investmentwatchblog--2020-11-06--America After the Election: A Few Hard Truths About the Things That Won’t Change

by John Whitehead via The Rutherford Institute The American people remain eager to be persuaded that a new president in the White House can solve the problems that plague us .
Yet no matter who wins this presidential election , you can rest assured that the new boss will be the same as the old boss , and we—the permanent underclass in America—will continue to be forced to march in lockstep with the police state in all matters , public and private .
Indeed , it really doesn ’ t matter what you call them—the Deep State , the 1 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , the masterminds , the shadow government , the police state , the surveillance state , the military industrial complex—so long as you understand that no matter which party occupies the White House in 2021 , the unelected bureaucracy that actually calls the shots will continue to do so .
In the interest of liberty and truth , here are a few hard truths about life in the American police state that will persist no matter who wins the 2020 presidential election .
Indeed , these issues persisted—and in many cases flourished—under both @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Police militarization will continue .
Thanks to federal grant programs allowing the Pentagon to transfer surplus military supplies and weapons to local law enforcement agencies without charge , police forces will continue to be transformed from peace officers to heavily armed extensions of the military , complete with jackboots , helmets , shields , batons , pepper-spray , stun guns , assault rifles , body armor , miniature tanks and weaponized drones .
“ Today , 17,000 local police forces are equipped with such military equipment as Blackhawk helicopters , machine guns @ @ @ @ @ @ @ explosives , chemical sprays , body armor , night vision , rappelling gear and armored vehicles , ” stated Paul Craig Roberts , former Assistant Secretary of the Treasury .
“ Some have tanks.
” Overcriminalization will continue .
In the face of a government bureaucracy consumed with churning out laws , statutes , codes and regulations that reinforce its powers and value systems and those of the police state and its corporate allies , we will all continue to be viewed as petty criminals , guilty of violating some minor law .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ crimes and 400,000-plus rules and regulations , it is estimated that the average American actually commits three felonies a day without knowing it .
In fact , according to law professor John Baker , “ There is no one in the United States over the age of 18 who can not be indicted for some federal crime.
” Consequently , we now find ourselves operating in a strange new world where small farmers who dare to make unpasteurized goat cheese and share it with members of their community are finding their farms raided @ @ @ @ @ @ @ for daring to cultivate their own varieties of orchids without having completed sufficient paperwork .
This frightening state of affairs—where a person can actually be arrested and incarcerated for the most innocent and inane activities , including feeding a whale and collecting rainwater on their own property—is due to what law scholars refer to as overcriminalization .
Jailing Americans for profit will continue .
At one time , the American penal system operated under the idea that dangerous criminals needed to be put under lock and key in order to protect society .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ money by outsourcing prisons to private corporations , imprisoning Americans in private prisons run by mega-corporations has turned into a cash cow for big business .
In exchange for corporations buying and managing public prisons across the country at a supposed savings to the states , the states have to agree to maintain a 90 % occupancy rate in the privately run prisons for at least 20 years .
Such a scheme simply encourages incarceration for the sake of profits , while causing millions of Americans , most of them minor , nonviolent @ @ @ @ @ @ @ corporations for lengthy prison sentences which do nothing to protect society or prevent recidivism .
Thus , although the number of violent crimes in the country is down substantially , the number of Americans being jailed for nonviolent crimes such as driving with a suspended license is skyrocketing .
Poverty will continue .
Despite the fact that we have 46 million Americans living at or below the poverty line , 16 million children living in households without adequate access to food , and at least 900,000 veterans relying on food stamps ( mind @ @ @ @ @ @ @ which have only got worse during this pandemic ) , enormous sums continue to be doled out for presidential excursions ( taxpayers have been forced to pay at least $ 100 million so that Donald Trump could visit his golf clubs and private properties more than 500 times during his four years in office ) .
Endless wars that enrich the military industrial complex will continue .
Having been co-opted by greedy defense contractors , corrupt politicians and incompetent government officials , America ’ s expanding military empire is bleeding the country dry @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 15 billion a month ( or $ 20 million an hour ) —and that ’ s just what the government spends on foreign wars .
That does not include the cost of maintaining and staffing the 1000-plus U.S. military bases spread around the globe .
Incredibly , although the U.S. constitutes only 5 % of the world ’ s population , America boasts almost 50 % of the world ’ s total military expenditure , spending more on the military than the next 19 biggest spending nations combined .
In fact , the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 50 states combined spend on health , education , welfare , and safety .
Yet what most Americans fail to recognize is that these ongoing wars have little to do with keeping the country safe and everything to do with enriching the military industrial complex at taxpayer expense .
Consider that since 2001 , Americans have spent $ 10.5 million every hour for numerous foreign military occupations , including in Iraq and Afghanistan .
Police shootings of unarmed Americans will continue .
No matter what our party politics , race , religion , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ us , we all suffer when violence becomes the government ’ s calling card .
Remember , in a police state , you ’ re either the one with your hand on the trigger or you ’ re staring down the barrel of a loaded gun .
At least 400 to 500 innocent people are killed by police officers every year .
Indeed , Americans are now eight times more likely to die in a police confrontation than they are to be killed by a terrorist .
Americans are 110 times more likely @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a terrorist attack .
Police officers are more likely to be struck by lightning than be made financially liable for their wrongdoing .
As a result , Americans are largely powerless in the face of militarized police .
SWAT team raids will continue .
More than 80,000 SWAT team raids are carried out every year on unsuspecting Americans for relatively routine police matters .
Nationwide , SWAT teams have been employed to address an astonishingly trivial array of criminal activity or mere community nuisances including angry dogs , domestic disputes , improper paperwork @ @ @ @ @ @ @ misdemeanor marijuana possession , to give a brief sampling .
On an average day in America , over 100 Americans have their homes raided by SWAT teams .
There has been a notable buildup in recent years of SWAT teams within non-security-related federal agencies such as the Department of Agriculture , the Railroad Retirement Board , the Tennessee Valley Authority , the Office of Personnel Management , the Consumer Product Safety Commission , the U.S .
Fish and Wildlife Service , and the Education Department .
The government ’ s war on the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the people ” are no longer shielded by the rule of law .
While the First Amendment—which gives us a voice—is being muzzled , the Fourth Amendment—which protects us from being bullied , badgered , beaten , broken and spied on by government agents—is being disemboweled .
Consequently , you no longer have to be poor , black or guilty to be treated like a criminal in America .
All that is required is that you belong to the suspect class—that is , the citizenry—of the American police state .
As a de @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , every U.S. citizen is now guilty until proven innocent .
The oppression and injustice—be it in the form of shootings , surveillance , fines , asset forfeiture , prison terms , roadside searches , and so on—will come to all of us eventually unless we do something to stop it now .
Government corruption will continue .
The government is not our friend .
Nor does it work for “ we the people.
” Americans instinctively understand this .
When asked to name the greatest problem facing the nation , Americans of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the number one concern .
In fact , almost eight out of ten Americans believe that government corruption is widespread .
Our so-called government representatives do not actually represent us , the citizenry .
We are now ruled by an oligarchic elite of governmental and corporate interests whose main interest is in perpetuating power and control .
Congress is dominated by a majority of millionaires who are , on average , fourteen times wealthier than the average American .
The rise of the surveillance state will continue .
Government eyes are watching you @ @ @ @ @ @ @ what you read , how much you spend , where you go , with whom you interact , when you wake up in the morning , what you ’ re watching on television and reading on the internet .
Every move you make is being monitored , mined for data , crunched , and tabulated in order to form a picture of who you are , what makes you tick , and how best to control you when and if it becomes necessary to bring you in line .
Police have been outfitted @ @ @ @ @ @ @ from license plate readers and cell phone tracking devices to biometric data recorders .
Technology now makes it possible for the police to scan passersby in order to detect the contents of their pockets , purses , briefcases , etc .
Full-body scanners , which perform virtual strip-searches of Americans traveling by plane , have gone mobile , with roving police vans that peer into vehicles and buildings alike—including homes .
Coupled with the nation ’ s growing network of real-time surveillance cameras and facial recognition software , soon there really will be @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
The erection of a suspect society will continue .
Due in large part to rapid advances in technology and a heightened surveillance culture , the burden of proof has been shifted so that the right to be considered innocent until proven guilty has been usurped by a new norm in which all citizens are suspects .
This is exemplified by police practices of stopping and frisking people who are merely walking down the street and where there is no evidence of wrongdoing .
Making matters worse are Terrorism Liaison Officers ( firefighters @ @ @ @ @ @ @ employees ) who have been trained to spy on their fellow citizens and report “ suspicious activity , ” which includes taking pictures with no apparent aesthetic value , making measurements and drawings , taking notes , conversing in code , espousing radical beliefs and buying items in bulk .
TLOs report back to “ fusion centers , ” which are a driving force behind the government ’ s quest to collect , analyze , and disseminate information on American citizens .
Government tyranny under the reign of an Imperial President will continue @ @ @ @ @ @ @ very specific , limited powers : to serve as Commander in Chief of the military , grant pardons , make treaties ( with the approval of Congress ) , appoint ambassadors and federal judges ( again with Congress ’ blessing ) , and veto legislation .
In recent years , however , American presidents have anointed themselves with the power to wage war , unilaterally kill Americans , torture prisoners , strip citizens of their rights , arrest and detain citizens indefinitely , carry out warrantless spying on Americans , and erect their @ @ @ @ @ @ @ powers amassed by each past president and inherited by each successive president—powers which add up to a toolbox of terror for an imperial ruler—empower whomever occupies the Oval Office to act as a dictator , above the law and beyond any real accountability .
The grim reality we must come to terms with is the fact that the government does whatever it wants , freedom be damned .
More than terrorism , more than domestic extremism , more than gun violence and organized crime , the U.S. government has become a greater menace @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of its citizens than any of the so-called dangers from which the government claims to protect us .
This state of affairs has become the status quo , no matter which party is in power .
The government ’ s manipulation of national crises in order to expand its powers will continue .
“ We the people ” have been the subjected to an “ emergency state ” that justifies all manner of government tyranny and power grabs in the so-called name of national security .
Whatever the so-called threat to the nation—whether @ @ @ @ @ @ @ shootings , alleged acts of terrorism , or the threat of a global pandemic in the case of COVID-19—the government has a tendency to capitalize on the nation ’ s heightened emotions , confusion and fear as a means of extending the reach of the police state .
Indeed , the government ’ s answer to every problem continues to be more government—at taxpayer expense—and less individual liberty .
The bottom line is this : nothing taking place on Election Day will alleviate the suffering of the American people .
Unless we do @ @ @ @ @ @ @ as we have come to know it—corrupt , bloated and controlled by big-money corporations , lobbyists and special interest groups—will remain unchanged .
And “ we the people ” —overtaxed , overpoliced , overburdened by big government , underrepresented by those who should speak for us and blissfully ignorant of the prison walls closing in on us—will continue to trudge along a path of misery .
As I point out in my book Battlefield America : The War on the American People , these problems will continue to plague our nation unless and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that we ’ re the only ones who can change things for the better and then do something about it .
If there is to be any hope of restoring our freedoms and reclaiming control over our government , it will rest not with the politicians but with the people themselves .
After all , Indeed , the Constitution opens with those three vital words , “ We the people.
” What the founders wanted us to understand is that we are the government .
There is no government without us—our sheer numbers @ @ @ @ @ @ @ our physical presence in this land .
There can also be no police state—no tyranny—no routine violations of our rights without our complicity and collusion—without our turning a blind eye , shrugging our shoulders , allowing ourselves to be distracted and our civic awareness diluted .
No matter which candidate wins this election , the citizenry and those who represent us need to be held accountable to this powerful truth .
Constitutional attorney and author John W. Whitehead is founder and president of .
His new book Battlefield America : The War on @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Whitehead can be contacted at johnw @ rutherford.org .

by John Whitehead via The Rutherford Institute
“If liberty means anything at all, it means the right to tell people what they do not want to hear.”—George Orwell
The American people remain eager to be persuaded that a new president in the White House can solve the problems that plague us.
Yet no matter who wins this presidential election, you can rest assured that the new boss will be the same as the old boss, and we—the permanent underclass in America—will continue to be forced to march in lockstep with the police state in all matters, public and private.
Indeed, it really doesn’t matter what you call them—the Deep State, the 1%, the elite, the controllers, the masterminds, the shadow government, the police state, the surveillance state, the military industrial complex—so long as you understand that no matter which party occupies the White House in 2021, the unelected bureaucracy that actually calls the shots will continue to do so.
In the interest of liberty and truth, here are a few hard truths about life in the American police state that will persist no matter who wins the 2020 presidential election. Indeed, these issues persisted—and in many cases flourished—under both Republican and Democratic administrations in recent years.
Police militarization will continue. Thanks to federal grant programs allowing the Pentagon to transfer surplus military supplies and weapons to local law enforcement agencies without charge, police forces will continue to be transformed from peace officers to heavily armed extensions of the military, complete with jackboots, helmets, shields, batons, pepper-spray, stun guns, assault rifles, body armor, miniature tanks and weaponized drones. “Today, 17,000 local police forces are equipped with such military equipment as Blackhawk helicopters, machine guns, grenade launchers, battering rams, explosives, chemical sprays, body armor, night vision, rappelling gear and armored vehicles,” stated Paul Craig Roberts, former Assistant Secretary of the Treasury. “Some have tanks.”
Overcriminalization will continue. In the face of a government bureaucracy consumed with churning out laws, statutes, codes and regulations that reinforce its powers and value systems and those of the police state and its corporate allies, we will all continue to be viewed as petty criminals, guilty of violating some minor law. Thanks to an overabundance of 4,500-plus federal crimes and 400,000-plus rules and regulations, it is estimated that the average American actually commits three felonies a day without knowing it. In fact, according to law professor John Baker, “There is no one in the United States over the age of 18 who cannot be indicted for some federal crime.” Consequently, we now find ourselves operating in a strange new world where small farmers who dare to make unpasteurized goat cheese and share it with members of their community are finding their farms raided, while home gardeners face jail time for daring to cultivate their own varieties of orchids without having completed sufficient paperwork. This frightening state of affairs—where a person can actually be arrested and incarcerated for the most innocent and inane activities, including feeding a whale and collecting rainwater on their own property—is due to what law scholars refer to as overcriminalization.
Jailing Americans for profit will continue. At one time, the American penal system operated under the idea that dangerous criminals needed to be put under lock and key in order to protect society. Today, as states attempt to save money by outsourcing prisons to private corporations, imprisoning Americans in private prisons run by mega-corporations has turned into a cash cow for big business. In exchange for corporations buying and managing public prisons across the country at a supposed savings to the states, the states have to agree to maintain a 90% occupancy rate in the privately run prisons for at least 20 years. Such a scheme simply encourages incarceration for the sake of profits, while causing millions of Americans, most of them minor, nonviolent criminals, to be handed over to corporations for lengthy prison sentences which do nothing to protect society or prevent recidivism. Thus, although the number of violent crimes in the country is down substantially, the number of Americans being jailed for nonviolent crimes such as driving with a suspended license is skyrocketing.
Poverty will continue. Despite the fact that we have 46 million Americans living at or below the poverty line, 16 million children living in households without adequate access to food, and at least 900,000 veterans relying on food stamps (mind you, these are pre-COVID numbers, which have only got worse during this pandemic), enormous sums continue to be doled out for presidential excursions (taxpayers have been forced to pay at least $100 million so that Donald Trump could visit his golf clubs and private properties more than 500 times during his four years in office).
Endless wars that enrich the military industrial complex will continue. Having been co-opted by greedy defense contractors, corrupt politicians and incompetent government officials, America’s expanding military empire is bleeding the country dry at a rate of more than $15 billion a month (or $20 million an hour)—and that’s just what the government spends on foreign wars. That does not include the cost of maintaining and staffing the 1000-plus U.S. military bases spread around the globe. Incredibly, although the U.S. constitutes only 5% of the world’s population, America boasts almost 50% of the world’s total military expenditure, spending more on the military than the next 19 biggest spending nations combined. In fact, the Pentagon spends more on war than all 50 states combined spend on health, education, welfare, and safety. Yet what most Americans fail to recognize is that these ongoing wars have little to do with keeping the country safe and everything to do with enriching the military industrial complex at taxpayer expense. Consider that since 2001, Americans have spent $10.5 million every hour for numerous foreign military occupations, including in Iraq and Afghanistan.
Police shootings of unarmed Americans will continue. No matter what our party politics, race, religion, or any other distinction used to divide us, we all suffer when violence becomes the government’s calling card. Remember, in a police state, you’re either the one with your hand on the trigger or you’re staring down the barrel of a loaded gun. At least 400 to 500 innocent people are killed by police officers every year. Indeed, Americans are now eight times more likely to die in a police confrontation than they are to be killed by a terrorist. Americans are 110 times more likely to die of foodborne illness than in a terrorist attack. Police officers are more likely to be struck by lightning than be made financially liable for their wrongdoing. As a result, Americans are largely powerless in the face of militarized police.
SWAT team raids will continue. More than 80,000 SWAT team raids are carried out every year on unsuspecting Americans for relatively routine police matters. Nationwide, SWAT teams have been employed to address an astonishingly trivial array of criminal activity or mere community nuisances including angry dogs, domestic disputes, improper paperwork filed by an orchid farmer, and misdemeanor marijuana possession, to give a brief sampling. On an average day in America, over 100 Americans have their homes raided by SWAT teams. There has been a notable buildup in recent years of SWAT teams within non-security-related federal agencies such as the Department of Agriculture, the Railroad Retirement Board, the Tennessee Valley Authority, the Office of Personnel Management, the Consumer Product Safety Commission, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, and the Education Department.
The government’s war on the American people will continue. “We the people” are no longer shielded by the rule of law. While the First Amendment—which gives us a voice—is being muzzled, the Fourth Amendment—which protects us from being bullied, badgered, beaten, broken and spied on by government agents—is being disemboweled. Consequently, you no longer have to be poor, black or guilty to be treated like a criminal in America. All that is required is that you belong to the suspect class—that is, the citizenry—of the American police state. As a de facto member of this so-called criminal class, every U.S. citizen is now guilty until proven innocent. The oppression and injustice—be it in the form of shootings, surveillance, fines, asset forfeiture, prison terms, roadside searches, and so on—will come to all of us eventually unless we do something to stop it now.
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Government corruption will continue. The government is not our friend. Nor does it work for “we the people.” Americans instinctively understand this. When asked to name the greatest problem facing the nation, Americans of all political stripes ranked the government as the number one concern. In fact, almost eight out of ten Americans believe that government corruption is widespread. Our so-called government representatives do not actually represent us, the citizenry. We are now ruled by an oligarchic elite of governmental and corporate interests whose main interest is in perpetuating power and control. Congress is dominated by a majority of millionaires who are, on average, fourteen times wealthier than the average American.
The rise of the surveillance state will continue. Government eyes are watching you. They see your every move: what you read, how much you spend, where you go, with whom you interact, when you wake up in the morning, what you’re watching on television and reading on the internet. Every move you make is being monitored, mined for data, crunched, and tabulated in order to form a picture of who you are, what makes you tick, and how best to control you when and if it becomes necessary to bring you in line. Police have been outfitted with a litany of surveillance gear, from license plate readers and cell phone tracking devices to biometric data recorders. Technology now makes it possible for the police to scan passersby in order to detect the contents of their pockets, purses, briefcases, etc. Full-body scanners, which perform virtual strip-searches of Americans traveling by plane, have gone mobile, with roving police vans that peer into vehicles and buildings alike—including homes. Coupled with the nation’s growing network of real-time surveillance cameras and facial recognition software, soon there really will be nowhere to run and nowhere to hide.
The erection of a suspect society will continue. Due in large part to rapid advances in technology and a heightened surveillance culture, the burden of proof has been shifted so that the right to be considered innocent until proven guilty has been usurped by a new norm in which all citizens are suspects. This is exemplified by police practices of stopping and frisking people who are merely walking down the street and where there is no evidence of wrongdoing. Making matters worse are Terrorism Liaison Officers (firefighters, police officers, and even corporate employees) who have been trained to spy on their fellow citizens and report “suspicious activity,” which includes taking pictures with no apparent aesthetic value, making measurements and drawings, taking notes, conversing in code, espousing radical beliefs and buying items in bulk. TLOs report back to “fusion centers,” which are a driving force behind the government’s quest to collect, analyze, and disseminate information on American citizens.
Government tyranny under the reign of an Imperial President will continue. The Constitution invests the President with very specific, limited powers: to serve as Commander in Chief of the military, grant pardons, make treaties (with the approval of Congress), appoint ambassadors and federal judges (again with Congress’ blessing), and veto legislation. In recent years, however, American presidents have anointed themselves with the power to wage war, unilaterally kill Americans, torture prisoners, strip citizens of their rights, arrest and detain citizens indefinitely, carry out warrantless spying on Americans, and erect their own secretive, shadow government. The powers amassed by each past president and inherited by each successive president—powers which add up to a toolbox of terror for an imperial ruler—empower whomever occupies the Oval Office to act as a dictator, above the law and beyond any real accountability. The grim reality we must come to terms with is the fact that the government does whatever it wants, freedom be damned. More than terrorism, more than domestic extremism, more than gun violence and organized crime, the U.S. government has become a greater menace to the life, liberty and property of its citizens than any of the so-called dangers from which the government claims to protect us. This state of affairs has become the status quo, no matter which party is in power.
The government’s manipulation of national crises in order to expand its powers will continue. “We the people” have been the subjected to an “emergency state” that justifies all manner of government tyranny and power grabs in the so-called name of national security. Whatever the so-called threat to the nation—whether it’s civil unrest, school shootings, alleged acts of terrorism, or the threat of a global pandemic in the case of COVID-19—the government has a tendency to capitalize on the nation’s heightened emotions, confusion and fear as a means of extending the reach of the police state. Indeed, the government’s answer to every problem continues to be more government—at taxpayer expense—and less individual liberty.
The bottom line is this: nothing taking place on Election Day will alleviate the suffering of the American people. Unless we do something more than vote, the government as we have come to know it—corrupt, bloated and controlled by big-money corporations, lobbyists and special interest groups—will remain unchanged. And “we the people”—overtaxed, overpoliced, overburdened by big government, underrepresented by those who should speak for us and blissfully ignorant of the prison walls closing in on us—will continue to trudge along a path of misery.
As I point out in my book Battlefield America: The War on the American People, these problems will continue to plague our nation unless and until Americans wake up to the fact that we’re the only ones who can change things for the better and then do something about it. If there is to be any hope of restoring our freedoms and reclaiming control over our government, it will rest not with the politicians but with the people themselves.
After all, Indeed, the Constitution opens with those three vital words, “We the people.”
What the founders wanted us to understand is that we are the government.
There is no government without us—our sheer numbers, our muscle, our economy, our physical presence in this land. There can also be no police state—no tyranny—no routine violations of our rights without our complicity and collusion—without our turning a blind eye, shrugging our shoulders, allowing ourselves to be distracted and our civic awareness diluted.
No matter which candidate wins this election, the citizenry and those who represent us need to be held accountable to this powerful truth.
WC: 2470
ABOUT JOHN W. WHITEHEAD
Constitutional attorney and author John W. Whitehead is founder and president of The Rutherford Institute . His new book Battlefield America: The War on the American People is available at www.amazon.com . Whitehead can be contacted at johnw@rutherford.org.


investmentwatchblog--2020-11-06--Tales of Cobras, Windows, and Economic Promise

The heart of him who has understanding seeks knowledge , but the mouths of fools feed on folly .
Proverbs 15:14 The term “ cobra effect ” is used when an attempted solution to a problem worsens the problem by unleashing unintended consequences .
The name derives from a tale originating in Delhi , India .
The government ’ s concern about rampant venomous cobras prompted them to offer a bounty for each dead snake .
Although the strategy initially worked well , citizens began to breed cobras for income .
When the government discovered what people were doing , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ cobra breeders , with worthless venomous snakes on their hands , set them free .
Despite the best intentions , the solution made Delhi ’ s cobra problem worse .
As you might by now have figured , the cobra effect surrounds us in politics and economics .
A special thank you to Sahil Bloom ( @ sahilbloom ) for his Twitter thread that inspired us to expand on his thoughts .
Nineteenth-century French economist Frederic Bastiat has a well-known theory about unintended consequences .
He uses a parable to explain that which @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
His lesson starts with a stone that shatters a shopkeeper ’ s window .
Most noticeable to the town ’ s people is the economic benefit of the broken window .
In their minds , the shopkeeper must buy a window and employ a glazier to install it .
As an aside , many economists peddle similar logic in the aftermath of natural disasters .
Bastiat ’ s brilliance is pointing out the not so obvious opportunity cost of the broken window .
In this case , after paying to fix the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to spend elsewhere .
The shopkeeper could have bought new equipment making his shop more productive and profitable .
The benefits of which would have had a positive impact on the shopkeeper ’ s wealth but also the economy and the populace .
Instead , replacing the window is at best a neutral economic event .
There is undoubtedly no net economic gain , but there is an opportunity cost .
Financial and material resources were used in a non-productive manner .
With cobras and broken windows in mind , we look at @ @ @ @ @ @ @ policies .
Based on their actions over the past several decades , the Fed has increasingly taken more latitude in its mandate .
They rationalize these actions through a variety of speeches , editorials , and white papers .
Over the years , they have redefined their job from an entity intended only to supplement our capitalist free-market economy to an actively interventionist player .
The Federal Reserve Act , governing monetary policy , does not give them that authority .
It simply reads : The Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve @ @ @ @ @ @ @ shall maintain long run growth of the monetary and credit aggregates commensurate with the economy ’ s long run potential to increase production , so as to promote effectively the goals of maximum employment , stable prices , and moderate long-term interest rates .
Legislators responsible for oversight of the Fed have not only failed to hold the Fed accountable but abet them in their mission creep .
Although their power is supposed to be strictly limited to monetary policy actions , many of the tools they now employ spill over into the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ clearly jeopardize their independence and , therefore , their integrity .
The Fed has long led us to believe that lower interest rates produce economic growth and prosperity .
Given that interest rates are a “ price ” , the price of money , the Fed is essentially manipulating that price in U.S. dollar terms .
It is also understood that the U.S. dollar is the world ’ s reserve currency , which affects roughly 60 % of all global transactions .
That logic can only mean that the Fed is engaged in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ human history .
We are not aware of any instances where centrally planned price control efforts have produced favorable outcomes .
As we observe rising levels of geopolitical tensions , wealth and income divergence , and civil unrest , it should be evident the cobra effect is in play .
People , corporations , and governments tend to borrow and spend more when the cost of money is lower .
Additionally , lower savings rates dis-incentivizes savings and thus increases consumption .
The applied logic is that lower rates produce more economic activity @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Fed and most Ph.D. economists prefer we think about low interest rates .
Now let ’ s look behind the curtain at the unseen .
Artificially low interest rates encourage the use of debt .
Debt is used to pull consumption forward .
Therefore , the not so obvious consequence of lower than appropriate rates is weaker economic activity in the future .
Artificially low interest rates also inspire non-productive uses of capital and speculation instead of productivity-enhancing savings and investment .
Those effects are not apparent at first because low interest rates @ @ @ @ @ @ @ described above , the long-run outcome will be a weaker economy .
That is precisely what we see in the U.S. and among all developed economies .
Simply , we are breaking windows today and replacing them .
Under such a scheme , debts grow more than income .
Over time , if not allowed to correct , the problem becomes self-reinforcing .
Ever lower interest rates accommodate more debt used to pull consumption forward and service the prior debt load .
The best way to describe this situation is that monetary policy @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Today we find ourselves with shattered glass and cobras everywhere .
U.S. interest rates are at 300-year lows and the zero bound .
They are negative in many other parts of the world .
The natural economic growth rate is below 2 % and has been in decline for decades .
Meanwhile , economic orthodoxy insists that the broken glass is a clear sign of a healthy economy , and the cobras will make fine pets .
As described in a previous article , this is the very definition of being “ gaslit.
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ from future economic growth is easy to support with data .
If low interest rates helped the economy , the debt would decline as a percentage of economic activity .
Productive debt creates more income than the cost of servicing it and paying it off .
As a result , GDP would grow faster than debt .
It has not , as shown below .
Further supporting our case is the fact that each economic expansion has been weaker than the previous one .
Bill Dudley , ex-President of the New York Federal @ @ @ @ @ @ @ recent WSJ editorial worth repeating .
We advise reading the entire article , The Federal Reserve is really running out of firepower .
Moreover , the stimulus provided by lower interest rates inevitably wears off .
Cutting interest rates boosts the economy by bringing future activity into the present : Easy money encourages people to buy houses and appliances now rather than later .
But when the future arrives , that activity is missing .
The only way to keep things going is to lower interest rates further — until , that is @ @ @ @ @ @ @ which in the U.S. is zero .
When interest rates stay low for long enough , the policy can even become counterproductive .
In the U.S. , monetary stimulus has already pushed bond and stock prices to such high levels that future returns will necessarily be lower .
No central bank wants to admit that it ’ s out of firepower .
Unfortunately , the U.S. Federal Reserve is very near that point .
Replacing broken windows may make us feel good today , but it comes at a cost tomorrow .
Today @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 3.1 trillion annual deficit supported with interest rates at or near zero .
The Fed and government are rapidly exhausting their arsenal to fight current and future recessions .
Equally troubling , almost all of their actions pay little or no future benefit , but the costs stay with us .
Current policies are about expediency .
For at least the past 20 years , there are rarely any serious discussions by the Fed or politicians on their policies ’ costs .
Ignoring the possibility of negative consequences is just another definition of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ point we have made in the past .
The cost is not just financial .
Equally important is America ’ s fraying social fabric as Fed-induced economic inequality bears down on the country .

Tales of Cobras, Windows, and Economic Promise The heart of him who has understanding seeks knowledge, but the mouths of fools feed on folly. Proverbs 15:14 The term “cobra effect” is used when an attempted solution to a problem worsens the problem by unleashing unintended consequences. The name derives from a tale originating in Delhi, India. The government’s concern about rampant venomous cobras prompted them to offer a bounty for each dead snake. Although the strategy initially worked well, citizens began to breed cobras for income. When the government discovered what people were doing, they ended the bounty program. The cobra breeders, with worthless venomous snakes on their hands, set them free. Despite the best intentions, the solution made Delhi’s cobra problem worse. As you might by now have figured, the cobra effect surrounds us in politics and economics. A special thank you to Sahil Bloom (@sahilbloom) for his Twitter thread that inspired us to expand on his thoughts. Bastiat’s Brilliance Nineteenth-century French economist Frederic Bastiat has a well-known theory about unintended consequences. He uses a parable to explain that which is seen and what is not seen. His lesson starts with a stone that shatters a shopkeeper’s window. Most noticeable to the town’s people is the economic benefit of the broken window. In their minds, the shopkeeper must buy a window and employ a glazier to install it. As an aside, many economists peddle similar logic in the aftermath of natural disasters. Bastiat’s brilliance is pointing out the not so obvious opportunity cost of the broken window. In this case, after paying to fix the window, the shopkeeper has less money to spend elsewhere. The shopkeeper could have bought new equipment making his shop more productive and profitable. The benefits of which would have had a positive impact on the shopkeeper’s wealth but also the economy and the populace. Instead, replacing the window is at best a neutral economic event. There is undoubtedly no net economic gain, but there is an opportunity cost. Financial and material resources were used in a non-productive manner. With cobras and broken windows in mind, we look at the Federal Reserve’s long-standing monetary policies. Federal Reserve Based on their actions over the past several decades, the Fed has increasingly taken more latitude in its mandate. They rationalize these actions through a variety of speeches, editorials, and white papers. Over the years, they have redefined their job from an entity intended only to supplement our capitalist free-market economy to an actively interventionist player. The Federal Reserve Act, governing monetary policy, does not give them that authority. It simply reads: The Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System and the Federal Open Market Committee shall maintain long run growth of the monetary and credit aggregates commensurate with the economy’s long run potential to increase production, so as to promote effectively the goals of maximum employment, stable prices, and moderate long-term interest rates. Legislators responsible for oversight of the Fed have not only failed to hold the Fed accountable but abet them in their mission creep. Although their power is supposed to be strictly limited to monetary policy actions, many of the tools they now employ spill over into the realm of fiscal policy. Such activities clearly jeopardize their independence and, therefore, their integrity. Federal Reserve Snake Oil The Fed has long led us to believe that lower interest rates produce economic growth and prosperity. Given that interest rates are a “price”, the price of money, the Fed is essentially manipulating that price in U.S. dollar terms. It is also understood that the U.S. dollar is the world’s reserve currency, which affects roughly 60% of all global transactions. That logic can only mean that the Fed is engaged in the single biggest price control scheme in human history. We are not aware of any instances where centrally planned price control efforts have produced favorable outcomes.
As we observe rising levels of geopolitical tensions, wealth and income divergence, and civil unrest, it should be evident the cobra effect is in play.
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People, corporations, and governments tend to borrow and spend more when the cost of money is lower. Additionally, lower savings rates dis-incentivizes savings and thus increases consumption. The applied logic is that lower rates produce more economic activity. That is at least how the Fed and most Ph.D. economists prefer we think about low interest rates.
Behind The Fed’s Curtain
Now let’s look behind the curtain at the unseen. Artificially low interest rates encourage the use of debt. Debt is used to pull consumption forward. Therefore, the not so obvious consequence of lower than appropriate rates is weaker economic activity in the future. Artificially low interest rates also inspire non-productive uses of capital and speculation instead of productivity-enhancing savings and investment. Those effects are not apparent at first because low interest rates are initially stimulative. However, as described above, the long-run outcome will be a weaker economy.
That is precisely what we see in the U.S. and among all developed economies. Simply, we are breaking windows today and replacing them.
Under such a scheme, debts grow more than income. Over time, if not allowed to correct, the problem becomes self-reinforcing. Ever lower interest rates accommodate more debt used to pull consumption forward and service the prior debt load. The best way to describe this situation is that monetary policy has become a euphemism for Ponzi.
The Consequences
Today we find ourselves with shattered glass and cobras everywhere. U.S. interest rates are at 300-year lows and the zero bound. They are negative in many other parts of the world. The natural economic growth rate is below 2% and has been in decline for decades. Meanwhile, economic orthodoxy insists that the broken glass is a clear sign of a healthy economy, and the cobras will make fine pets. As described in a previous article, this is the very definition of being “gaslit.”
Our claim that Fed policy detracts from future economic growth is easy to support with data. If low interest rates helped the economy, the debt would decline as a percentage of economic activity. Productive debt creates more income than the cost of servicing it and paying it off. As a result, GDP would grow faster than debt. It has not, as shown below.
Further supporting our case is the fact that each economic expansion has been weaker than the previous one.
Bill Dudley
Bill Dudley, ex-President of the New York Federal Reserve, had some comments in a recent WSJ editorial worth repeating. We advise reading the entire article, The Federal Reserve is really running out of firepower.
Moreover, the stimulus provided by lower interest rates inevitably wears off. Cutting interest rates boosts the economy by bringing future activity into the present: Easy money encourages people to buy houses and appliances now rather than later. But when the future arrives, that activity is missing. The only way to keep things going is to lower interest rates further — until, that is, they hit their lower bound, which in the U.S. is zero.
When interest rates stay low for long enough, the policy can even become counterproductive. In the U.S., monetary stimulus has already pushed bond and stock prices to such high levels that future returns will necessarily be lower.
No central bank wants to admit that it’s out of firepower. Unfortunately, the U.S. Federal Reserve is very near that point.
Summary
Replacing broken windows may make us feel good today, but it comes at a cost tomorrow.
Today, the United States faces a $3.1 trillion annual deficit supported with interest rates at or near zero. The Fed and government are rapidly exhausting their arsenal to fight current and future recessions. Equally troubling, almost all of their actions pay little or no future benefit, but the costs stay with us.
Current policies are about expediency. For at least the past 20 years, there are rarely any serious discussions by the Fed or politicians on their policies’ costs. Ignoring the possibility of negative consequences is just another definition of foolishness.
It is worth reiterating a point we have made in the past. The cost is not just financial. Equally important is America’s fraying social fabric as Fed-induced economic inequality bears down on the country.


investmentwatchblog--2020-11-06--118 year old people who have been dead for 36 years are voting in Michigan. Nothing to see here – mo

118 year old people who have been dead for 36 years are voting in Michigan. Nothing to see here – move along!

Nothing to see here – move along !
Nothing to see here – move along !
US Postal Worker in @ @ @ @ @ to fraudulently post mark ballots received after the election as received on November 2 , @ @ @ @ @ in the count .
GOP election observers are being refused access to counting locations to @ @ @ @ @ properly observe the count in Democrat controlled Pa and Mi .
Electronic voting machine counts @ @ @ @ @ by switching up to 3 % of the votes from one candidate to the other @ @ @ @ @ change the outcomes in many swing states .
A 1.5 % loss would become a @ @ @ @ @ If they switch too many votes , lots of people are likely to cry foul @ @

Nothing to see here – move along!
Nothing to see here – move along!
Other cases being reported of a 120 year old voting, and a 93 year old nursing home resident with dementia who didn’t request a ballot.
US Postal Worker in Michigan claims they were told to fraudulently post mark ballots received after the election as received on November 2, so they could be included in the count.
GOP election observers are being refused access to counting locations to prevent them being able to properly observe the count in Democrat controlled Pa and Mi.
Electronic voting machine counts can also be tampered with by switching up to 3% of the votes from one candidate to the other, which is enough to change the outcomes in many swing states. A 1.5% loss would become a 1.5% win.


investmentwatchblog--2020-11-06--Ron Paul says this is the least meaningful presidential election ever.

Paul says the agenda of the POTUS is being set more by American society than politics these days .
He @ @ @ @ @ up deciding the winner in the presidential election .
Paul is saying even if Trump @ @ @ @ @ Paul is also saying any vote fraud that may be happening will not matter in @ @ @ @ @ like the kind of positivity Trump supporters like .

Paul says the agenda of the POTUS is being set more by American society than politics these days. He also thinks Congress will end up deciding the winner in the presidential election.
Isn’t this good news for Trump supporters?
Paul is saying even if Trump loses it changes little.
We are primarily funded by readers. Please subscribe and donate to support us!
Paul is also saying any vote fraud that may be happening will not matter in the end.
That sounds like the kind of positivity Trump supporters like.
AC


investmentwatchblog--2020-11-06--Consolidation Is Killing Jobs In The U.S. Shale Industry

The long-awaited consolidation in the U.S. shale patch is well underway , with several high-profile multi-billion-dollar deals announced in the span of just a few weeks .
Analysts say that the mergers and acquisitions ( M & A ) frenzy was inevitable ; smaller oil firms with manageable debts are trying to survive the pandemic-driven industry downturn , and bigger players are looking to add top-quality assets to their portfolios .
What is also inevitable during this consolidation drive in the U.S. shale patch is the loss of U.S. oil industry jobs as companies combine to reduce fixed cost and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Granted , the oil industry had already started shedding jobs at a fast pace as early as in March , when oil prices crashed in the pandemic , and the brief but very ill-timed Saudi-Russia spat over OPEC+ policies further crushed the market .
The U.S. industry has already lost thousands of jobs in the upstream and oilfield services sectors because companies curtailed production at oil prices lower than break-evens and slashed capital spending for this year and next .
While signs have emerged that the worst for employment and rig counts could @ @ @ @ @ @ @ mania is leading to another wave of job losses in the U.S. oil sector .
However , many of those layoffs could take place in corporate functions and support services .
As firms announce deals , they are also announcing layoffs at the new entities .
Those redundancies add to an already high number of jobs lost due to the pandemic-inflicted crisis .
Analysts and the market welcomed the latest U.S. oil deals as win-win transactions and perfect fits for the pairs involved .
But there is a loser in those mergers and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ have been hefty even without the consolidation , but the merger mania is accelerating layoffs .
M & A activity picked up pace in recent weeks after U.S. companies shook off the initial shock from the fastest slump in oil prices in recent memory .
Chevron acquired Noble Energy in the first major post-COVID deal .
Devon Energy and WPX Energy announced their merger in September .
ConocoPhillips recently announced that it was buying Permian-focused Concho Resources in an all-stock deal valued at US $ 9.7 billion .
A day later , Pioneer @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Energy in an all-stock transaction valued at US $ 7.6 billion , including Parsley ’ s debt .
Analysts see those deals as natural fits , expecting the resulting larger companies to fill the gaps in the portfolios of the stand-alone firms .
The ConocoPhillips-Concho deal is “ remarkable , ” said Robert Clarke , vice president , Lower 48 upstream , at Wood Mackenzie .
“ Just in scale , ConocoPhillips is adding enough Permian production to nip at the heels of ExxonMobil ’ s massive programme , ” Clarke commented on @ @ @ @ @ @ @ also “ a perfect fit , ” Benjamin Shattuck , Research Director , Americas Upstream Oil & Gas at WoodMac , said , adding that “ the combined company will produce more regionally than ConocoPhillips and Concho , more than ExxonMobil , and more than Occidental and Anadarko.
” The M & A wave is about scale , in terms of both gaining access to top assets and cutting costs .
Reducing costs , however , means reducing staffing numbers .
“ The tendency is that consolidation causes job loss , ” Karr @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Texas Alliance of Energy Producers , told the Houston Chronicle last month .
So it does .
After the merger with Devon Energy , some employees at Tulsa-based WPX Energy will move to Oklahoma City , but others will lose their jobs .
“ We recognize that synergies and redundancies between the two companies will impact jobs , but we ’ re going to be very thoughtful and respectful of people as we move through that process , ” WPX Energy chairman and CEO Richard Muncrief said on the Q3 earnings call last @ @ @ @ @ @ @ announced job cuts of up to 15 percent of its workforce , will also lay off around 25 percent of Noble Energy ’ s staff—equal to around 570 positions—who join the U.S. supermajor in the merger , Chevron said in an email to Reuters last week .
Yet , layoffs are by no means limited to companies involved in mergers .
U.S. Oil Industry Loses Jobs Even Without Consolidation Everyone is cutting workforce numbers , from the oilfield services providers to the biggest oil corporations .
ExxonMobil , for example , announced last @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 15 percent of its workforce , including some 1,900 jobs in the United States .
In the U.S. oilfield services sector , 106,218 jobs have been lost since the pandemic began , according to the Petroleum Equipment & Services Association ( PESA ) .
Texas has been hit the hardest , with nearly 60,000 jobs lost .
The industry is estimated to have added 1,400 jobs in September , but compared to September 2019 , oilfield services employment is down by 15.7 percent , PESA said last month .
The upstream sector in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of the downturn and could be headed to recovery , the Texas Alliance of Energy Producers said this week , citing a slim gain in jobs in September .
Even if the industry has left the worst of the crisis behind , as much as 70 percent of the more than 100,000 jobs lost in the U.S. oil , gas , and chemicals industries due to the pandemic may not return by the end of 2021 , Deloitte said in an analysis last month .
Since the previous oil price crash of 2014 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ sectors has become much more sensitive to changes in crude oil prices due to the short-cycle investment and production in the U.S. shale patch , Deloitte noted .

By Tsvetana Paraskova
The long-awaited consolidation in the U.S. shale patch is well underway, with several high-profile multi-billion-dollar deals announced in the span of just a few weeks.
Analysts say that the mergers and acquisitions (M&A) frenzy was inevitable; smaller oil firms with manageable debts are trying to survive the pandemic-driven industry downturn, and bigger players are looking to add top-quality assets to their portfolios.
What is also inevitable during this consolidation drive in the U.S. shale patch is the loss of U.S. oil industry jobs as companies combine to reduce fixed cost and administrative expenses and benefit from synergies.
Granted, the oil industry had already started shedding jobs at a fast pace as early as in March, when oil prices crashed in the pandemic, and the brief but very ill-timed Saudi-Russia spat over OPEC+ policies further crushed the market. The U.S. industry has already lost thousands of jobs in the upstream and oilfield services sectors because companies curtailed production at oil prices lower than break-evens and slashed capital spending for this year and next.
While signs have emerged that the worst for employment and rig counts could be over, the M&A mania is leading to another wave of job losses in the U.S. oil sector. However, many of those layoffs could take place in corporate functions and support services. As firms announce deals, they are also announcing layoffs at the new entities. Those redundancies add to an already high number of jobs lost due to the pandemic-inflicted crisis.
Analysts and the market welcomed the latest U.S. oil deals as win-win transactions and perfect fits for the pairs involved. But there is a loser in those mergers and acquisitions—the oil industry jobs.
Job losses have been hefty even without the consolidation, but the merger mania is accelerating layoffs.
Consolidation Continues
M&A activity picked up pace in recent weeks after U.S. companies shook off the initial shock from the fastest slump in oil prices in recent memory.
Chevron acquired Noble Energy in the first major post-COVID deal. Devon Energy and WPX Energy announced their merger in September.
ConocoPhillips recently announced that it was buying Permian-focused Concho Resources in an all-stock deal valued at US$9.7 billion. A day later, Pioneer Natural Resources said it would buy Parsley Energy in an all-stock transaction valued at US$7.6 billion, including Parsley’s debt.
Analysts see those deals as natural fits, expecting the resulting larger companies to fill the gaps in the portfolios of the stand-alone firms.
The ConocoPhillips-Concho deal is “remarkable,” said Robert Clarke, vice president, Lower 48 upstream, at Wood Mackenzie.
“Just in scale, ConocoPhillips is adding enough Permian production to nip at the heels of ExxonMobil’s massive programme,” Clarke commented on the deal.
Pioneer and Parsley are also “a perfect fit,” Benjamin Shattuck, Research Director, Americas Upstream Oil & Gas at WoodMac, said, adding that “the combined company will produce more regionally than ConocoPhillips and Concho, more than ExxonMobil, and more than Occidental and Anadarko.”
We are primarily funded by readers. Please subscribe and donate to support us!
The M&A wave is about scale, in terms of both gaining access to top assets and cutting costs. Reducing costs, however, means reducing staffing numbers.
“The tendency is that consolidation causes job loss,” Karr Ingham, a petroleum economist with the Texas Alliance of Energy Producers, told the Houston Chronicle last month.
So it does.
Jobs Lost To M&A Wave
After the merger with Devon Energy, some employees at Tulsa-based WPX Energy will move to Oklahoma City, but others will lose their jobs.
“We recognize that synergies and redundancies between the two companies will impact jobs, but we’re going to be very thoughtful and respectful of people as we move through that process,” WPX Energy chairman and CEO Richard Muncrief said on the Q3 earnings call last week.
Chevron, which has already announced job cuts of up to 15 percent of its workforce, will also lay off around 25 percent of Noble Energy’s staff—equal to around 570 positions—who join the U.S. supermajor in the merger, Chevron said in an email to Reuters last week.
Yet, layoffs are by no means limited to companies involved in mergers.
U.S. Oil Industry Loses Jobs Even Without Consolidation
Everyone is cutting workforce numbers, from the oilfield services providers to the biggest oil corporations.
ExxonMobil, for example, announced last week around 14,000 job cuts, or 15 percent of its workforce, including some 1,900 jobs in the United States.
In the U.S. oilfield services sector, 106,218 jobs have been lost since the pandemic began, according to the Petroleum Equipment & Services Association (PESA). Texas has been hit the hardest, with nearly 60,000 jobs lost. The industry is estimated to have added 1,400 jobs in September, but compared to September 2019, oilfield services employment is down by 15.7 percent, PESA said last month.
The upstream sector in Texas may have already seen the worst of the downturn and could be headed to recovery, the Texas Alliance of Energy Producers said this week, citing a slim gain in jobs in September.
Even if the industry has left the worst of the crisis behind, as much as 70 percent of the more than 100,000 jobs lost in the U.S. oil, gas, and chemicals industries due to the pandemic may not return by the end of 2021, Deloitte said in an analysis last month. Since the previous oil price crash of 2014, employment in the oil and gas sectors has become much more sensitive to changes in crude oil prices due to the short-cycle investment and production in the U.S. shale patch, Deloitte noted.
By Tsvetana Paraskova for Oilprice.com


investmentwatchblog--2020-11-05--Election Night Confirmed the Polls Were Lies.

The signs have been there for months .
Trump supporters knew they were being lied to .
But some Biden @ @ @ @ @ few true liberal holdouts began nervously grumbling about the Big Tech censorship of the Hunter @ @ @ @ @ Americans , Hispanics , LGBTQ , and blue-collar workers increasingly have resisted their typecasting .
@ @ @ @ @ permission to vote for Trump .
Like kamikaze planes splashing harmlessly in the sea adjacent @ @ @ @ @ legacy media either lied to America or themselves as they squandered the last shreds of @ @ @ @ @ were never meant to reflect public opinion .
They were always about shaping the opinion @ @ @ @ @ of reckoning approached and the real opinion failed to follow the pollster ’ s wishful @ @ @ @ @ pull out of their dives , reporting a “ tightening ” race .
Balderdash .
@ @ @ @ @ that much in just a few days .

ANALYSIS: TRUE. Election Night Confirmed the Polls Were Lies.
The signs have been there for months. Trump supporters knew they were being lied to. But some Biden voters suspected it. A few true liberal holdouts began nervously grumbling about the Big Tech censorship of the Hunter Biden financial scandals. African Americans, Hispanics, LGBTQ, and blue-collar workers increasingly have resisted their typecasting. Famous rappers began giving cultural permission to vote for Trump.
Like kamikaze planes splashing harmlessly in the sea adjacent to their targets, the legacy media either lied to America or themselves as they squandered the last shreds of illusionary credibility. The polls were never meant to reflect public opinion. They were always about shaping the opinion. And as the day of reckoning approached and the real opinion failed to follow the pollster’s wishful thinking, many tried to pull out of their dives, reporting a “tightening” race.
Balderdash. The opinions have not changed that much in just a few days.


investmentwatchblog--2020-11-05--NOTHING TO SEE HERE, MOVE ALONG:

NOTHING TO SEE HERE, MOVE ALONG:

I used info via Social Security Death Index on `` Your Voter Information '' on the Michigan SoS website .
@ @ @ @ @ , died in Detroit at age 82 in 1984 .
He applied for an absentee @ @ @ @ @ it on 9/19 .
They 've been at it for months .
t.co/jfpaVIFLhh pic.twitter.com/l4kCijui0g

Lol! He's right.
I used info via Social Security Death Index on "Your Voter Information" on the Michigan SoS website.
William was born in 1902, died in Detroit at age 82 in 1984.
He applied for an absentee ballot on 9/11, submitted it on 9/19.
They've been at it for months. t.co/jfpaVIFLhh pic.twitter.com/l4kCijui0g
— Peoples_Pundit (@Peoples_Pundit) November 5, 2020


investmentwatchblog--2020-11-05--India’s Malabar 2020 naval exercise is another indication the Trump Administration’s decision to cha

India’s Malabar 2020 naval exercise is another indication the Trump Administration’s decision to challenge China economically and diplomatically strengthened regional resistance to China.

…In the last decade , India ’ s Himalayan territorial disputes with China have become more frequent and aggressive .
Without doubt , those clashes profoundly shape Indian perception .
So does China ’ s steady acquisition of seaport facilities in the Indian Ocean .
Pakistan ’ s Gwadar Port looks a lot like a Chinese naval base .
However , the Trump administration ’ s American domestic economic revival and its hard-nosed trade agreements with China demonstrated that the U.S. could and would counter China ’ s economic hegemony .
Washington used legal , financial and diplomatic instruments to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ targeted Chinese spying , which penalized lucrative Chinese companies like Huawei linked to espionage .
China ’ s economy buys the weapons that enable territorial expansion and pays the bribes that empower its economic dominance .
The Trump administration is the first U.S. administration to actively and relentlessly confront China using lawyers , guns and money — legal sanctions , military operations and economic policies .
American media missed the story , but savvy minds around the world noticed .
Which brings us back to Malabar 2020 ’ s message .
Indian officials @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ” that demonstrates “ high-levels of synergy and coordination ” among Quad navies .
Indian media report that exercise scenarios reflect the mutual goal of countering increased Chinese aggression in the Indo-Pacific region .
The Indian government has scripted Malabar 2020 to send a definitive message : The Quad has become a functioning military coalition , with India as a committed member .
The CCP ’ s leaders and Chinese admirals get the message .

…In the last decade, India’s Himalayan territorial disputes with China have become more frequent and aggressive. Without doubt, those clashes profoundly shape Indian perception. So does China’s steady acquisition of seaport facilities in the Indian Ocean. Pakistan’s Gwadar Port looks a lot like a Chinese naval base.
However, the Trump administration’s American domestic economic revival and its hard-nosed trade agreements with China demonstrated that the U.S. could and would counter China’s economic hegemony. Washington used legal, financial and diplomatic instruments to penalize Chinese intellectual-property theft. It also targeted Chinese spying, which penalized lucrative Chinese companies like Huawei linked to espionage.
China’s economy buys the weapons that enable territorial expansion and pays the bribes that empower its economic dominance.
The Trump administration is the first U.S. administration to actively and relentlessly confront China using lawyers, guns and money — legal sanctions, military operations and economic policies.
American media missed the story, but savvy minds around the world noticed.
Which brings us back to Malabar 2020’s message. Indian officials unflinchingly call it a “quadrilateral exercise” that demonstrates “high-levels of synergy and coordination” among Quad navies. Indian media report that exercise scenarios reflect the mutual goal of countering increased Chinese aggression in the Indo-Pacific region.
The Indian government has scripted Malabar 2020 to send a definitive message: The Quad has become a functioning military coalition, with India as a committed member.
The CCP’s leaders and Chinese admirals get the message.


investmentwatchblog--2020-11-05--ROGER KIMBALL: “I am happy to see that President Trump is acting on the maxim of the month: don’t co

ROGER KIMBALL: “I am happy to see that President Trump is acting on the maxim of the month: don’t concede if you didn’t lose. Any other GOP president would be on the defensive now.”

I am happy to see that President Trump is acting on the maxim of the month : don ’ t concede if you didn ’ t lose .
Any other GOP president would be on the defensive now .
‘ Yes , there was voter fraud , but , but , but… ’ That dangerous conjunction is a fledging concession just waiting to spread its wings and fly .
Donald Trump does not trade in concessions .
It ’ s one of the things about him that infuriates people .
It ’ s also one of the reasons he is @ @ @ @ @ @ @ He seizes upon the main issue — there ’ s too much illegal immigration , our trade practices are unfair to American workers , the deep state has created a suffocating regulatory nightmare that benefits a tiny class of bureaucrats .
When Napoleon abdicated and the Bourbons were restored , Talleyrand cast a jaundiced eye on the royal family ’ s heavy-handed efforts to reassert their ancient prerogatives and acidly observed ‘ They had learned nothing and forgotten nothing.
’ Already we see the Deep State and NeverTrump activists panting to reinhabit the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ left-wing front group known as ‘ The Lincoln Project ’ has smartened up its house GOP impersonators like Michael Steele to natter on about a restored Republican party that ‘ could become a governing majority in the future.
’ Right .
As a friend observed , what the Kristol Kids Klub represent is a Potemkin party , a party with no voters , only apparatchiks .

via spectator.us:
I am happy to see that President Trump is acting on the maxim of the month: don’t concede if you didn’t lose. Any other GOP president would be on the defensive now. ‘Yes, there was voter fraud, but, but, but…’ That dangerous conjunction is a fledging concession just waiting to spread its wings and fly.
Donald Trump does not trade in concessions. It’s one of the things about him that infuriates people. It’s also one of the reasons he is so effective. He abhors clutter. He seizes upon the main issue — there’s too much illegal immigration, our trade practices are unfair to American workers, the deep state has created a suffocating regulatory nightmare that benefits a tiny class of bureaucrats.
When Napoleon abdicated and the Bourbons were restored, Talleyrand cast a jaundiced eye on the royal family’s heavy-handed efforts to reassert their ancient prerogatives and acidly observed ‘They had learned nothing and forgotten nothing.’
Already we see the Deep State and NeverTrump activists panting to reinhabit the corridors of power. The lavishly funded left-wing front group known as ‘The Lincoln Project’ has smartened up its house GOP impersonators like Michael Steele to natter on about a restored Republican party that ‘could become a governing majority in the future.’ Right. As a friend observed, what the Kristol Kids Klub represent is a Potemkin party, a party with no voters, only apparatchiks.


investmentwatchblog--2020-11-05--The Fed is Stuck On Interest Rates, Unable to Do Anything

The Fed is Stuck On Interest Rates , Unable to Do Anything The Fed is stuck in glue .
It @ @ @ @ @ .
Nor did it change much of its announcement as the WSJ Fed Statement Tracker @ @ @

The Fed is Stuck On Interest Rates, Unable to Do Anything
The Fed is stuck in glue. It did not change interest rates. Nor did it change much of its announcement as the WSJ Fed Statement Tracker shows. t.co/yRXpedyhZ8
— Mike "Mish" Shedlock (@MishGEA) November 5, 2020


investmentwatchblog--2020-11-05--Happening – A.G. Barr issued a directive to all U.S. Attorneys to use ARMED Federal agents to enforc

Happening – A.G. Barr issued a directive to all U.S. Attorneys to use ARMED Federal agents to enforce court orders

A.G. Barr issued a directive to all U.S .
Attorneys to use ARMED Federal agents to enforce court orders and @ @ @ @ @ counting centers Armed agents has never been used before

A.G. Barr issued a directive to all U.S. Attorneys to use ARMED Federal agents to enforce court orders and investigate voter fraud at ballot counting centers
Armed agents has never been used before
We are primarily funded by readers. Please subscribe and donate to support us!
GAME OVER FOR DEMS A.G. Barr issued a directive to all U.S. Attorneys to use ARMED Federal agents to enforce court orders and investigate voter fraud at ballot counting centers Armed agents has never been used beforet.co/cPcc35w2o1 — DeMario (@DJDeMario1) November 5, 2020
AC


investmentwatchblog--2020-11-05--Pres. Trump will deliver remarks at 6:30 p.m. ET as votes continue to be counted in key states acros

JUST IN : Pres .
Trump will deliver remarks at 6:30 p.m .
ET as votes continue to be counted @ @ @ @ @ country .
t.co/bFg9xorh2a # Election2020 pic.twitter.com/hugQqbDfO4

JUST IN: Pres. Trump will deliver remarks at 6:30 p.m. ET as votes continue to be counted in key states across the country. t.co/bFg9xorh2a #Election2020 pic.twitter.com/hugQqbDfO4
— ABC News (@ABC) November 5, 2020


investmentwatchblog--2020-11-05--Candace Owens… This is insane. He is literally plugging in the names of dead people and they are all

Candace Owens… This is insane. He is literally plugging in the names of dead people and they are all returning as having voted in Michigan. Where is our Department if Justice on this? Why is it taking regular Americans to expose this level of obvious corruption?

Governor Whitmer Ordered Michigan Department of Health and Human Services to control the voting facility around 4AM .
They removed @ @ @ @ @ 130,000 Joe Biden Only Ballots in the City of Detroit .
Poll Watchers and Challengers @ @ @ @ @ Those Ballots !
” This is a video of someone who received information from a @ @ @ @ @ around 4am with Michigan .
Three vehicles showed up with over 130,000 ballots all going @ @ @ @ @ claims that Governor Whitmer Ordered Michigan Department of Health and Human Services to control the @ @ @ @ @ They removed the ability to challenge these 130,000 Joe Biden Only Ballots in the City @ @ @

This is insane.
He is literally plugging in the names of dead people and they are all returning as having voted in Michigan.
Where is our Department if Justice on this?
Why is it taking regular Americans to expose this level of obvious corruption? t.co/886mDlM7J1 — Candace Owens (@RealCandaceO) November 5, 2020
Governor Whitmer Ordered Michigan Department of Health and Human Services to control the voting facility around 4AM. They removed the ability to challenge these 130,000 Joe Biden Only Ballots in the City of Detroit. Poll Watchers and Challengers locked outside yelling “Stop Those Ballots!”
This is a video of someone who received information from a poll staffer on what happened around 4am with Michigan. Three vehicles showed up with over 130,000 ballots all going towards Joe Biden. She claims that Governor Whitmer Ordered Michigan Department of Health and Human Services to control the voting facility around 4AM. They removed the ability to challenge these 130,000 Joe Biden Only Ballots in the City of Detroit.
Related:
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This is a statistical impossibility
h/t 5nordehacedod


investmentwatchblog--2020-11-05--Viganò: ‘America is in midst of ‘colossal electoral fraud’

November 4 , 2020 ( LifeSiteNews ) – The following is a Nov. 4 , 2020 message from Archbishop Carlo Maria Viganò addressed to “ American Catholics and to all Americans of good will.
” Read PDF of letter here .
( Editor ’ s note : There is some confusion regarding the reference in the text to the devil fearing the Virgin Mary , in a sense , ‘ more than Almighty God ’ .
Please note that this refers to the fact that the devil while he must accept his being vanquished by the Almighty would be more @ @ @ @ @ @ @ God Himself , of the demon ’ s head being crushed by the heel of Mary – the humblest of creatures . )
As devout Christians and faithful citizens of the United States of America , you have intense and heartfelt concern for the fate of your beloved country while the final results of the Presidential election are still uncertain .
News of electoral fraud is multiplying , despite the shameful attempts of the mainstream media to censor the truth of the facts in order to give their candidate the advantage .
There @ @ @ @ @ @ @ votes is greater than the number of voters ; others in which the mail-in vote seems to be exclusively in favor of Joe Biden ; others in which the counting of ballots has been suspended for no reason or where sensational tampering has been discovered : always and only against President Donald J. Trump , always and only in favor of Biden .
In truth , for months now we have been witnessing a continuous trickle of staggered news , of manipulated or censored information , of crimes that have been silenced or @ @ @ @ @ @ @ evidence and irrefutable testimony .
We have seen the deep state organize itself , well in advance , to carry out the most colossal electoral fraud in history , in order to ensure the defeat of the man who has strenuously opposed the establishment of the New World Order that is wanted by the children of darkness .
In this battle , you have not failed , as is your sacred duty , to make your own contribution by taking the side of the Good .
Others , enslaved by vices or blinded @ @ @ @ @ @ @ have taken the side of Evil .
Do not think that the children of darkness act with honesty , and do not be scandalized if they operate with deception .
Do you perhaps believe that Satan ’ s followers are honest , sincere , and loyal ?
The Lord has warned us against the Devil : “ He was a murderer from the beginning and does not stand in truth , because there is no truth in him .
When he tells a lie , he speaks in character , because he is @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ” ( Jn 8:44 ) .

via lifesitenews:
November 4, 2020 (LifeSiteNews) – The following is a Nov. 4, 2020 message from Archbishop Carlo Maria Viganò addressed to “American Catholics and to all Americans of good will.” Read PDF of letter here. (Editor’s note: There is some confusion regarding the reference in the text to the devil fearing the Virgin Mary, in a sense, ‘more than Almighty God’. Please note that this refers to the fact that the devil while he must accept his being vanquished by the Almighty would be more terrorized by the prospect, prophesied by God Himself, of the demon’s head being crushed by the heel of Mary – the humblest of creatures.)
***
Dear Brothers and Sisters,
As devout Christians and faithful citizens of the United States of America, you have intense and heartfelt concern for the fate of your beloved country while the final results of the Presidential election are still uncertain.
News of electoral fraud is multiplying, despite the shameful attempts of the mainstream media to censor the truth of the facts in order to give their candidate the advantage. There are states in which the number of votes is greater than the number of voters; others in which the mail-in vote seems to be exclusively in favor of Joe Biden; others in which the counting of ballots has been suspended for no reason or where sensational tampering has been discovered: always and only against President Donald J. Trump, always and only in favor of Biden.
In truth, for months now we have been witnessing a continuous trickle of staggered news, of manipulated or censored information, of crimes that have been silenced or covered up in the face of striking evidence and irrefutable testimony. We have seen the deep state organize itself, well in advance, to carry out the most colossal electoral fraud in history, in order to ensure the defeat of the man who has strenuously opposed the establishment of the New World Order that is wanted by the children of darkness. In this battle, you have not failed, as is your sacred duty, to make your own contribution by taking the side of the Good. Others, enslaved by vices or blinded by infernal hatred against Our Lord, have taken the side of Evil.
Do not think that the children of darkness act with honesty, and do not be scandalized if they operate with deception. Do you perhaps believe that Satan’s followers are honest, sincere, and loyal? The Lord has warned us against the Devil: “He was a murderer from the beginning and does not stand in truth, because there is no truth in him. When he tells a lie, he speaks in character, because he is a liar and the father of lies” (Jn 8:44).


investmentwatchblog--2020-11-05--Investors are as Clueless as Pollsters

Investors are as Clueless as Pollsters

The election polls were horribly wrong .
Blue wave barely makes a splash .
Wall Street content with the election @ @ @ @ @ what Trump deregulated .
Biden regulations will take toll on workers .
China and pharmaceutical @ @ @ @ @ Pot stocks get smoked .
Ranked voting would blow open the Democrat and Republican duopoly @

by Peter Schiff of Peter Schiff Podcast
We are primarily funded by readers. Please subscribe and donate to support us!
The election polls were horribly wrong.
Blue wave barely makes a splash.
Wall Street content with the election results.
Biden will reregulate what Trump deregulated.
Biden regulations will take toll on workers.
China and pharmaceutical companies optimistic on Biden.
Pot stocks get smoked.
Ranked voting would blow open the Democrat and Republican duopoly.


investmentwatchblog--2020-11-05--SCHADENFREUDE FEVER: Dude—Where’s My Landslide? “Biden Looks Screwed Even If He Wins.”

In a bizarre late-night appearance , President Trump and his campaign seemed poised to challenge the results and vote-counting methods .
While there may be questions to be asked of Michigan and Pennsylvania , Biden is closing the gap beyond a margin of error , making Donald Trump a one-term president , just as liberals had hoped .
So why are Democrats still acting deflated ?
For starters , Republicans look poised to hold the Senate , rendering any Biden agenda dead on arrival .
Filibuster remains .
No Green New Deal .
No court packing .
No statehood for @ @ @ @ @ @ @ them four new Senate seats .
No massive defunding and restructuring of police .
Nothing .
The activist left has been neutered for now .
Thanks to a newly tilted Supreme Court , Biden ’ s attempts to executive-order his way around Congress have been severely crippled as well .
Biden will occupy the Oval Office while the national media gives Kamala Harris the presidential treatment .
This should suit the political right just fine .
A Mitch McConnell-led Senate will also force a President Biden to moderate his Supreme Court choices .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ election rally as Wall Street anticipates gridlock .
Or not : Senate on the line : Are we heading for two runoffs in Georgia ?
Mitch McConnell went into Tuesday night with a 53-seat majority , which included both Georgia seats .
He lost two — Cory Gardner and Martha McSally ( provisionally ) — and picked up one in Alabama , where Doug Jones got clobbered by Tommy Tuberville .
Susan Collins ’ surprise win in Maine left many reassured that the GOP would control the Senate with a 52-seat majority no @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Now , however , it looks like McConnell may be back down to 50 if Republicans can ’ t convert in a special election two months from today .
That essentially gives Democrats full control of Washington , as Kamala Harris could cast tiebreaking votes to put Chuck Schumer in charge of the floor and pass whatever rules and legislation Democrats want .
Either McConnell would need to get Joe Manchin to flip — which seems pretty unlikely — or get ready to fight for converts on every vote that takes place @ @ @ @ @ @ @ option and the 2017 expansion of it , Biden could appoint nearly anyone he wants to any position he wants in that scenario .
At the end of his administration , Calvin Coolidge was quoted as saying that its greatest accomplishment , particularly in comparison with the disastrous Wilson administration of the previous decade , was “ minding our own business.
” Cocaine Mitch needs control over the Senate to ensure that ’ s the de facto outcome of a potential Biden administration as well .
GRIFTING POLITICAL CONSULTANTS HAPPIEST : Dems Spend @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Senate Races .
Democrats spent more than a quarter of a billion dollars in a futile bid to pick up longshot Senate seats in Kentucky , South Carolina , and Texas .
The campaigns of Kentucky ’ s Amy McGrath , South Carolina ’ s Jaime Harrison , and Texas ’ s M.J. Hegar burned through nearly $ 200 million , and outside groups backing them spent an additional $ 60 million boosting the three candidates .
JOEL KOTKIN : So Much for Turning Texas Blue .
President Trump won the state easily @ @ @ @ @ @ @ this time was just seven points , down from nine in 2016 .
Demographic changes seem to be part of the reason , as Texas becomes not only more urban—more than 85 percent of the population lives in cities—but also more heavily minority .
Urban areas like Dallas-Fort Worth and Houston , notes demographer Wendell Cox , have become enormously attractive to the foreign-born , whose numbers have grown at twice the national average .
Yet diversity turns out to be a lot more diverse than pundits think .
Hispanics now outnumber whites @ @ @ @ @ @ @ many African-Americans , exceeds 57 percent .
Yet Texas minorities tend to be less rigidly Democratic than those in places like California and New York .
Indeed , Hispanic voters in Texas broke far more for Trump than expected , giving him a remarkable 40 percent of their votes , even in the longtime Democratic bastion of the Rio Grande Valley .
Texas ’ s Zapata County , which hasn ’ t voted Republican in a century , is 93.3 percent Hispanic and went for Trump 52.5 percent .
Kenedy County , 76.7 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Trump ; and Cameron County , 88.1 percent Hispanic , gave Trump 44.4 percent of the vote .
In Starr County , a 95 percent Hispanic county and one of the nation ’ s poorest , Hillary Clinton won in 2016 by 60 points ; Trump reduced that margin in 2020 to just 5 points .
The number of voters leaving down-ballot races blank indicate that many in the county turned out just to vote for president .
This shift among Latinos comes just in time for the GOP , whose leaders fret @ @ @ @ @ @ @ middle-class suburbs , with their generally well-educated voters , who have dominated growth in Texas .
Someone still needs to implement my Welcome Wagon Project .

via powerlineblog
Related: The best outcome imaginable.
In a bizarre late-night appearance, President Trump and his campaign seemed poised to challenge the results and vote-counting methods. While there may be questions to be asked of Michigan and Pennsylvania, Biden is closing the gap beyond a margin of error, making Donald Trump a one-term president, just as liberals had hoped. So why are Democrats still acting deflated? For starters, Republicans look poised to hold the Senate, rendering any Biden agenda dead on arrival. Filibuster remains. No Green New Deal. No court packing. No statehood for Washington DC and Puerto Rico and with them four new Senate seats. No massive defunding and restructuring of police. Nothing. The activist left has been neutered for now. Thanks to a newly tilted Supreme Court, Biden’s attempts to executive-order his way around Congress have been severely crippled as well. Biden will occupy the Oval Office while the national media gives Kamala Harris the presidential treatment. This should suit the political right just fine. A Mitch McConnell-led Senate will also force a President Biden to moderate his Supreme Court choices.
And as a result: Stocks continue election rally as Wall Street anticipates gridlock.
Or not: Senate on the line: Are we heading for two runoffs in Georgia?
Mitch McConnell went into Tuesday night with a 53-seat majority, which included both Georgia seats. He lost two — Cory Gardner and Martha McSally (provisionally) — and picked up one in Alabama, where Doug Jones got clobbered by Tommy Tuberville. Susan Collins’ surprise win in Maine left many reassured that the GOP would control the Senate with a 52-seat majority no matter how the presidential race shook out. Now, however, it looks like McConnell may be back down to 50 if Republicans can’t convert in a special election two months from today. That essentially gives Democrats full control of Washington, as Kamala Harris could cast tiebreaking votes to put Chuck Schumer in charge of the floor and pass whatever rules and legislation Democrats want. Either McConnell would need to get Joe Manchin to flip — which seems pretty unlikely — or get ready to fight for converts on every vote that takes place. And thanks to the 2013 nuclear option and the 2017 expansion of it, Biden could appoint nearly anyone he wants to any position he wants in that scenario.
At the end of his administration, Calvin Coolidge was quoted as saying that its greatest accomplishment, particularly in comparison with the disastrous Wilson administration of the previous decade, was “minding our own business.” Cocaine Mitch needs control over the Senate to ensure that’s the de facto outcome of a potential Biden administration as well.
We are primarily funded by readers. Please subscribe and donate to support us!
GRIFTING POLITICAL CONSULTANTS HAPPIEST: Dems Spend More Than Quarter Billion to Lose Longshot Senate Races.
Democrats spent more than a quarter of a billion dollars in a futile bid to pick up longshot Senate seats in Kentucky, South Carolina, and Texas. The campaigns of Kentucky’s Amy McGrath, South Carolina’s Jaime Harrison, and Texas’s M.J. Hegar burned through nearly $200 million, and outside groups backing them spent an additional $60 million boosting the three candidates.
JOEL KOTKIN: So Much for Turning Texas Blue.
President Trump won the state easily over Joe Biden, though his margin this time was just seven points, down from nine in 2016. Demographic changes seem to be part of the reason, as Texas becomes not only more urban—more than 85 percent of the population lives in cities—but also more heavily minority. Urban areas like Dallas-Fort Worth and Houston, notes demographer Wendell Cox, have become enormously attractive to the foreign-born, whose numbers have grown at twice the national average. Yet diversity turns out to be a lot more diverse than pundits think. Hispanics now outnumber whites, and the nonwhite population, including many African-Americans, exceeds 57 percent. Yet Texas minorities tend to be less rigidly Democratic than those in places like California and New York. Indeed, Hispanic voters in Texas broke far more for Trump than expected, giving him a remarkable 40 percent of their votes, even in the longtime Democratic bastion of the Rio Grande Valley. Texas’s Zapata County, which hasn’t voted Republican in a century, is 93.3 percent Hispanic and went for Trump 52.5 percent. Kenedy County, 76.7 percent Hispanic, went 65.5 percent for Trump; and Cameron County, 88.1 percent Hispanic, gave Trump 44.4 percent of the vote. In Starr County, a 95 percent Hispanic county and one of the nation’s poorest, Hillary Clinton won in 2016 by 60 points; Trump reduced that margin in 2020 to just 5 points. The number of voters leaving down-ballot races blank indicate that many in the county turned out just to vote for president. This shift among Latinos comes just in time for the GOP, whose leaders fret about losses in the still largely white middle-class suburbs, with their generally well-educated voters, who have dominated growth in Texas.
Someone still needs to implement my Welcome Wagon Project.
h/t Ed


investmentwatchblog--2020-11-05--Wow! Even CNN & MSNBC Admit That Trump Appears to Be on Track to Win Arizona.

Wow !
Even CNN & MSNBC Admit That Trump Appears to Be on Track to Win Arizona .
Fox News @ @ @ @ @ face before too long .
On Wednesday , I reported that Arizona is back in @ @ @ @ @ to be very much the case on Thursday .
The Arizona Republic reported late Wednesday @ @ @ @ @ batch of votes counted in Arizona , “ President Donald Trump received almost the exact @ @ @ @ @ charge back to win Arizona ’ s 11 electoral votes and potentially reelection.
” Trump @ @ @ @ @ from Maricopa County counted Wednesday and early Thursday by a roughly 57-40 margin over former @ @ @ @ @ Those votes — likely early ballots sent to the county on Monday and Tuesday — @ @ @ @ @ over Trump in Arizona to 68,000 votes , when his lead had been more than @ @ @ @ @ Paul Bentz , a Republican pollster with the consulting firm HighGround , said Trump needs @ @ @ @ @ the 470,000 votes that The Arizona Republic estimates remain to be counted .

Wow! Even CNN & MSNBC Admit That Trump Appears to Be on Track to Win Arizona.
Fox News might have egg on their face before too long. On Wednesday, I reported that Arizona is back in play, and that appears to be very much the case on Thursday.
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The Arizona Republic reported late Wednesday evening that in the latest batch of votes counted in Arizona, “President Donald Trump received almost the exact share he would need to charge back to win Arizona’s 11 electoral votes and potentially reelection.”
Trump won the batches of ballots from Maricopa County counted Wednesday and early Thursday by a roughly 57-40 margin over former Vice President Joe Biden. Those votes — likely early ballots sent to the county on Monday and Tuesday — narrowed Biden’s lead over Trump in Arizona to 68,000 votes, when his lead had been more than 90,000 votes earlier Wednesday. Paul Bentz, a Republican pollster with the consulting firm HighGround, said Trump needs to win 57.6% of the 470,000 votes that The Arizona Republic estimates remain to be counted.
Nate Silver: Calling Arizona for Biden ‘Should Be Retracted Now’


investmentwatchblog--2020-11-05--FREUDIAN SLIP: “For a long time we had to say no to sharpies because the bleed through would impact

FREUDIAN SLIP: “For a long time we had to say no to sharpies because the bleed through would impact the vote.” – Maricopa County Elections, Arizona – Nov 4, 2020

The Arizona Attorney General is investigating Maricopa County for forcing voters to use sharpie markers on ballots which were not @ @ @ @ @ .
In person voters were forced to use a sharpie marker that could nullify their @ @ @ @ @ instructed to ONLY use a ball point pen , not sharpies .
If claims are @ @ @ @ @ of Election employees tested various marking pens and identified a flaw in the optical scanner @ @ @ @ @ Let ’ s say a particular brand of pen when used is only registered by @ @ @ @ @ of 10 attempts during tabulation .
That means 30 % of the vote is not @ @ @ @ @ faulty pens are only distributed in certain precincts with a history of voting for a @ @ @ @ @ the vote of an opponent in a state or federal election..
The ballots are technically @ @ @ @ @ ( unless destroyed months later )

A stunning admission from a Maricopa County elections officer
The Arizona Attorney General is investigating Maricopa County for forcing voters to use sharpie markers on ballots which were not being counted by optical scanners.
In person voters were forced to use a sharpie marker that could nullify their vote. Absentee voters were instructed to ONLY use a ball point pen, not sharpies.
If claims are accurate then it means Division of Election employees tested various marking pens and identified a flaw in the optical scanner.
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This is possible.
Let’s say a particular brand of pen when used is only registered by an optical scanner 7 out of 10 attempts during tabulation. That means 30% of the vote is not counted.
Now if those faulty pens are only distributed in certain precincts with a history of voting for a particular party you could suppress the vote of an opponent in a state or federal election.. The ballots are technically there for a recount, (unless destroyed months later)
Election Fraud in Arizona
old.reddit.com/r/conspiracy/comments/jnzptm/voter_fraud_in_arizona/
video
www.youtube.com/watch?v=OM4uF0AQig4
(archive)
(archive)
old.reddit.com/r/conspiracy/comments/jnzptm/voter_fraud_in_arizona/ (archive) (archive) AZ patriots – 27m time index – discusses poll workers forcing use of sharpies
www.youtube.com/watch?v=VrRE7SKBgzE&t=27m35s
www.youtube.com/watch?v=VrRE7SKBgzE&t=27m35s AZ patriots – FULL video
www.youtube.com/watch?v=VrRE7SKBgzE
www.youtube.com/watch?v=VrRE7SKBgzE Investigation into Maricopa County
www.foxnews.com/politics/arizona-ag-investigating-complaints-from-maricopa-county-voters-over-usage-of-sharpies-on-ballots
www.foxnews.com/politics/arizona-ag-investigating-complaints-from-maricopa-county-voters-over-usage-of-sharpies-on-ballots KPNX NBC 12 – news report
www.youtube.com/watch?v=RtJpH8V50zQ
h/t meme_kat