 5, 2020 YoY Spending Overall Change Big Box +14.2% -1.5% -15.7% Grocery +1.0% +9.4% +8.4% Pharmacy -3.6% -23.8% -20.2% Wholesale Club +13.0% +2.6% -10.4%
Pharmaceutical purchases dropped the most in this segment, possibly as individuals cut back on their healthcare expenditures during this time. In fact, in an April 2020 McKinsey survey of physicians, 80% reported a decline in patient volumes.
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Retail
With less foot traffic in malls and entire stores forced to close, sales of apparel plummeted both in physical locations and over e-commerce platforms.
Feb 25, 2020 YoY Spending May 5, 2020 YoY Spending Overall Change Apparel -5.6% -51.9% -46.3% Office Supplies -8.9% -2.8% +6.1% Pet Supplies +2.7% -18.5% -21.2%
Interestingly, sales of office supplies rose as many pivoted to working from home. Many parents also likely required more of these resources to home-school their children.
Restaurant
The food and beverage industry has been hard-hit by COVID-19. While many businesses turned to delivery services to stay afloat, those in fine dining were less able to rely on such a shift, and spiraled by 88.2% by May 5, 2020, year-over-year.
Feb 25, 2020 YoY Spending May 5, 2020 YoY Change Overall Change Casual Dining -2.7% -64.9% -62.2% Fast Casual 4.2% -29.6% -33.8% Fast Food 2.0% -20.9% -22.9% Fine Dining -18.6% -88.2% -69.6%
Applebees or Olive Garden exemplify casual dining, while Panera or Chipotle characterize fast casual.
Food Delivery
Meanwhile, many consumers also shifted from eating out to home cooking. As a result, grocery delivery services jumped by over five-fold—with consumers spending a whopping 558.4% more at its April 19, 2020 peak compared to last year.
Feb. 25, 2020 YoY Spending May 5, 2020 YoY Spending Overall Change Food Delivery +18.8% +67.1% +48.3% Grocery Delivery +23.0% +419.7% +396.7% Meal/ Snack Kit +7.0% -5.9% -12.9%
Food delivery services are also in high demand, with Doordash seeing the highest growth in U.S. users than any other food delivery app in April.
Travel
While all travel categories experienced an immense decline, cruises suffered the worst blow by far, down by 87.0% in YoY spending since near the start of the pandemic.
Feb 25, 2020 YoY Spending May 5, 2020 YoY Spending Overall Change Airline -7.7% -99.1% -91.4% Car Rental -6.3% -86.0% -79.7% Cruise -18.7% -105.7% -87.0% Hotel -7.0% -85.9% -78.9%
Airlines have also come to a halt, nosediving by 91.4% in a 10-week span. In fact, governments worldwide have pooled together nearly $85 billion in an attempt to bail the industry out.
Hope on the Horizon?
Consumer spending offers a pulse of the economy’s health. These sharp drops in consumer spending fall in line with the steep decline in consumer confidence.
In fact, consumer confidence has eroded even more intensely than the stock market’s performance this quarter, as observed when the Index of Consumer Sentiment (ICS) is compared to the S&P 500 Index.
Many investors dumped their stocks as the coronavirus hit, but consumers tightened their purse strings even more. Yet, as the chart also shows, both the stock market and consumer sentiment are slowly but surely on the mend since April.
As the stay-at-home curtain cautiously begins to lift in the U.S., there may yet be hope for economic recovery on the horizon.


investmentwatchblog--2020-05-22--How Government Intervention Triggers Economic Depressions

Although painful , the solution to the 2020 economic recession is simple—uncover our problems , let prices adjust , and reallocate capital toward productive usages .
The quicker we adjust , the shorter the recession and the sooner we create a sustainable economic foundation for future prosperity .
This approach is the polar opposite to the current interventionist and inflationist orthodoxy .
Murray Rothbard ’ s America ’ s Great Depression highlights the folly of government intervention during the 1930s and the economic malaise followed .
The similarities to today are a warning sign .
It ’ s time to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ status quo or prepare for the recession to turn into a depression .
The “ Roaring 20s ” in the lead-up to the 1929 equity market crash that started the Great Depression were characterized by numerous factors that were also seen in the decade leading up to 2020 .
My top three : 1 ) Soft Consumer Price Index ( CPI ) inflation encouraged significant monetary inflation by the Fed .
US money supply grew approximately 60 percent between 1921 and 1929 , and an astounding 145 percent between 2009 and 2019 .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ without appreciating broader inflation , particularly in asset prices .
2 ) Rampant equity prices appreciated the monetary inflation—the S & P500 gained 700 percent between 1921 and 1929 and 480 percent between 2009 and 2019 .
3 ) Powerful global central bankers had close political allegiances and were overconfident in their ability to micromanage monetary imbalances .
Bank of England governor Montagu Norman ( from 1920–44 ) tried to maintain London ’ s position as the world ’ s premier financier , lending capital to troubled European nations in return for political @ @ @ @ @ @ @ these loans .
He returned Britain to the gold standard but failed to revalue the British pound after substantial World War I inflation , making the link to gold implausible .
The market disciplined the UK ’ s unwillingness to deflate prices or revalue its currency relative to gold by withdrawing gold .
Norman convinced Fed governor Benjamin Strong to inflate US monetary policy to prevent further gold flows from Europe to the US .
This coordinated and political approach has a remarkable resemblance to the coordination between the Bank of England , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of Japan , and the Fed in the past decade .
The standard history of the Great Depression is that President Hoover made the Depression worse because he was economically indecisive and that Roosevelt began to solve the problems after his inauguration in 1933 with the fiscal and monetary expansion of the New Deal .
Rothbard shows that the New Deal began during Hoover ’ s presidency with massive government intervention , clearly refuting the popular narrative .
Hoover ’ s poor logic is characterized by his belief that America was more productive @ @ @ @ @ @ @ wages , rather than identifying America ’ s superior productivity as the cause for higher real wages .
His faulty logic led to numerous interventionist policies—bolstering wages and prices , expanding credit , propping up weak firms and banks , increasing government spending , public works programs , weakening bankruptcy laws , raising tariffs , increasing taxes , and placing restrictions on immigration .
The federal government has already implemented restrictions on immigration , hiked tariffs , expanded the size of government , and is rewriting the playbook by propping up weak firms @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to understand that a monetary inflation–driven economic expansion period , like those of the 1920s and 2010s , distorts the structure of production , misleads households and businesses , and misallocates capital .
A market crash and an economic recession are opportunities to reallocate , creating a sound and sustainable foundation .
Like today , the policies that Hoover implemented hinder the market adjustment mechanism and could lead to prolonged economic weakness .
A few examples .
• Maintaining wage rates during a recession , when consumer prices are falling , leads to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ employed .
The rising cost of employing each worker leads to layoffs and reduced hours for those who are employed .
As an example , average weekly hours worked fell from forty-eight in 1929 to thirty-two in 1932 .
In previous recessions hours worked had never fallen by more than 10 percent .
Governments across the globe have succumbed to minimum wage laws over recent years to protect workers without appreciating the cost to those who are unemployed and the economic inefficiency that arises .
• In order to contend with bank run @ @ @ @ @ @ @ withdrawals and imposed bank holidays on all banks in the 1930s .
Good banks were unable to display their strength relative to the bad banks , leading to a broad loss of confidence in the banking system altogether .
Today , banks have ample funding from their central banks , which should prevent bank runs .
But watch out for redemption restrictions from investment accounts if market conditions deteriorate and for measures to reduce interest in non-government-approved assets such as gold and bitcoin .
• One of Hoover ’ s last acts as @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the property rights of creditors in bankruptcy laws in order to prevent bankruptcies .
This implies that creditors can ’ t take ownership of their rightful assets and reallocate capital toward productive ventures .
Unprofitable ventures are kept afloat , leading to a decline in productivity and efficiency .
In the current cycle , authorities appear to be trying to avoid bankruptcies altogether and have reduced the property rights of savers extensively .
• Monetary manipulation remains the biggest hindrance during an economic crisis for a host of reasons .
Touching on one @ @ @ @ @ @ @ returns on lending , which disincentivizes lending exactly at the time when the economy needs it most .
Interest rates must rise in order to get savers and banks to lend real savings .
During the Great Depression authorities launched campaigns against hoarding of gold and cash , and they were frustrated by banks ’ unwillingness to lend .
I think we ’ ll see increasing frustration through 2020 and 2021 as global monetary policies fail to encourage a healthy market between savers and lenders .
Central banks can supply billions of bank @ @ @ @ @ @ @ s less clear whether banks will lend to consumers and businesses .
I expect increasing government intervention and large direct fiscal transfers to become commonplace as authorities circumvent the lending market .
• Low interest rates , fiscal injections and numerous relief packages fail to weed out the bad businesses , leading to a less robust investment climate with reduced appreciation of real risk .
On the surface , these interventionist policies appear morally justified because we ’ re protecting jobs , supporting firms , and shielding households from economic pain .
This @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , with a natural and external enemy .
Critics of these policies are characterized as heartless capitalists who only care about profits—I know , it hurts !
This surface-level and paternalistic approach followed by the majority disguises second-round implications and the massive cost to human life from an extended economic depression .
Joblessness , suicide , domestic violence , crime , and violence were rife during the 1930s , and we need to avoid these in the 2020s .
Although painful , the best policy response to recession is submission to market forces @ @ @ @ @ @ @ during recessions prior to the Great Depression .
Intervention delays adjustment , leading to prolonged economic pain and a weaker recovery .
It ’ s no surprise , then , that the 2009–20 US business cycle was the weakest on record after we failed to submit ourselves to real adjustment during 2008/2009 .
The resemblance between the 1920s and the 2010s , and the similarity in economic response , is cause for concern .
There ’ s almighty support for intervention within government and big business , so I ’ m cognizant that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ trajectory .
Elites are too invested in the status quo , both economically and intellectually , to allow their bad investments and ideas to deflate .
We must invest our time and capital accordingly given the poor decisions and the risks for economic growth , capital formation , and job growth .
The more intervention , the deeper the recession and the greater the probability that we will shift into a 1930s-style depression .
Rob Price is a global macro researcher and investor .
He seeks to understand and position for the future @ @ @ @ @ @ @ forecasts .
A positive skeptic — concerned with centralized authority but encouraged by the powerful ingenuity of decentralized decision-making .
Rob lives in Los Angeles and serves as the Head of Asset Allocation for a South African institutional pension fund .
He reads , writes and tweets about central banking , financial markets and bitcoin .

by Rob Price via Mises
Although painful, the solution to the 2020 economic recession is simple—uncover our problems, let prices adjust, and reallocate capital toward productive usages. The quicker we adjust, the shorter the recession and the sooner we create a sustainable economic foundation for future prosperity. This approach is the polar opposite to the current interventionist and inflationist orthodoxy. Murray Rothbard’s America’s Great Depression highlights the folly of government intervention during the 1930s and the economic malaise followed. The similarities to today are a warning sign. It’s time to push back against the stimulatory and interventionist status quo or prepare for the recession to turn into a depression.
The “Roaring 20s” in the lead-up to the 1929 equity market crash that started the Great Depression were characterized by numerous factors that were also seen in the decade leading up to 2020. My top three: 1) Soft Consumer Price Index (CPI) inflation encouraged significant monetary inflation by the Fed. US money supply grew approximately 60 percent between 1921 and 1929, and an astounding 145 percent between 2009 and 2019. Economists were myopically focused on CPI inflation without appreciating broader inflation, particularly in asset prices. 2) Rampant equity prices appreciated the monetary inflation—the S&P500 gained 700 percent between 1921 and 1929 and 480 percent between 2009 and 2019. 3) Powerful global central bankers had close political allegiances and were overconfident in their ability to micromanage monetary imbalances.
Bank of England governor Montagu Norman (from 1920–44) tried to maintain London’s position as the world’s premier financier, lending capital to troubled European nations in return for political influence without properly assessing the risk of these loans. He returned Britain to the gold standard but failed to revalue the British pound after substantial World War I inflation, making the link to gold implausible. The market disciplined the UK’s unwillingness to deflate prices or revalue its currency relative to gold by withdrawing gold. Norman convinced Fed governor Benjamin Strong to inflate US monetary policy to prevent further gold flows from Europe to the US. This coordinated and political approach has a remarkable resemblance to the coordination between the Bank of England, the European Central Bank, the Bank of Japan, and the Fed in the past decade.
The standard history of the Great Depression is that President Hoover made the Depression worse because he was economically indecisive and that Roosevelt began to solve the problems after his inauguration in 1933 with the fiscal and monetary expansion of the New Deal. Rothbard shows that the New Deal began during Hoover’s presidency with massive government intervention, clearly refuting the popular narrative. Hoover’s poor logic is characterized by his belief that America was more productive than its peers because of its high wages, rather than identifying America’s superior productivity as the cause for higher real wages. His faulty logic led to numerous interventionist policies—bolstering wages and prices, expanding credit, propping up weak firms and banks, increasing government spending, public works programs, weakening bankruptcy laws, raising tariffs, increasing taxes, and placing restrictions on immigration. The federal government has already implemented restrictions on immigration, hiked tariffs, expanded the size of government, and is rewriting the playbook by propping up weak firms during the 2020 crisis.
Interventionists fail to understand that a monetary inflation–driven economic expansion period, like those of the 1920s and 2010s, distorts the structure of production, misleads households and businesses, and misallocates capital. A market crash and an economic recession are opportunities to reallocate, creating a sound and sustainable foundation. Like today, the policies that Hoover implemented hinder the market adjustment mechanism and could lead to prolonged economic weakness. A few examples.
We are primarily funded by readers. Please subscribe and donate to support us!
Maintaining wage rates during a recession, when consumer prices are falling, leads to rising real wages for those who are employed. The rising cost of employing each worker leads to layoffs and reduced hours for those who are employed. As an example, average weekly hours worked fell from forty-eight in 1929 to thirty-two in 1932. In previous recessions hours worked had never fallen by more than 10 percent. Governments across the globe have succumbed to minimum wage laws over recent years to protect workers without appreciating the cost to those who are unemployed and the economic inefficiency that arises.
In order to contend with bank run risks, authorities implemented arbitrary restrictions on withdrawals and imposed bank holidays on all banks in the 1930s. Good banks were unable to display their strength relative to the bad banks, leading to a broad loss of confidence in the banking system altogether. Today, banks have ample funding from their central banks, which should prevent bank runs. But watch out for redemption restrictions from investment accounts if market conditions deteriorate and for measures to reduce interest in non-government-approved assets such as gold and bitcoin.
One of Hoover’s last acts as president in March 1933 was to weaken the property rights of creditors in bankruptcy laws in order to prevent bankruptcies. This implies that creditors can’t take ownership of their rightful assets and reallocate capital toward productive ventures. Unprofitable ventures are kept afloat, leading to a decline in productivity and efficiency. In the current cycle, authorities appear to be trying to avoid bankruptcies altogether and have reduced the property rights of savers extensively.
Monetary manipulation remains the biggest hindrance during an economic crisis for a host of reasons. Touching on one, downward interest rate manipulation reduces the returns on lending, which disincentivizes lending exactly at the time when the economy needs it most. Interest rates must rise in order to get savers and banks to lend real savings. During the Great Depression authorities launched campaigns against hoarding of gold and cash, and they were frustrated by banks’ unwillingness to lend. I think we’ll see increasing frustration through 2020 and 2021 as global monetary policies fail to encourage a healthy market between savers and lenders. Central banks can supply billions of bank reserves to banks, but it’s less clear whether banks will lend to consumers and businesses. I expect increasing government intervention and large direct fiscal transfers to become commonplace as authorities circumvent the lending market.
Low interest rates, fiscal injections and numerous relief packages fail to weed out the bad businesses, leading to a less robust investment climate with reduced appreciation of real risk.
On the surface, these interventionist policies appear morally justified because we’re protecting jobs, supporting firms, and shielding households from economic pain. This argument is particularly strong during the coronavirus, with a natural and external enemy. Critics of these policies are characterized as heartless capitalists who only care about profits—I know, it hurts! This surface-level and paternalistic approach followed by the majority disguises second-round implications and the massive cost to human life from an extended economic depression. Joblessness, suicide, domestic violence, crime, and violence were rife during the 1930s, and we need to avoid these in the 2020s.
Although painful, the best policy response to recession is submission to market forces, which indeed was the policy followed during recessions prior to the Great Depression. Intervention delays adjustment, leading to prolonged economic pain and a weaker recovery. It’s no surprise, then, that the 2009–20 US business cycle was the weakest on record after we failed to submit ourselves to real adjustment during 2008/2009. The resemblance between the 1920s and the 2010s, and the similarity in economic response, is cause for concern.
There’s almighty support for intervention within government and big business, so I’m cognizant that we are unlikely to change the policy trajectory. Elites are too invested in the status quo, both economically and intellectually, to allow their bad investments and ideas to deflate. We must invest our time and capital accordingly given the poor decisions and the risks for economic growth, capital formation, and job growth. The more intervention, the deeper the recession and the greater the probability that we will shift into a 1930s-style depression.
Rob Price
Rob Price is a global macro researcher and investor. He seeks to understand and position for the future through pragmatic research and debate, avoiding forecasts. A positive skeptic — concerned with centralized authority but encouraged by the powerful ingenuity of decentralized decision-making. Rob lives in Los Angeles and serves as the Head of Asset Allocation for a South African institutional pension fund. He reads, writes and tweets about central banking, financial markets and bitcoin.


investmentwatchblog--2020-05-22--“There Will Be (JUSTICE!!)” “[GAME OVER!!]” Truth will prevail! Because Facts Matter!

Sometimes you cant tell the public the truth .
YOU MUST SHOW THEM .
Only then will people find the @ @ @ @ @ notice of the picture of Trump playing Chess at the end of the video .
@ @ @ @ @ the Queen from the chess board .
Objective [ end ] : checkmate king Do @ @ @ @ @ the beginning of the game ?
Do you attack and remove pawns first ?
Do @ @ @ @ @ , rooks , knights next ?
Do you attack and remove queen mid-to-end ?
Is @ @ @ @ @ or private ?
Do emotions affect critical thinking ?
Add : important king control pieces @ @ @ @ @ ?
Add : how do you set the stage [ board ] re : public @ @ @ @ @ “ At this time.
” Q When your opponents Queen is removed from the board @ @ @ @ @ in a fight for what little remains of his kingdom .

Sometimes you cant tell the public the truth.
YOU MUST SHOW THEM.
Only then will people find the will to change.
Take notice of the picture of Trump playing Chess at the end of the video. And notice he is removing the Queen from the chess board.
Objective [end]: checkmate king
Do you attack the king at the beginning of the game?
Do you attack and remove pawns first?
Do you attack and remove bishops, rooks, knights next?
Do you attack and remove queen mid-to-end?
Is the game being played public or private?
Do emotions affect critical thinking?
Add: important king control pieces [elim rogue elements]?
Add: how do you set the stage [board] re: public opinion [optics]?
“At this time.”
Q
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When your opponents Queen is removed from the board, suddenly their KING is in a fight for what little remains of his kingdom.
h/t Saved


investmentwatchblog--2020-05-22--They Say Trump Supporters Are Crazy?

They Say Trump Supporters Are Crazy?

Sounds like that writer needs to go to a mental hospital because she is not all there
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investmentwatchblog--2020-05-22--JAMES BOVARD ASKS AN EVERGREEN QUESTION:

Will the Political Class Be Held Liable For What They ’ ve Done ?
And the evergreen answer : When @ @ @ @ @ “ Shutting down entire states , including vast uninfected rural swaths , is the economic @ @ @ @ @ sacrificing virgins to appease angry viral gods .
Because politicians have no liability for the @ @ @ @ @ they have no incentive to minimize the disruptions they decree .
.
.
.
Even @ @ @ @ @ , who callously compelled nursing homes to accept COVID patients , will have no legal @ @ @ @ @ contributed to more than 5,000 nursing home deaths in his state .
Pennsylvania Health Czar @ @ @ @ @ order , contributing to thousands of nursing home deaths , and then removed her own @ @ @ @ @ home to keep her safe.
” I ’ m willing to cut people a lot @ @ @ @ @ something unprecedented on limited information .
But so many of the actions were taken with @ @ @ @ @ things that turned out to be wrong , because “ science .
”

Will the Political Class Be Held Liable For What They’ve Done?
And the evergreen answer: When has it ever been? “Shutting down entire states, including vast uninfected rural swaths, is the economic equivalent of burning witches or sacrificing virgins to appease angry viral gods. Because politicians have no liability for the economic damage they inflict, they have no incentive to minimize the disruptions they decree. . . . Even New York Governor Andrew Cuomo, who callously compelled nursing homes to accept COVID patients, will have no legal culpability for a policy that contributed to more than 5,000 nursing home deaths in his state. Pennsylvania Health Czar Rachel Levine issued a similar order, contributing to thousands of nursing home deaths, and then removed her own 95-year-old mother from a nursing home to keep her safe.”
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I’m willing to cut people a lot of slack in dealing with something unprecedented on limited information. But so many of the actions were taken with so much asserted certainty about things that turned out to be wrong, because “science.”
h/t GR


investmentwatchblog--2020-05-22--Rigged: Exposing the Largest Financial Fraud in History with Stuart Englert

Stuart Englert is the author of Rigged : Exposing the Largest Financial Fraud in History .
The largest financial fraud @ @ @ @ @ Enron ’ s colossal accounting crimes , Bernie Madoff ’ s record-setting Ponzi scheme or @ @ @ @ @ which some of the world ’ s biggest banks conspired to profit by manipulating interest @ @ @ @ @ largest financial fraud in history is one most Americans know little to nothing about .
@ @ @ @ @ by politicians , reported on the nightly news or discussed by coworkers during lunch break @ @ @ @ @ history is a financial scheme perpetrated by the U.S. government and its banking accomplices .
@ @ @ @ @ they ’ ve used coercion , deception and market manipulation to convince Americans the U.S. @ @ @ @ @ gold and silver .
The truth is , it ’ s not .
Click Here @ @ @ @ @

from Financial Survival Network
Stuart Englert is the author of Rigged: Exposing the Largest Financial Fraud in History. The largest financial fraud in history wasn’t Enron’s colossal accounting crimes, Bernie Madoff’s record-setting Ponzi scheme or the Libor scandal, in which some of the world’s biggest banks conspired to profit by manipulating interest rates. No, the largest financial fraud in history is one most Americans know little to nothing about. It isn’t mentioned by politicians, reported on the nightly news or discussed by coworkers during lunch break. The biggest fraud in history is a financial scheme perpetrated by the U.S. government and its banking accomplices. Over the last century, they’ve used coercion, deception and market manipulation to convince Americans the U.S. dollar is as good as gold and silver. The truth is, it’s not.
We are primarily funded by readers. Please subscribe and donate to support us!
Click Here to Listen to the Audio


investmentwatchblog--2020-05-22--Joe Biden urged to endorse $2K monthly stimulus income

MyFoxChicago reports that there is a Change.org petition that urges Creepy Joe to support a universal basic income of $ 2,000/month for U.S. residents because of the devastating effects of the response to the Wuhan virus .
As of my scheduling this post , the petition had 240,000 of their goal of 300,000 signatures .
From their story : “ Although the CARES Act was able to get $ 1,200 to taxpayers , millions of people fell through the cracks and still have not received their stimulus check , ” the petition read .
Nearly a month after President Donald @ @ @ @ @ @ @ CARES Act into law , which saw millions of individual Americans receive one-time $ 1,200 stimulus payments , Democrats have powered another massive relief bill through the House , breaking the previous record at $ 3 trillion .
It has no chance of becoming law as written , but sparked difficult negotiations with the White House and Senate Republicans , as many say the first round of relief payments were not enough to combat the devastating economic effects caused by pandemic lockdowns aimed at stopping the spread of the disease.
” Read the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ many problems of a universal basic income and giving people “ free ” money , there ’ s this : WE CAN ’ T AFFORD IT .

by DCG
MyFoxChicago reports that there is a Change.org petition that urges Creepy Joe to support a universal basic income of $2,000/month for U.S. residents because of the devastating effects of the response to the Wuhan virus. As of my scheduling this post, the petition had 240,000 of their goal of 300,000 signatures. From their story:
“Although the CARES Act was able to get $1,200 to taxpayers, millions of people fell through the cracks and still have not received their stimulus check,” the petition read.
Nearly a month after President Donald Trump signed the historic $2.2 trillion CARES Act into law, which saw millions of individual Americans receive one-time $1,200 stimulus payments, Democrats have powered another massive relief bill through the House, breaking the previous record at $3 trillion.
We are primarily funded by readers. Please subscribe and donate to support us!
It has no chance of becoming law as written, but sparked difficult negotiations with the White House and Senate Republicans, as many say the first round of relief payments were not enough to combat the devastating economic effects caused by pandemic lockdowns aimed at stopping the spread of the disease.”
Read the whole story here.
Along with the many problems of a universal basic income and giving people “free” money, there’s this: WE CAN’T AFFORD IT.
DCG


investmentwatchblog--2020-05-22--RUSH: Trump is not losing the election, and we’re not losing the Senate, and we may win the House. A

RUSH: Trump is not losing the election, and we’re not losing the Senate, and we may win the House. All of this in the Drive-By Media is BS!

RUSH : Who ’ s next ?
This is Dee in Des Moines , Iowa .
You ’ re next .
You ’ re up .
Hello .
CALLER : Hi , Rush .
Say , mega prayers , and you have gotten me through many , many years , the presidency of Obama — I didn ’ t think it could get any worse — and Clinton .
But now I ’ m really worried about this coming election .
I would like to know your take .
Even if Trump wins , what if he loses the Senate @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ?
And what is your take on these close Senate races ?
Here in Iowa , I know Schumer ’ s spending a lot of money to defeat Joni Ernst .
But I ’ ll be quiet now and listen to your response .
RUSH : Well , I ’ m gon na disappoint you , and I don ’ t want to disappoint you .
But I fear what I ’ m gon na say is gon na disappoint you .
I ’ m not even paying attention to it .
I @ @ @ @ @ @ @ status of the Senate is , and I ’ m ignoring every Drive-By Media news story about it ’ cause I don ’ t believe it .
If the news is negative about Republicans losing the Senate , I immediately ignore it and go ( raspberry ) ’ cause it ain ’ t happening .
If there ’ s a story about Biden beating Trump by 11 , I go ( raspberry ) ’ cause it ’ s BS ; it isn ’ t happening .
Trump is not losing the election , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Senate , and we may win the House .
All of this in the Drive-By Media is BS !
Whatever Nancy Pelosi and Chuck Schumer are threatening or promising is BS .
There ’ s not a shred of truth in the Drive-By Media .
There ’ s not a shred of truth in all these polls .
The polls can ’ t possibly be accurate .
Ignore them !
The things that are gon na the outcome of the election in November haven ’ t even happened yet .
I ’ m @ @ @ @ @ @ @ including the shutdown .
The things that are gon na determine who wins in November have not even happened yet .
It is senseless to poll anything right now , aside from the pollsters making money and giving the Drive-Bys something to talk about .
It is irrelevant .
We haven ’ t even had the conventions yet — and we may not have them .
And of course Schumer wants to defeat Joni Ernst !
He ’ s gon na want to defeat Joni Ernst every day , the day after she @ @ @ @ @ @ @ it doesn ’ t mean it ’ s gon na happen .
Go back to May of 2016 ; tell me what the polls showed .
I ’ ll guarantee you… I don ’ t remember , but I can guarantee what they said .
What did the polls show two weeks before the election ?
What did the polls have to ignore to show that ?
They had to ignore Hillary not being able to stand up , not being able to get in the bus .
They had to show her @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in a debate .
They had to show her being unable to draw a crowd , and they still had her winning in a landslide .
There was nothing real about it .
The media and the Democrats are on a high horse because they think that they have finally turned Trump ’ s base against him , and they think that they have turned those battleground areas of these states that Trump narrowly won , they think they ’ ve turned those areas against him because of the coronavirus and the economic @ @ @ @ @ @ @ gon na be able to blame him for all this when this is a Democrat blue state governor shutdown and ongoing lockdown .
And they ’ re the ones that sound happy about it .
There ’ s no optimism coming from any of the blue side of the aisle about the future of the country , about anything .
It ’ s nothing but pessimism and doom and gloom .
And it may sound good now and it may make good headlines now , but it ’ s not the kind of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ t offering any solutions other than massive continued socialist giveaways .
It ’ s nice now when they ’ re keeping you out of your business , keeping you from your job , but believe me , long-term it ’ s not what the American people are about .
The American people are not ready to throw the Constitution away .
They ’ re not ready to throw their guns away .
They ’ re not ready to throw their churches away .
They are not ready to throw away the Constitution @ @ @ @ @ @ @ throw away their liberty or their freedom .
They ’ re not ready to elect Democrats in massive positions of power .
Now , some states are .
I mean , when I say Americans , I ’ m talking a majority .
We still haven ’ t lost the country , folks , is my point to you .
And I ’ m sorry , I don ’ t mean to make you mad , but I don ’ t think about things like what if Trump wins but loses the Senate @ @ @ @ @ @ @ those things in May .
I ’ m not a political professional strategist , analyst in that regard .
I don ’ t get caught up in polling data minutia and think tank position papers and all this ’ cause nobody knows .
It ’ s impossible to know .
And the fact is and the fact remains that whatever it is that ’ s gon na determine who wins the election , presidential and all these local , state , and congressional races , the events that are gon na determine those @ @ @ @ @ @ @ humbly believe that .
“ But , Rush , the virus and the shutdown , you don ’ t think that has long lasting – ” Yeah , but something ’ s gon na happen between now and Election Day that ’ s gon na make it better or worse .
It isn ’ t gon na stay constant like this .
It never does .
There is always change .
And when have the Democrats ever beaten Trump ?
They ’ ve beaten Republicans , but they have not beaten Trump .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ midterms , but that was not beating Trump .
And that whole 2018 midterm , why did that happen ?
Fifty-five Republicans quit .
Well , what the hell do you think is gon na happen ?
Fifty-five House Republicans just gave up .
They just quit ’ cause they lost their chairmanships .
They were term limited out of their chairmanships .
I don ’ t know what president could overcome a 55-seat retirement .
They haven ’ t beaten Trump yet , folks .
That ’ s why they ’ re @ @ @ @ @

via rushlimbaugh
RUSH: Who’s next? This is Dee in Des Moines, Iowa. You’re next. You’re up. Hello.
CALLER: Hi, Rush. Say, mega prayers, and you have gotten me through many, many years, the presidency of Obama — I didn’t think it could get any worse — and Clinton. But now I’m really worried about this coming election. I would like to know your take. Even if Trump wins, what if he loses the Senate? What can he possibly get done? And what is your take on these close Senate races? Here in Iowa, I know Schumer’s spending a lot of money to defeat Joni Ernst. But I’ll be quiet now and listen to your response.
RUSH: Well, I’m gonna disappoint you, and I don’t want to disappoint you. But I fear what I’m gonna say is gonna disappoint you. I’m not even paying attention to it. I don’t even know what the status of the Senate is, and I’m ignoring every Drive-By Media news story about it ’cause I don’t believe it.
If the news is negative about Republicans losing the Senate, I immediately ignore it and go (raspberry) ’cause it ain’t happening. If there’s a story about Biden beating Trump by 11, I go (raspberry) ’cause it’s BS; it isn’t happening. Trump is not losing the election, and we’re not losing the Senate, and we may win the House.
All of this in the Drive-By Media is BS! Whatever Nancy Pelosi and Chuck Schumer are threatening or promising is BS. There’s not a shred of truth in the Drive-By Media. There’s not a shred of truth in all these polls. The polls can’t possibly be accurate. Ignore them! The things that are gonna the outcome of the election in November haven’t even happened yet.
I’m including the virus. I’m including the shutdown. The things that are gonna determine who wins in November have not even happened yet. It is senseless to poll anything right now, aside from the pollsters making money and giving the Drive-Bys something to talk about. It is irrelevant. We haven’t even had the conventions yet — and we may not have them.
And of course Schumer wants to defeat Joni Ernst! He’s gonna want to defeat Joni Ernst every day, the day after she wins reelection. Just because Schumer wants it doesn’t mean it’s gonna happen. Go back to May of 2016; tell me what the polls showed. I’ll guarantee you… I don’t remember, but I can guarantee what they said.
Hillary in a landslide.
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What did the polls show two weeks before the election?
Hillary in a landslide.
What did the polls have to ignore to show that? They had to ignore Hillary not being able to stand up, not being able to get in the bus. They had to show her not being able to hold her own in a debate. They had to show her being unable to draw a crowd, and they still had her winning in a landslide. There was nothing real about it.
The media and the Democrats are on a high horse because they think that they have finally turned Trump’s base against him, and they think that they have turned those battleground areas of these states that Trump narrowly won, they think they’ve turned those areas against him because of the coronavirus and the economic slowdown. They think they’re gonna be able to blame him for all this when this is a Democrat blue state governor shutdown and ongoing lockdown. And they’re the ones that sound happy about it.
There’s no optimism coming from any of the blue side of the aisle about the future of the country, about anything. It’s nothing but pessimism and doom and gloom. And it may sound good now and it may make good headlines now, but it’s not the kind of thing that wins elections. Democrats aren’t offering any solutions other than massive continued socialist giveaways. It’s nice now when they’re keeping you out of your business, keeping you from your job, but believe me, long-term it’s not what the American people are about.
The American people are not ready to throw the Constitution away. They’re not ready to throw their guns away. They’re not ready to throw their churches away. They are not ready to throw away the Constitution. They’re not ready to throw away their liberty or their freedom. They’re not ready to elect Democrats in massive positions of power. Now, some states are. I mean, when I say Americans, I’m talking a majority. We still haven’t lost the country, folks, is my point to you. And I’m sorry, I don’t mean to make you mad, but I don’t think about things like what if Trump wins but loses the Senate. I don’t think about those things in May.
I’m not a political professional strategist, analyst in that regard. I don’t get caught up in polling data minutia and think tank position papers and all this ’cause nobody knows. It’s impossible to know. And the fact is and the fact remains that whatever it is that’s gonna determine who wins the election, presidential and all these local, state, and congressional races, the events that are gonna determine those outcomes have not happened yet. I humbly believe that.
“But, Rush, the virus and the shutdown, you don’t think that has long lasting –” Yeah, but something’s gonna happen between now and Election Day that’s gonna make it better or worse. It isn’t gonna stay constant like this. It never does. There is always change. And when have the Democrats ever beaten Trump? They’ve beaten Republicans, but they have not beaten Trump. They’ve beaten Republicans in the midterms, but that was not beating Trump.
And that whole 2018 midterm, why did that happen? Fifty-five Republicans quit. Well, what the hell do you think is gonna happen? Fifty-five House Republicans just gave up. They just quit ’cause they lost their chairmanships. They were term limited out of their chairmanships. I don’t know what president could overcome a 55-seat retirement. They haven’t beaten Trump yet, folks. That’s why they’re going insane trying to.


investmentwatchblog--2020-05-22--RUSH: So without the city and these attractions, the Millennials say it just makes a lot of sense to

RUSH: So without the city and these attractions, the Millennials say it just makes a lot of sense to abandon ship and go back to their parents.

RUSH : And looky here .
You know , this does not surprise me .
I ’ ve been kind of waiting for this .
There ’ s a Bloomberg story here about now young Millennials are fleeing America ’ s big cities and they ’ re going back home , either going back home to mom or dad or going to suburbia and relocating because with the cities on lockdown , there ’ s nothing to do .
With the cities on lockdown , there ’ s no social life , there ’ s no dating scene , the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ability to do fun things on the weekend is gone .
So without the city and these attractions , the Millennials say it just makes a lot of sense to abandon ship and go back to their parents .
Yes , their parents .
Got ta be a happy day for their parents , right , here come the Millennials back from the city .
One Millennial said , “ We ’ re throwing around the option of moving our stuff into a storage facility .
No reason to waste money on rent @ @ @ @ @ @ @ at home , a cheaper place - ” You know , this is happening in San Francisco .
It is happening in Connecticut .
There are a lot of people realizing without having to go to work in a city there ’ s no reason to live nearby and pay exorbitant rents .
No reason to live in San Francisco at $ 3,000 a month when you don ’ t even make that much a month working at Twitter , Facebook , wherever it is you work .

via rushlimbaugh
RUSH: And looky here. You know, this does not surprise me. I’ve been kind of waiting for this. There’s a Bloomberg story here about now young Millennials are fleeing America’s big cities and they’re going back home, either going back home to mom or dad or going to suburbia and relocating because with the cities on lockdown, there’s nothing to do. With the cities on lockdown, there’s no social life, there’s no dating scene, the bars and restaurants are closed, the ability to do fun things on the weekend is gone.
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So without the city and these attractions, the Millennials say it just makes a lot of sense to abandon ship and go back to their parents. Yes, their parents. Gotta be a happy day for their parents, right, here come the Millennials back from the city. One Millennial said, “We’re throwing around the option of moving our stuff into a storage facility. No reason to waste money on rent, if we can live, work at home, a cheaper place -” You know, this is happening in San Francisco. It is happening in Connecticut.
There are a lot of people realizing without having to go to work in a city there’s no reason to live nearby and pay exorbitant rents. No reason to live in San Francisco at $3,000 a month when you don’t even make that much a month working at Twitter, Facebook, wherever it is you work.


investmentwatchblog--2020-05-22--IOC: If Olympics don’t happen in 2021, they won’t happen at all

The International Olympic Committee is issuing a stark warning that if the novel coronavirus isn ’ t under control , @ @ @ @ @ not happen .
IOC President Thomas Bach and Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe said the @ @ @ @ @ were a top priority and the Games can ’ t be held in 2022 .
@ @ @ @ @ NC Dinos doubled up in the win over the Doosan Bears 12-6 .
RT America @ @ @ @ @ .

The International Olympic Committee is issuing a stark warning that if the novel coronavirus isn’t under control, the 2021 Summer Games will not happen. IOC President Thomas Bach and Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe said the health of athletes and fans were a top priority and the Games can’t be held in 2022. Over in the KBO, NC Dinos doubled up in the win over the Doosan Bears 12-6. RT America’s Regina Ham reports.
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investmentwatchblog--2020-05-22--7 Carriers Underway Now

7 Carriers Underway Now

Right now , around the world , we are underway and ready .

Right now, around the world, we are underway and ready.
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h/t Builder


investmentwatchblog--2020-05-22--Leftists Know Exactly What’s Happening

Leftists Know Exactly What’s Happening

Between Obama ’ s OFA , which the website has the same photo that he uses on twitter , and @ @ @ @ @ school that Elizabeth Warren pushed on YouTube .
They know exactly what ’ s happening @ @ @ @ @ longer about left verses right .
It is completely about good verses evil .
I @ @ @ @ @ site .
They have several classes about doing everything they can to resist .
They @ @ @ @ @ Satan ’ s work .
They have physically attacked people who stand with Trump and @ @ @ @ @ trained to act like animals to resist .
They hate America .
They march and @ @ @ @ @ , now walls no USA at all.
” They are just as corrupt and immoral @ @ @ @ @ RINOS and the entire deep state .
They don ’ t even think about the @ @ @ @ @ their rights , and they will be the most affected by their communist dream .

Between Obama’s OFA, which the website has the same photo that he uses on twitter, and their “Resist,” school that Elizabeth Warren pushed on YouTube. They know exactly what’s happening.
It’s no longer about left verses right. It is completely about good verses evil.
I’ve checked the OFA site. They have several classes about doing everything they can to resist. They care about nothing but doing Satan’s work. They have physically attacked people who stand with Trump and our nation.
They are trained to act like animals to resist. They hate America. They march and scream, “No borders, now walls no USA at all.”
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They are just as corrupt and immoral as the democrat party the RINOS and the entire deep state.
They don’t even think about the fact that they will lose their rights, and they will be the most affected by their communist dream.
h/t SouthSide


investmentwatchblog--2020-05-22--Google drive is now removing personal files from your google drives if you got the Plandemic video s

Google drive is now removing personal files from your google drives if you got the Plandemic video saved

SAN FRANCISCO — Within days of social media companies taking down a viral video touting conspiracy theories about the novel @ @ @ @ @ up on YouTube telling viewers about another way they could still access the banned footage @ @ @ @ @ the video on the file-sharing service Google Drive .
After this article came out a @ @ @ @ @ been noticing google removing Plandemic from their files… You have been censored…

SAN FRANCISCO — Within days of social media companies taking down a viral video touting conspiracy theories about the novel coronavirus, a clip popped up on YouTube telling viewers about another way they could still access the banned footage: through a link to the video on the file-sharing service Google Drive.
www.washingtonpost.com/technology/2020/05/20/misinformation-coronavirus-plandemic-workaround/
After this article came out a few google drive users have been noticing google removing Plandemic from their files…
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You have been censored…
AC