Sunday, February 28, 2010

Something to think about

If necessary, click image to enlarge



I snapped this picture at the Washington DC Holocaust Memorial Museum last summer because it says so much that we - as complacent / tolerant Americans - should relate and pay attention to.

What do I mean?

Well, when we reflect upon all the changes taking place in our country today, we have several choices: 1) We can bury our heads in the sand and pretend that our leaders are looking out for our best interests and that all is and will continue to be well. 2) We can sit back and watch the despicable activities of our elected representatives, the gutting of our nation, the looting of our treasury, the loss of our freedoms, etc and do nothing about it - thinking it's futile and that we really have nothing to fear - because it doesn't impact us personally anyway, or 3) We can get involved and demand (via regularly contact with our elected representatives, involvement in tea parties, on line polls, etc) that our government listen to and act upon the interests of the American people instead of the crooked Bankers, Corporations and Special interest groups...

Ultimately, I've always believed there were three types of people in this world

1) those who make things happen
2) those who watch what happens
3) those who wonder what happened

Unfortunately, the majority of our reality TV, Dancing with the Stars and American Idol obsessed citizens fall into the bottom two types... And unless that changes soon our era may be marked by similar quotations...

Think about it!

Saturday, February 27, 2010

The Military Conundrum: Follow Orders, Or Follow The Constitution?

A must read: The Military Conundrum: Follow Orders, Or Follow The Constitution?

Excerpt: Unlike the Great Depression (a deflationary collapse), a hyper-inflationary disintegration would shut down ALL economic activity except for trade and barter. Civil unrest would be difficult to avoid. When people begin to starve, even the most apathetic will take to the streets.

Preparations for a breakdown of this magnitude have already been made, most likely because elements of the government know full well that their financial actions will cause an economic disaster.

Towards the end of his second term, George W. Bush issued Presidential Security Directive 51, which under continuity of government gives the Executive Branch and the head of the Department of Homeland Security full control over state and local governments without the consent of Congress during a national emergency. The document was considered so volatile that the White House censored most of its contents. In fact, not even Congress has been allowed to see the entire PDD 51 document, which in itself is a gross violation of Constitutional Law. PDD 51 along with the Patriot Act also allows the President to declare a “national emergency” whenever he sees fit, thus giving him the power to pronounce himself de facto dictator of the U.S. without any checks or balances from the other branches of government.

Barack Obama, to the shock of many Democrats who believed he would rescind such orders after taking office, has actually supported them fully and is now quietly hiding Patriot Act legislation in his latest jobs bill so that Congress will be forced to pass it. (Note that politico.com buried this info on the last page of the article.)

Under martial law, all Constitutional rights and personal liberties are no longer legally protected. For instance, the Patriot Act and the Homegrown Terrorist Act allow the government to label anyone, regardless of how ambiguous the charges, as an enemy combatant. This includes American civilians. As an enemy combatant, you would no longer have rights under Habeas Corpus. You could be apprehended, charged, and locked away without ever seeing a lawyer, without ever contacting your family, and you could be held indefinitely (life imprisonment without a trial). Many Americans have a tendency to take for granted such official protections as the right to a trial or even a simple phone call. In a martial law scenario, it would be difficult to conjure even the semblance of a fair legal system.

Military control over civilian affairs often leads to totalitarianism, and not always because this is what military personnel wish for. The military system itself is not built on Constitutional ideals, and is therefore philosophically and politically incapable of administrating a society based on personal liberty. The military does not operate on democracy. Soldiers do not vote on decisions. They are not given the legal option of choice. They live in a highly restrictive social structure in which orders are passed and followed generally without question. Most importantly, soldiers are not trained to dispense balanced justice or mediate civilian affairs; they are trained to kill enemies, and that is all. Martial law not only tears down much need barriers between the military and civilian dichotomy, but it also simultaneously creates a dangerous division. The military is trained to fight and destroy the opposition, but what happens when the citizenry itself is painted as the opposition? Without a Constitutional framework, only disaster will result.


If you are military or police (current or retired) please follow up and share this link: Oath Keepers

The Oath keepers are a nonpartisan group of current and retired law enforcement and military personnel who vow to fulfill their oaths to the Constitution and pledge to prevent a dictatorship in United States by laying down their arms in response to unlawful orders.


I've written about related issues in the past. I'd like to suggest you read up and ponder your current preparations and future courses of action:

- Social Consequences of an economic meltdown?

- Social Implications of a Significant Economic Downturn

- Maslows Hierarchy of needs and the US Economy

Where to put Obama's picture?

George Washington, our nation's first President and leader of the American Revolution!



Abe Lincoln, honorable leader who pulled our nation through its darkest time!



Alexander Hamilton, founding father, first secretary of the treasury and leader of the constitutional convention!



Andrew Jackson, "Old Hickory " fought the British in New Orleans!



Ulysses Grant, Union army general, lead the North through the Civil War!



Ben Franklin, Genius inventor, political theorist and leading author of the Constitution!



And now, we finally have someone to put on the Food Stamp!!!!!!!


Obama's policies will put more people on welfare than any President before him so this placement appropriate... Unlike the Nobel Peace Prize, for which he did nothing, this is an honor he richly deserves...


Heck, in a couple more years, after providing bread, circuses and healthcare for the masses; injecting and guaranteeing trillions of imploding corporate / banking system debt; spending our country into oblivion - followed by massive monetary printing (Quantitative Easing) to fill the deficit gaps left by a completely hollowed out tax base and massively depressed economy, we could then add his image to the new hyperinflationary depression bill of 2012+

Weekend Funnies - 27 Feb 2010

They say pictures represent a thousand words... Feel free to click any image for a larger, sharper representation of our country today - hysterical illustrations but deeply saddening too... Enjoy!





































Thursday, February 25, 2010

Max Keiser

Max Keiser puts things into perspective regarding Goldman Sachs and JP Morgan exchanging triple "A" rated toilet paper; Goldman Sachs masking Greek Debt via cross currency swaps; savers vs speculators, etc - a pretty good rant at times

Sunday, February 21, 2010

Nevada Housing Charts

Dollarcollapse accidently linked this older (Feb 2010) Housing Charts post - Please see this link for the latest Housing Charts - LAS VEGAS Housing Charts Posted 9/11/10


Nevada Housing Charts

I've been arguing (correctly I might add) with Nevada housing optimists for years, explaining that we would undergo the largest housing / economic bust in history, but the vast majority were reluctant to pull their heads out and they would blindly regurgitate ignorant (positive) data snippets overheard on the radio, news or by their local neighborhood realtor - completely oblivious to economic reality and bent on hearing / believing that a fairytail future was once again possible for Nevada (Las Vegas in particular).


Even with data to back it up, many still try to refute the obvious, but allow me to try once again...

Let's put it this way: with > 80% of Las Vegas mortgage holders now upside down (link), the second highest unemployment rate in the nation (> 13% official rate - link), tourism, gaming and tax receipts in a complete free fall, and foreclosures rising. I see no end in sight (till around 2012 /13) for our local housing collapse...

Additionally, the Fed is the ONLY buyer of mortgage debt these days and with the massive monetary printing taking place, buyers of US Gvt debt (mostly foreign Gvts like China, Japan, etc) will DEMAND higher rates - leading to higher mortgage rates and lower affordability in the coming years...

Though I did (back in Dec 2008) articulate that housing sales numbers would increase, it's a false flag and prices will still continue to fall as 1) credit continues to tighten 2) unemployment increases 3) Alt A mortgage resets begin to pick up steam (through 2012) 4) uptick in strategic foreclosures (those who can afford to pay, but still walk away) 5) banks begin to unload the tens of thousands of foreclosed homes that are being held off the market.


With all that digested, lets look at some new housing charts for Nevada:

US vs Nevada Home Prices




Nevada, Las Vegas and Reno Median Price Data




Nevada, Las Vegas and Reno Median Price Per Square Foot




Nevada, Las Vegas and Reno % Sold at a Loss




Nevada, Las Vegas and Reno- Foreclosure Sales as % of Market





One More: Las Vegas - Sales Price Per Square Foot



Approaching my $60 per SF price forecast- initially made in 2008 (Link)

Have a great weekend!

Randy