New Year Agenda: Class War

Our elected Senators and Representatives face a monumental challenge.

Republicans and the trump administration will continue the impoverishment of the United States Middle Class.

Our National Security will be compromised when the Middle Class is impoverished further and loses purchasing power. And, our National Security depends on a strong economy and our economy depends on the Middle Class.

We ask that our Democrat minority prevent further attacks on our middle class by any means possible, including extra-legal methods.

We cannot 'play nice'; our nation's future is on the line.

Since the Republicans have a majority, Democrat legislators will focus on delay and obfuscation until a different Congress is elected.

Here are the fronts where the Congress and the 'New trumpistas" will continue attacking:

1. Social Security privatization: Must be delayed, stopped and made the subject of interminable hearings and constant citizen protests.

2. Medicare and Obamacare voucherization: Must be delayed, stopped and made the subject of interminable hearings and constant citizen protests.

3. Reduction or Cessation of Public School financial aid: Must be delayed, stopped and made the subject of interminable hearings and constant citizen protests.

4. Labor Union law weakened: Must be delayed, stopped and made the subject of interminable hearings and constant citizen protests.

5. Labor law enforcement underfunded: Must be delayed, stopped and made the subject of interminable hearings and constant citizen protests.

6. Reduction of anti-monopoly enforcement: Must be delayed, stopped and made the subject of interminable hearings and constant citizen protests.

7. Loosening of financial regulation: Must be delayed, stopped and made the subject of interminable hearings and constant citizen protests.

8. Repeal of estate Tax: Must be delayed, stopped and made the subject of interminable hearings and constant citizen protests.

9. Reduction or elimination of minimum wage: Must be delayed, stopped and made the subject of interminable hearings and constant citizen protests.

10. Closing of public meetings to press; Must be delayed, stopped and made the subject of interminable hearings and constant citizen protests.

11. Deportation of 'Dreamers': Must be delayed, stopped and made the subject of interminable hearings and constant citizen protests.

12. Income tax reduction for high wage earners: Must be delayed, stopped and made the subject of interminable hearings and constant citizen protests.

13. Support of Israeli expansion of settlements and denial of 'Two-State' Holy Land: Must be delayed, stopped and made the subject of interminable hearings and constant citizen protests.

Below are listed some 'outside the box' delay tactics; surely creative staffers can develop more.

In order to present that opposition, Democrats will need to PREVENT ANY PROPOSED BILL FROM REACHING A FLOOR VOTE.

Tie up every proposed bill and appointment in Committee, forever.

Use 'outside-the-box' tactics.

Some ideas:

** List all areas off-limits to trump, see above.

** Shut off power and heat to any committee room considering a law. Do this sub rosa.

** Lock the doors to all committee rooms.

** Use personal locks and not official locks. Make them strong enough for at least an eight hour hold.

** Hold interminable hearings on all proposed laws.

** Take committee votes whenever Democrats have a majority attending, record the vote and ensure the press is notified.

** Ignore quorum rules and other conventional behavior since trump will use them to pass horrible laws.

** Prevent votes by any means possible whenever the Reps have a majority.

** Ask for recognition and then allow at least 25 demonstrators to enter the room and make a ruckus.

** Have OWS and other protestors block all Capitol entrances and exits with press watching.

The idea is to make government unable to function until a compromise that does not harm the United States is reached.

No compromise, no function.

Country Studies Published

The Mike P. McKeever Institute of Economic Policy Analysis [www.mkeever.com] is pleased to announce the publication of five new country studies. Each study is a revision of a previously analyzed country.

Tunisia has been analyzed by Specialist Meriem Bejaoui; her study is available here: http://www.mkeever.com/tunisia.html

Vietnam has been analyzed by Specialist Bryan Le; his study is available here: http://www.mkeever.com/vietnam.html

Mexico has been analyzed by Specialist Diana Catherine Lopez Osorio; her study is available here: http://www.mkeever.com/mexico.html

The United States of America has been analyzed by Specialists Elisa Mendoza and Emilio Powell-Smith; both sudies are available here: http://www.mkeever.com/usa.html

Mike P. McKeever Institute of Economic Policy Analysis
www.mkeever.com

Open Letter to trump Voters

Friends, Ladies and Gentlemen:

THIS IS NOT A PERSONAL LETTER

This is a letter to the folks who voted for trump for President.

It is addressed to the voters who were protesting the current condition of many American people.

While some of my relatives and friends are in that group, this is not a personal letter to you guys who are close to me by blood or acquaintance.

Voters: Your vote for Donald trump for President of the United States of America shocked many people.

I was not shocked, though, because the reasons some of you voted for him are similar reasons to why many folks were for Bernie Sanders.

TRUMP VOTERS ADDRESSED A LEGITIMATE CONCERN

For many Americans, life has been getting worse for many years. Now, we Americans cannot be sure that our children will have better lives. And, it seems that our grandchildren will have even worse lives.

I think the vote represented a Revolution for America - a Revolution against a system that is stacked in favor of the rich and against hard working people who play by the rules.

And, you know what, there is actual justification for that feeling.

Here's why:

There has been a systematic campaign in our country to steal your family's incomes. This campaign began about 44 years ago. 1972 was the year when the real earnings of the average American began to decline. And, your real incomes [what real products you can buy with your money income] have been declining ever since. This campaign has been incredibly successful in transferring the wealth you produce to the greedy few among us.

It really doesn't matter who is directing this campaign even though we all have our suspicions. What matters is what we can do about it. And I'll get to that in a second.

We know that the family and personal hardships we have all suffered from this campaign have created the frustrations we all feel.

TRUMP USED YOUR FRUSTRATIONS BY CREATING DISTRACTIONS

In the Presidential election campaign, it was an easy job to appeal to those frustrations.

trump exploited those frustrations by saying all the things you know to be true and promising to correct them. Heck, I thought about voting for him myself.

He spent a lot of time talking about issues we all feel every day.

But, and here is the thing, none of the issues he talked about were the real issues. None of them were about stealing your family's income.

Here's a partial list of the topics he used to distract you away from the real issues:

TWEETS

LOWER INCOME TAXES

IMMIGRATION

RADICAL MUSLIM TERRORISTS

AFRICAN ANERICANS

GAY MARRIAGE

JEWS

MAINSTREAM MEDIA - Also a Russian favorite, btw.

I'm sure there are more; these are just the ones I remember.

These are all serious topics, except the racial issues which pander to the baser instincts of some. What the questions have in common is that each one does create passionate debate on all sides.

The reality is that trump doesn't really care about any of these questions; he just used them as distractions from his real agenda.

THE REAL AGENDA AND PLAN

His real agenda is to reduce your family's income, by any means necessary so he and his family and friends can get even richer. Their perspective is that when your wages go up, they lose money. So, they make more money by keeping your wages low and/or finding even cheaper labor in other countries.

Here's a short list of their tactics:

One of the favorite tactics of the folks who are stealing our money and our incomes is to create chaos and recessions.

During the chaos of 2008-2009 recession that bankers created, lots of people made fortunes while many lost their homes. You probably don't know that the African-American community lost about 80% of all the wealth they had accumulated since Reconstruction from the Civil War during that recession!

trump's plan is three fold.

First, his administration will create more chaos. See CHAOS below for details.

Second, his family will profit from others' misery during the chaos, especially since they will have advance notice of the coming problems.

Third, his administration will continue the assault on workers' incomes begun 44 years ago.

HOW TO STOP THIS PLAN AND CREATE REAL CHANGE

Since many trump voters were expressing their frustration with the country, and since it is likely that you were among those voters, then, if you want REAL change, you have to take the next step.

WE NEED YOU!!!!

WE NEED YOU TO ACT!!

ALL AMERICA HAS YOUR BACK!!

The actions you can take to stop this assault are simple but they do require a little effort.

It is very simple - visit, phone or email your elected Representative and Senator and demand that they support positive legislation on these issues. All of these issues will put more income into working families.

[Here's how to find your Congressperson and local officials using your zip code: https://salsa3.salsalabs.com/o/50872/getLocal.jsp?zip=94579&zip4= ]

BUT, please try to avoid the Tea Party fiasco where big money took over the movement and changed its objectives toward issues benefitting big money. The Big Money Boys are very smart and they will try to take over your momentum. Either join with progressive Democrats - who want mostly the same things for you - or avoid organizations completely.

CONGRESSIONAL ISSUES -

Raise minimum wage - Congress has the power to set and raise the minimum wage. Ask your congressman to raise it.

Keep Income Taxes on High Incomes – Don’t give a tax cut to Billionaires!

Legalize new overtime laws - Obama set new overtime laws in place, but trump can rescind them. Tell Congress to pass a law.

Enforce existing labor law - the National Labor Relations Board oversees Union matters, demand that the Board is funded and effective.

Labor Unions - tell your Congressperson you want stronger labor unions since all wages go up when unions are stronger.

Bank regulation - The same people who created the 2008 recession are still running the banks and are fighting mightily against new regulations that will protect us. Tell your Congressperson to pass new regulations.

Preserve Social Security - Some billionaires want take away the Social Security trust fund and put it into their own fortunes. Don't let Ryan win that fight.

Obama care - Keep medical care available for everybody. Fix the problems but do not take care away from people. Don’t voucherize medical care.

Off shoring - Take away incentives to send jobs overseas. Do NOT pass the TPP.

Forgive Student Debt - An entire generation of college kids - maybe your kids - face huge college debts which lock them into low paying jobs. It will hurt our future unless college kids have some relief.

I am sure there are others you can think of, but these are the big ones. Fixing these WILL raise your family's incomes.

TRUMP CHAOS

You may have wondered why trump is placing strange people into cabinet positions. Maybe, you might think, he really is draining the swamp.

Far from it.

Each of these appointments will create chaos in the area overseen by their department. Then, when trump sees chaos coming his family can profit from it.

Simple example: He criticized Boeing in a tweet. Their stock fell. If you sold the stock before the tweet and then bought it back after the tweet, you would make a fortune!

trump can play the market with chaos, making individual stocks rise and fall at his whim.

I don't have an anti chaos strategy. Maybe you can create one.

Darkness Descending

OK. I admit it.

I am a conspiracy junkie.

I love spy stories and hero stories.

'Designated Survivor', James Bond, minor BBC spy stories from the 1960's, 'Homeland', 'The Americans' ...I love it all.

After all, I grew up in the 1950's and 1960's when there was a real contest between Free Market Heroes and Socialist demons ....

I kinda miss those days. There was a nobility about the struggle between opposite world views. The causes were great and no man or woman could claim a greater calling than to serve in one or the other competing cause. People literally sacrificed themselves for the greater good.

Sadly, those days are long gone.

The revolution has happened already.

But, the only cause was the cause of creepy assholes to continue raping children and stealing money from poor people.

There was no secret to it. It was really, really boring and absolutely not noble.

And the two sides fighting were the creeps who banded together and the rest of us who just did not even see it.

It was not a secret and it was not hard. They just walked in the front door and took what they wanted - 13 year old girls as sex slaves, all the money they wanted and whatever else their whims dreamed up.

trump conned American voters by telling them what they wanted to hear. He took their votes while raping their children. Now he installs his own children in the seat of power and collects tribute from the world while disregarding the laws of the country he is defiling. All the while he plans to steal whatever the voters have left. He does so while knowlingly breaking every promise made to voters.

He won the election narrowly with the help of other creepy thugs like Russia's Putin. Putin used his power to amass wealth and his money to help trump buy America.

But, there is no cause, there is no greater good, there is no nobility.

There is only debauchery and greed. There is not even shame.

There is just more.

For God's sake, there isn't even any conspiracy.

Some music by Leonard Cohen: [copy and paste to hear the song] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v0nmHymgM7Y

Resist

You probably know that I think trump is a danger to the republic and that Congress should hinder his agenda with all possible effect. I will try to make fewer comments about him here and will support resistance to him and his agenda. McKeever

STICKER EMAIL:

Our resistance to Trump's authoritarian, anti-worker, right-wing agenda has begun.

We're supporting Electoral College protests at state capitols to show that Trump has no mandate for extremist policies. We're leading the charge against Trump's worst appointments. And we're doubling down on our work to build progressive power in Congress and at the state and local level.

Are you with the resistance?

Donate $4 or more toward our resistance against Trump's authoritarian, anti-worker, right-wing agenda and get this sticker free.

Donate $4 or more to our resistance against Trump's agenda and get this free sticker for your car, laptop, or notebook.

Thanks for being a bold progressive.

-- Kenton Ngo, PCCC organizer - info@boldprogressives.org

trump's Treason

Although Treason has been mentioned historically for political purposes, both the law and trumps's actions appear to meet the definition of treason as specified in the Constitution.

Here is the law:

Unites States Constitution, Article 3 Section 3

'Treason against the United States, shall consist only in levying War against them, or in adhering to their Enemies, giving them Aid and Comfort. No Person shall be convicted of Treason unless on the Testimony of two Witnesses to the same overt Act, or on Confession in open Court.

The Congress shall have Power to declare the Punishment of Treason, but no Attainder of Treason shall work Corruption of Blood, or Forfeiture except during the Life of the Person attainted.'

Further court rulings:

'Whoever, owing allegiance to the United States, levies war against them or adheres to their enemies, giving them aid and comfort within the United States or elsewhere, is guilty of treason and shall suffer death, or shall be imprisoned not less than five years and fined under this title but not less than $10,000; and shall be incapable of holding any office under the United States.

(June 25, 1948, ch. 645, 62 Stat. 807; Pub. L. 103–322, title XXXIII, § 330016(2)(J), Sept. 13, 1994, 108 Stat. 2148.)'

Here is one relevant section: '...adheres to their enemies, giving them aid and comfort within the United States or elsewhere....' He appears to be planning to give comfort to our enemies in the form of changing our National Security policies against Russia to favor Russia at the expense of the United States and our interests. See RUSSIA SANCTIONS below.

Here are trump's recent actions

TURKEY

trump's failure to separate his personal fortune from his Presidential duties have already created a treasonous conflict of interest, even before he takes office.

Turkey's President wants a Muslim cleric in the United States extradited to Turkey. The Obama administration has required proof from Turkey of evidence for a cause to extradite, which has not been forthcoming.

Now, Turkey has imprisoned trump's Turkish business partner - a partner who pays trump's family millions of dollars anually. It is likely that trump will face pressure to trade the U S resident for his Turkish partner. Such an act would be a clear violation of the Consitution.

There are possible additional conflicts between trump's personal interests and the National Security of the United States in the Middle East, expecially since Turkey borders Syria.

DISCLOSURE

trump has delayed an announcement of how he will separate his personal financial interests from his official acions.

It is likely that he has failed to do so because he will not separate his personal actions from his official actions.

RUSSIA

United States intelligence agencies have concluded that Russian interests have interfered in the recent election. It is likely that Russian business interests have contributed substantially to trump's fortunes and his campaign for President.

RUSSIA SANCTIONS

The United states has imposed sanctions on Russia and has specifically named certain Russian citizens as undesirable. These actions were taken to attempt to stop Russia from pursuing wars in Ukraine, Georgia and other places.

trump has indicated that he will remove those sanctions, thus giving Russia a green light to pursue aggression against peaceful people.

SECURITY COSTS

The United States will be required to defend trump's personal property against terror attacks in many countries because an attack on his property will be construed as an attack on the United states.

INQUISITION 17: Political Debate in the Post-Truth World

It has become apparent that political debate in the United States has changed fundamentally.

The flutter around the trump Presidential campaign included many false news stories which appeared to confirm the opinions of some voters.

Additionally, trump himself has consistently denied the reality of some well established facts. All 17 United States intelligence agencies have stated that Russia interfered in the Presidential campaign.

President-elect trump denies it.

This is the new political debate.

And yet, some politicians and commentators still rely on the idea that once the truth is revealed, their argument will be sustained, even in the face of relentless false news claims to the contrary.

That is no longer the case, if it ever was. It is no longer sufficient to prove that an assertion is false. By the time the proof is offered, there will be many other, equally absurd allegations.

The only successful argument against an onslaught of false information in today's world is a bigger onslaught of false information on the other side.

Relying on 'truth' or 'facts' to support your position will not be successful since the oppostion will consistently deny the veracity of your facts and point to the flood of counter factual information which supports their arguments.

Therefore, when the Senate offers its 'advice and consent' on Cabinet nominees, a successful strategy of denying consent to a nominee requires that voters in a Senator's district are subject to a negative flood of fake news stories about the nominee. Then, and only then, are voters likely to call their Senator and request the Senator to deny confirmation.

For example, imagine that 24 hours before the confirmation hearing for Secretary of Labor Nominee Andrew Puzder, some 'news' stories are released on several 'news' websites and circulated via social media:

1. BREAKING NEWS - 12 year old girl charges Puzder with forcible rape!!

2. Labor Secretary Nominee Puzder won't release tax returns because they will show Mob ties in NYC!!

3. Homeless teens have video of Carl's employees forcing them to perform fellatio inside a Hardee's restaurant!!

4. Puzder caught cheating on college exams while still a student!!

5. KKK cheers Puzder nomination!!

6. Puzder funds pedophile ring in Las Vegas!!

7. Puzder fails to deny allegation of 'love child'!!

8. Puzder seen at gay bar!!

9. Puzder has cocaine problem!!

Etc., etc., etc.

Here's the wonderful thing about these 'news' items: it make no difference whether or not they are true.

The damage is done by releasing them.

Like it or not, this is the world now.

It would appear that to serve our country we may have to step in the sewer.

Bribe trump!

Barry, My Liege:

It is time to offer trump money to disappear.

If trump becomes President, it is certain that he will cause the United States to lose trillions of dollars and thousands of lives. Money will be lost in a recession and lives will be lost in a war.

But, if he is not here, then we have a chance to avoid those losses.

So, I hereby do solemnly move that the President of the United States of America offer donald trump one Billion dollars to resign on or before January 20, 2017 from office of President-Elect of the United States of America.

As additional inducement for his resignation, I also move that this offer be accompanied with a document containing all available evidence of trump's high crimes and misdemeanors together with a promise to bury all information about his crimes upon his resignation.

Your faithful servant.

Support trump Audit

If you want to support Senator Warren's request to audit President-Elect Trump's finances for conflicts of interest, the woman who answered the phone at the Comptroller General of the Government Accountability Office said the most effective way to be sure my support counted was to email two administrators, Katherine Siggerud and Timothy Minnelli. Thank you Brad Richard and Bonnie Hayes for this info. Their email addresses are siggerudk@gao.gov, minellit@gao.gov. There is a third email, congrel@gao.gov, through which they are tracking people who were urging support for an audit.

You can send one email addressed to:

siggerudk@gao.gov, minellit@gao.gov, congrel@gao.gov

Subject line:

Re: Audit for President-Elect Trump's financial concerns

Dear Ms. Siggerud and Mr. Minnelli,

I’m writing in support of Senator Elizabeth Warren's request for an audit of our incoming President-Elect Trump's finances, to prohibit conflicts of interest that would prevent him from carrying out the responsibilities of the office without corrupt influence.

Sincerely,

Solve for X

Today's problem:

(1)USA = $X(trump)

Solve for X

trump - o - nomics

Apparently trump's cabinet shares a consistent set of economic beliefs.

Those beliefs are commonly referred to as either Classical Economics or as Supply Side Economics.

Here are the basic ideas behind those beliefs

1. Full employment is normal - if you want a job you can have one.

2. Wages and prices are flexible - so that businesses can raise and lower prices in response to market conditions and workers will accept lower wages if the business that employs them faces failure.

3. Markets allocate all capital if left alone - free markets choose which products to expand and which to reduce.

4. Therefore, there is no need for government to intervene in the market system to achieve full employment.

Since there is no need for government to interfere in markets, the government should be as small as possible and certainly not have any regulatory powers.

In a nutshell, these are the beliefs which most conservative politicians share.

These ideas are wrong.

And, they create recessions and real harm to families whenever they are followed. We saw that in 1930 and 2008. We will see it again.

J. M. Keynes thoroughly deconstructed all of these ideas in the 1930's; but, they never die. The stay alive because they offer a rationale for low taxes and markets free from regulation.

In fact, Keynes suggested that the Great Depression with unacceptable levels of misery and despair was caused by those policies of free markets with no regulation.

Unemployment is normal and is caused by business cycles, trade and technology. The definition of a business cycle recession is when unemployment rises and business activity declines. Business cycles are a fact of life. The Roman Empire had recessions and was forced to bail out bankers. King Phillip IV the Fair of France burned banker Jacques de Molay at the stake in the 1314 to stop the Knights Templar from stealing from French peasantry.

Trade causes unemployment when goods can be acquired from countries with lower labor costs than in home markets. Technology causes unemployment when machines replace workers.

Wages and prices are not flexible. Modern markets have constraints like minimum wages [which was introduced in 1938] and price controls which did not exist in 1929. Even if businesses were free to change wages and prices, most employees will not work for less; Keynes called it Sticky Wages.

Markets can choose products which harm or kill people. We need government to protect us from harmful products.

Government has an active role to play in today's 21st Century world.

Taking government from the economy would create great misery.

But, that appears to be what trump and his minions want to do.

Book Publication Announcement

No trump today!!

My new book 'INQUISITIONS: Meditations on living a good life', Kindle Edition', is available for $0.99 on Amazon at this link [ copy and paste into a browser]:

https://www.amazon.com/INQUISITIONS-Meditations-living-good-life-ebook/dp/B01MZYE9RM/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1480439940&sr=8-1&keywords=inquisitions+mckeever

Most of the content has been available in this space previously.

For my other books, see this link: https://authorcentral.amazon.com/gp/books?ie=UTF8&language=en_US

Thank you for your interest.

Cheers,

McKeever

DUMP the trump!

Turns out there is a constitutional method of removing trump from office without requiring a trial or any other process.

See details from Keith Olbermen here: https://twitter.com/KeithOlbermann/status/802159733356560384

Basically it involves the Vice President writing a letter that is signed by the cabinet which states that the President is not able to manage the duties of the office.

There are a few twists and turns, but basically, that's it!

Here's what that may mean in actuality.

trump will not agree to abdicate peacefully unless it is in his interest to do so.

Here's how we can make that happen:

Prepare a detailed indictment listing each and every crime and accusation against trump complete with affadavits and other evidence.

Then, present the documents to Pence and secure his agreement to sign the letter. He must understand that trump will not go quietly. For that, we have an option for trump.

If he agrees to write such a letter, then have him present it to several cabinet members and secure their backing.

Once that is obtained, present the indictment to trump.

Explain to him that if he agrees to the proposal, the indictment will be buried, but if he fails to agree, it will be made public.

As an additional option, tell him that it will all be dropped IF HE PUTS ALL HIS ASSETS INTO A REAL BLIND TRUST.

Let's go get him!

trump - A Balanced View, Before he Takes Office

After the election shock, perhaps it's time to take a more rational and less emotional view of things, although it is difficult to be objective.

By setting aside our disgust at his previous actions, perhaps we can think about his effect on The United States of America.

Perhaps he will not be a disaster for our country.

We can hope for that, until and unless he proves that hope false.

The United States of America is stronger than one person; our Constitution is designed with many checks and balances to prevent any one person from wreaking havoc.

But, and it is a big 'but', the President can cause real harm if he is left unchecked. And, since his party has a majority in both Houses of Congress, he has real power to cause damage.

On the positive side, he has moderated his racist campaign rhetoric even though hate crimes have increased. His extreme followers apparently feel empowered to commit those crimes after the campaign. Perhaps they will mellow out somewhat as some of them are convicted of hate crimes and go to jail. We shall see.

The Democrat party has an opportunity to slow down the Republican party's more excessive proposals by using tactics the Republicans used during Obama's first term. We pray that they do so.

Social Security, Medicare, Obamacare, deportation, tax cuts for high income and wealthy people, financial deregulation, education privatization and similar proposals from the Republican Party will all be rooted in a false economic doctrine. Any Republican proposals in these and similar areas will cause direct harm to millions of Americans unless they are blocked.

All these policies were enacted under Bush and they caused the recession of 2008. trump's proposals are similar but more extreme.

Still on the positive side, he has proposed actions that will directly harm all the folks who voted for him. When they see that their family situations have not improved and have become worse in most cases, they will most likely vote Democrat in the mid-term and 2020 elections.

Until then, here are the major items of concern:

WAR

Our international enemies will test him and his demonstrated 'thin skin' together with the power of POTUS in military affairs may well lead us into a war. This can happen in calendar year 2017.


RECESSION

Financial deregulation extended under Bush is still in place and it is likely that banks will precipitate another recession in 2017 or 2018.

PRIVATIZE SOCIAL SECURITY

Calls to privatize Social Security will lead to reconsideration of that question. Additional pressure will be provided by the interest rate increases we face due to trump's threat as discussed above. The resulting impact on the Federal budget will lead to calls to eliminate Social Security from the Budget. Or, at the least, Social Security pensions will be reduced. If successful, this will result in massive poverty and misery among the elderly.

PRIVATIZE HEALTH CARE

Initiatives to manage health care costs will be under pressure. If successful, there will be massive cost increases while private insurance companies reap record profits at the expense of the ill among us.

PRIVATIZE EDUCATION

trump's administration will attempt to reduce federal funding to all levels of education and all student aid programs. If successful this program will cripple our future economic growth by stifling new research and invention. It will also saddle college students with even higher levels of debt.

His Secretary of Education is committed to those outcomes.

TAX REDUCTION ON WEALTHY

Tax reductions for wealthy and high income individuals will be proposed. If enacted, they will increase Federal budget deficits and in further calls for cuts to Social Security payments and Medicare coverages.

MASSIVE DOLLAR DEVALUATION

Any such devaluation will make our economy even more precarious since the cost of our imports would skyrocket. Additionally, the real value of dollar denominated savings will plummet. There is already a massive overhang of dollars in world markets and any action to reduce the value of dollar denominated assets - like T-Bills - will increase pressure on the dollar. Additionally, the BRIC's are looking to form an alternative payment system for oil and any success in that effort will lead to further dollar pressure.

Any calls or actions to renegotiate or modify the Treasury Bill program may cause such a devaluation. Such actions can include Congress' failure to raise the debt ceiling in response to the increased deficits caused by the tax reductions and increased federal spending his proposed programs will require.

TRADE REFORM

There is no doubt that our current trade policies directly harm most Americans while simultaneously enriching corporations. Although he has stated he wants to renegotiate those deals, there is a likliehood that his changes will benefit corporations more than people.

CAMPAIGN FINANCE

Citizens United - the Supreme Court case which opened the door to massive corruption - will probably be unchallenged and untouched.

SUPREME COURT VACANCIES

Unless the Democrat Party stonewalls Congress on new appointees, the new judges will take a stronger pro-corporate, anti-citizen stance on legislation.

May God have mercy on our souls.

My Darling, Darling Donnie

Dearest Donnie, I love you more than you'll ever know.

And Donnie my dearest, you know I never say a negative thing about you and I won't start now.

But, my Dear Donnie, I am really, really frightened about what will happen to my great-great-great grandchildren.

They will die horrible and painful deaths, Donnie, and I cry every time I think about them and your children.

Something really bad is happening Donnie, and I don't think even you can fix it.

Donnie, the world is dying before our eyes.

The air is heating up and pretty soon there won't be any food at all, even for you and yours, despite how much money you have.

And, there won't be any water to drink either. At the same time, the oceans will rise and all the coastal towns like Manhattan will be flooded.

I'm scared, Donnie, I'm really scared.

Donnie, you HAVE to do something.

Please, please do something.

I'm begging you Donnie, like never before.

Love

Mom

INQUISITION 16: UPDATE FOR PRODUCTIVITY Failure of Labor Markets in the United States

The basic idea of free market economics is that prices can be lowered or raised to correct imbalances. When this idea is applied to labor markets it has unfortunate consequences.

In the United States labor is considered a commodity. But, because wages are the source of most consumption spending [which accounts for 67% of all spending] and because wages that are too low can cause real misery, the United States has implemented a number of Keynesian interventions in the labor market.

While the United States has introduced several measures to protect workers’ incomes, new trends are reducing the effectiveness of those earlier measures.

MINIMUM WAGE

When there is an oversupply of labor, then wages are reduced to the free market equilibrium. Since it can happen that the equilibrium wage is so low that workers cannot survive on equilibrium wages, the United States has imposed a minimum wage requirement on labor markets. That means the wages have a floor below which they cannot fall legally.

While the minimum wage is supposed to provide a modest living in concept, in practice the minimum wage has fallen behind inflation and most workers cannot afford to live on the Federal minimum wage. Recognizing this, several states and cities have enacted minimum wages above the Federal minimum wage. This is especially likely in high cost cities like San Francisco and States like California.

PRODUCTIVITY AND WAGES



UNIONS

There has been violence associated with labor's drive to unionize and strike for higher wages. A union is a more or less voluntary association of workers who can negotiate for wages and working conditions as a monolithic group instead of a single individual. A single worker negotiating with an employer has no leverage since the employer can simply hire someone else for the job at a lower wage.

Laws in the United States require that employers negotiate with a legitimately recognized union instead of hiring new workers from the street.

But laws to weaken unions and continual underfunding of the National Labor Relations Board [the organization which enforces labor laws] have resulted in declining union membership and middle class incomes.




OVERSUPPLY OF LABOR

In addition to the above factors, there are at least two more trends in the labor market which drive wages lower.

Industry Concentration

More and more companies are merging and combining. Usually, the first order of business for a merger is to fire 'excess' or 'redundant' workers. That way the merger can generate more profits for shareholders, but at the expense of workers and overall consumption spending.

This graph shows employment in industries with low vs high concentration ratios. The conclusion is that less concentrated industries employ more people.



The fired workers then become an addition to the labor supply and tend to depress overall wages.

Robots

Some writers have called for a guaranteed wage for workers as robots take over many jobs. While it appears charitable on the surface, the fact is that unless workers have incomes they can’t buy anything.




Source – The Economist

Labor productivity is the measure of Real GDP produced for each hour worked. Labor productivity increases when more robots are added to the workplace since the robots replace the workers. That allows one person to do the work of 5 or 10 people.

But, we have seen significant productivity increases AND stagnant wages for many years, thus providing profit increases for many companies. This means that the extra profits are accruing only to the shareholders with none going to the workers.






The implications of these trends are clear: Unless they are reversed, the United States will experience economic stagnation and recession resulting from a lack of consumer demand.

Although reversing these trends is unlikely due to the political environment, the solutuons are conceptually straightforward.

The policies required to reverse these trends are detailed in this book 'Occupy Wall Street Plan 12: A Proposal for Twelve Specific Governmental Actions to Correct Some Economic Imbalances in the United States of America Kindle Edition', which can be ordered at this link:

https://www.amazon.com/Occupy-Wall-Street-Plan-Governmental-ebook/dp/B00UK97C84/ref=asap_bc?ie=UTF8

Winning Against trump

We can win against trump in Congress.

But, winning requires that ALL Democrat Congress men and women go all out.

trump's negotiating style is clear:

His opening demand is an extreme position. When he sees opposition he compromises. If he sees no opposition, his extreme position wins by default.

He must see determined opposition to all his proposed laws and executive actions. All his Minions appointed to date are extreme hacks who seem to have no interest in the welfare of the United States of America or its citizens or residents.

His style will be simple: He will let his Minions in the Cabinet present extreme laws to Congress for approval. If there is no opposition, the law will pass as proposed.

In order to present that opposition, Democrats will need to PREVENT ANY PROPOSED BILL FROM REACHING A FLOOR VOTE.

Tie up every proposed bill and appointment in Committee, forever.

Use 'outside-the-box' tactics.

Some ideas:

** List all areas off-limits to trump - Social Security privatization, Medicare, Obamacare, Dreamer deportation, Education reform, etc., etc.

** Shut off power and heat to any committee room considering a law. Do this sub rosa.

** Lock the doors to all committee rooms.

** Use personal locks and not official locks. Make them strong enough for at least an eight hour hold.

** Hold interminable hearings on all proposed laws.

** Take committee votes whenever Democrats have a majority attending, record the vote and ensure the press is notified.

** Ignore quorum rules and other conventional behavior since trump will use them to pass horrible laws.

** Prevent votes by any means possible whenever the Reps have a majority.

** Ask for recognition and then allow at least 25 demonstrators to enter the room and make a ruckus.

** Have OWS and other protestors block all Capitol entrances and exits with press watching.

The idea is to make government unable to function until a compromise that does not harm the United States is reached.

No compromise, no function.

My Darling Donnie

Dear, dear Donnie. You always were my favorite and I love you more than you'll ever know.

Donnie, you have done a very big thing and it's very good for everybody.

My heart is full to overflowing with what you have accomplished. I am so proud of you I can't even express it.

So, Donnie my love, I want you to be very careful because there are a few people out there who are jealous of all you have done and who will try to hurt you.

It's hard to believe I know, but Donnie you are playing with the big boys in the street now and some of them don't care if they hurt you or not.

It's just horrible, I know, but you can take care of it. I know you can.

Donnie, there's this one guy from the east who really wants to take some things from you. He is being very friendly, I can see him from my window, but I know he is only interested in himself. He will make you think he is your friend and then, when you think he is your buddy, he will take something from you and will dare you to take it back. And, if you try to take it back, he will kill a lot people and then blame you! It's horrible Donnie, just horrible. That's how the big boys play Donnie, so please be very careful because some really good and friendly people may get murdered.

And, Donnie my love, some of your playmates may hurt you, too. This Rance or Reince guy, Donnie, he loves you but he just does not know how the big boys play. He might miss something that can give you a bloody nose, so just be really careful with him.

This other guy, his name is Bannon or something, well Donnie, he is just full of hate and if you don't watch him very carefully he will cause a LOT of damage to you. Please Donnie, get rid of him. You'll be happier if you do. A lot of people on the street are afraid of him, Donnie, and they blame you, not him. If he hurts them, they will try to hurt YOU!

There's one thing I want to warn you about sweetheart, and it is that a lot of people will say bad things about you. Now I know that you want to hurt them back because they hurt you with their bad words, but remember, Donnie, 'Sticks and Stones....'

Here's the worst part, Donnie, they are allowed to say anything they want about you. And, the courts will back them up and not you. If you try to stop them or punish them, you will just look bad. You just can't imagine what they are allowed to say; it's terrible. But you have to rise above it.

There's just one other, little thing Donnie. Now I am very proud of how you have raised my grandchildren and I know you love them very much.

They are very smart and they can run your businesses just as good as you. It's a normal Daddy's pride to try and help them so they can help you. And, if they can learn all the things that you can learn now, why they can make better business deals for you and that will make you richer.

But, Donnie, the guys who started the country didn't like it when the Kings of England did the same thing for their families! So, they wrote this pesky law called the Constitution and it was designed to keep you from doing just that! So, Donnie, you just can't give your kids all the same information you have. If you do, then the kids will get into trouble, Donnie.

Sometimes you have to do hard things, my love, but you can do it.

Remember I love you no matter what.

Mom

Transition Stupidity

Hey trump:

You're being stupid in your transition.

Just too greedy and too obvious.

You're selling out the country.

You're gonna create a backlash that will tie you up in lawsuits and ruin your re-election chances.

Michael Moore already wants all the Democrat Congress men and women to filibuster you at every turn and to sue you and investigate you for any illegal conflicts of interest.

He will try to stop every action you and Congress take in your first ten days.

Here is a background article: https://www.bostonglobe.com/news/politics/2016/11/10/time-for-donald-trump-choose-president-businessman/RoIcF8sGNCWfpP3KdYy2EN/story.html

Wise up trump.

McKeever

Hey trump, Wanna Get Richer?

Hey trump:

I will write to you occasionally on this blog.

You will want to read it.

If you read it and pay attention you will get re-elected!

And, if you get re-elected you can get even richer!

Imagine that, you can continue profiting for 8 [eight] years instead of just 4 [four].

It is a bummer that you might be tossed aside after four years, just when you're learning how to use the office to make money.

Pay attention to me and I will help you.

Now that I have your attention, there is something I have to get out of the way, before I go on to the good stuff.

Here it is:

## I think you are a bad person.

## You place your fortune above any other interests.

## You treat women badly.

## You encourage violence by your fans toward protestors and minorities; that is un-American.

## You have complained about our right as Americans to criticize you. Americans have the right of free speech, especially the Press. It is our JOB to complain about the President.

## You have raped children violently. By the way, if you go to prison, you will be killed. Criminals hate men who rape children.

## You are a deadbeat who routinely skates on his bills.

## You are a con-man and a fraud who says whatever he needs to say to get the money and then disappears.

## You know nothing about economics and will blindly harm the country if you think you can make a profit.

## You have committed treason by taking money from Russians and other foreigners for your campaign.

## You do not deserve a capital letter for your name, trump. The only thing you will ever get from me is a capital letter and that will only happen when you demonstrate that you place the country above your fortune.

I can go on, but you have the idea.

Now, here's why I will help you get even richer.

There are some things that you can do that will help you get richer and ALSO help the country.

Imagine that! A win-win!

But, there are a number of things you will be tempted to do that will ensure that you do not get re-elected and will also harm the country

I will try to call you out on them, but there so many that I might miss a few. Check with Bernie and Pocahontas if you have any doubts.

Here is one thing you have to watch out for; it will come from the Republican Party:

Conservative economic theory DOES NOT WORK!

It makes middle class folks poorer and then they can't buy things from rich folks, like you.

It seems to be working in that there are a lot of rich people right now.

But, their fortunes depend on their selling real products like steaks and shirts.

When average people can't buy stuff, then rich folks will be in danger.

Paul Ryan's economic plan embodies all the wrong ideas. It would bankrupt the country and that would hurt you. Stay away from it.

There is an easy reading book I wrote which shows you how to fix many economic issues. You can buy it here for $0.99, but I will send you a free copy if you are too cheap to buy it: https://www.amazon.com/Occupy-Wall-Street-Plan-Governmental-ebook/dp/B00UK97C84/ref=asap_bc?ie=UTF8

Here are the things you have said that will help you get re-elected, from Pocahontas:

You '...criticized Wall Street and big money’s dominance in Washington-straight up...' To follow up on that, you have to do some hard things. If you do them, you will make more money.

Here's one of them: You'...supported a new Glass-Steagall...' That is a good idea that banks hate. It would take away their right to buy and sell stocks and insurance, but it will get you re-elected and also help the country. When you do that, people will think you care about them and they will re-elect you.

Here's another: You '...spoke of the need to reform our trade deals so they aren’t raw deals for the American people...' When you do that, people will re-elect you. And, you can do it without upsetting our trade partners. After all, all you need is to stop our negative trade balance. That is hurting our economy. Most trade deals have a provision that a country in distress can protect itself.

Another: You '...said [you] will not cut Social Security benefits...' Make that deal and keep the program under government control and all the seniors will vote for you in 2020.

And, you '...spoke of the urgency of rebuilding our crumbling infrastructure and putting people back to work...' A win-win!

And, you'...talked about the need to address the rising cost of college...' When you fix that and ALSO fix the student debt issue, the country will do better and you will be re-elected.

Ditto for child care costs.

So trump, there is your road map to success and re-election riches.

I will be on you for any stupidities.

McKeever

America Shamed, trumped

America was founded on a shared set of values including compassion, dignity, respect for law and the Constitution, honor in negotiations and the peaceful resolution of disputes wherever possible.

Now we have a President who has rejected explicitly each of our core values.

His rejection will lead to severe consequences in the very near future.

Here's what we will see in 2017:

RECESSION: PROBABILITY 100%

Massive recession caused by bankers within 2 years will raise unemployment to 2008 levels of 8% - 10% or higher from its current level of less than 5%. Home foreclosures will also rise to 2008 levels. We are currently at or near the Holy Grail of economic policy - Full Employment equilibrium. The probability of this Recession is 100% due to Trump's actions of eliminating bank regulations and the fact that the same people who caused the 2008 Recession are still controlling our banking system.

A diversion will be that the interest rate we must pay on T-Bills will rise due to Trump's threat to renegotiate our national debt. The extra interest we must pay to borrow will further destabilize out Federal national budget and threaten both Social Security and Medicare.

WAR: PROBABILITY 100%

American troops will engage in at least one ground war and perhaps two within 2 years of his taking the Oath. The wars will be in the Middle East and Eastern Europe or the South China Sea. We will fight Russia in Syria and perhaps Europe if our NATO Allies are invaded by Putin. We are also likely to fight China over territorial claims in the South China Sea. Our enemies will take actions due to Trump's perceived naiveté and over reaction to provocations designed to test his character. Every new president faces these tests from foreign governments; Trump will overreact.

PRIVATIZE SOCIAL SECURITY: PROBABILITY 80%

Calls to privatize Social Security will lead to reconsideration of that question. Additional pressure will be provided by the interest rate increases we face due to Trump's threat as discussed above. The resulting impact on the Federal budget will lead to calls to eliminate Social Security from the Budget. Or, at the least, Social Security pensions will be reduced. If successful, this will result in massive poverty and misery among the elderly.

PRIVATIZE HEALTH CARE: PROBABILITY 80%

Initiatives to manage health care costs will be reversed leading to massive cost increases and private insurance companies reaping record profits at the expense of the ill among us.

PRIVATIZE EDUCATION: PROBABILITY 75%

Trump's administration will attempt to reduce federal funding to all levels of education and all student aid programs. If successful this program will cripple our national ability for economic growth by stifling new research and invention.

TAX REDUCTION ON WEALTHY: PROBABILITY 80%

Taxes will be reduced on the wealthy. The resulting budget deficit increase will result in calls for cutting for reducing payments through the Social Security system.

MASSIVE DOLLAR DEVALUATION: PROBABILITY 60%

Any such devaluation will make our economy even more precarious since the cost of our imports would skyrocket. Additionally, the real value of dollar denominated savings will plummet. There is already a massive overhang of dollars in world markets and any action to reduce the value of dollar denominated assets - like T-Bills - will increase pressure on the dollar. Additionally, the BRIC's are looking to form an alternative payment system for oil and any success in that effort will lead to further dollar pressure.

INQUISITION 15: Reset: 'Virtue is its own reward' UPDATED

The more complete quote is this: 'Virtue is its own reward, and brings with it the truest and highest pleasure; but if we cultivate it only for pleasure's sake, we are selfish, not religious, and will never gain the pleasure, because we can never have the virtue.'

John Henry Newman; Author. Profession: Clergyman; Nationality: British; Born: February 21, 1801; Died: August 11, 1890

[Read more at: http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/quotes/j/johnhenryn159152.html]

I am of an age where I went to school in the 40's and 50's; I was exhorted to do well by doing good. That is, I should strive to succeed in all things as a matter of virtue.

But when I asked what I would get from that, teachers and parents responded with some version of the Newman quote above. “We could and should expect that we would help others by our success and that we would be content with that.” The unspoken corollary was that if I wanted some more direct reward, then I would be bright and industriousness enough to find it myself.

Then one day it happened that everything I was responsible for exploded at once. After some introspection, it dawned on me that all I did was to make sure everything and every person was OK. It was exhausting. And, it didn’t work. None of them were OK.

It was hard in later life for me to switch from a mindset of being helpful to others to a mindset of looking for personal rewards. Most of my friends had no such problems; their selfish mindset was a given: Some of them just did not get the whole 'help others first' thing.

But, like me, some of us did.

And, some of my friends and I who accepted the premise of helping others first have reached a point in mid or late life when the 'giving to others' mindset has reached its end. Sometimes it happens that I cannot give any more. Sometimes the recipients of my gifts either do not show any improvement in their personal happiness or they do not show any gratitude. .

Then, I imploded. The emotional tank I gave from was empty and I could not give any more.

As a solution to the impasse, I tried to find in every situation those things which would refill my giving tank; and, to find those replenishing things before giving any more.

It wasn’t easy to change the giving mindset toward a more selfish mindset. The first step was to figure out what I actually felt. That was hard. A life of helping and/or providing for others first took some time to overcome.

At the start, just knowing what emotions I had was a big step. But then, I could start giving again after my tank was filled.

I lost some friends who could not adjust to the new me, and the people who remained are much truer friends. I started to experience happiness and joy. Then, I could find happiness in everything life provides and consider each day and each event as a gift.

Hillary: Abstain from Debate

Hillary, My Liege:

It is time to stop debating Mr. Trump.

Here is a draft of a press release for you:

'My Fellow Americans:

It is with deep regret that I have decided to abstain from the last debate with Mr. Trump. I will not appear on the stage with him on October 19.

There are two reasons for this. First and foremost, Mr. Trump is ignorant of the Constitution and many basic American values. He routinely says things about our great country which are simply and demonstrably not true. In our previous debates he lectured the country repeatedly about falsehoods and confused many voters as a result. Since the purpose of the debate is to present our different views to the American voters so they can make an informed choice, if I were to appear on stage with him I would give his views a sense of legitimacy simply by my presence. Our situation is too critical for me to allow that.

Secondly, Mr. Trump is an abusive person. He abuses me and anyone else who does not agree with him. His repeated interruptions and threatening manner on stage together with his campaign speeches wherein he has called for my imprisonment and physical harm have degraded the office of President of the United States. He has taken similar actions toward me and other women and these actions and statements are not acceptable. I will not tolerate any further personal abuse or abuse of the Office of President.

Lastly, let me address some of Mr. Trump's supporters directly. I assure you that I will represent you all as President to the best of my ability as fellow Americans even though you did not vote for me or vote at all.

Sometimes in life we receive severe shocks and indignities from which we cannot recover. It is tempting to externalize that pain on to a public person like me so that daily life can be tolerable.

This is one reason why some of you repeat ad nauseam accusations about me which have been litigated extensively and proven false. I hope you all can find some peace in your life. As for me, I will continue to serve our country and all our citizens.

Regretfully, Hillary Rodham Clinton'

Our Future Under Trump

Hillary, My Liege:

In case you need some talking points to convince voters to vote for you: here are some events which will happen if Trump wins the election and lives to take the Oath.

RECESSION: PROBABILITY 100%

Massive recession caused by bankers within 2 years will raise unemployment to 2008 levels of 10% or higher from its current level of less than 5%. Home foreclosures will also rise to 2008 levels. We are currently at or near the Holy Grail of economic policy - Full Employment equilibrium. The probability of this Recession is 100% due to Trump's actions of eliminating bank regulations and the fact that the same people who caused the 2008 Recession are still controlling our banking system.

A diversion will be that the interest rate we must pay on T-Bills will rise due to Trump's threat to renegotiate our national debt. The extra interest we must pay to borrow will further destabilize out Federal national budget and threaten both Social Security and Medicare.

WAR: PROBABILITY 100%

American troops will engage in at least one ground war and perhaps two within 2 years of his taking the Oath. The wars will be in the Middle East and Eastern Europe or the South China Sea. We will fight Russia in Syria and perhaps Europe if our NATO Allies are invaded by Putin. We are also likely to fight China over territorial claims in the South China Sea. Our enemies will take actions due to Trump's perceived naiveté and over reaction to provocations designed to test his character. Every new president faces these tests from foreign governments; Trump will overreact.

PRIVATIZE SOCIAL SECURITY: PROBABILITY 80%

Calls to privatize Social Security will lead to reconsideration of that question. Additional pressure will be provided by the interest rate increases we face due to Trump's threat as discussed above. The resulting impact on the Federal budget will lead to calls to eliminate Social Security from the Budget. Or, at the least, Social Security pensions will be reduced. If successful, this will result in massive poverty and misery among the elderly.

PRIVATIZE HEALTH CARE: PROBABILITY 80%

Initiatives to manage health care costs will be reversed leading to massive cost increases and private insurance companies reaping record profits at the expense of the ill among us.

PRIVATIZE EDUCATION: PROBABILITY 75%

Trump's administration will attempt to reduce federal funding to all levels of education and all student aid programs. If successful this program will cripple our national ability for economic growth by stifling new research and invention.

TAX REDUCTION ON WEALTHY: PROBABILITY 80%

Taxes will be reduced on the wealthy. The resulting budget deficit increase will result in calls for cutting for reducing payments through the Social Security system.

MASSIVE DOLLAR DEVALUATION: PROBABILITY 60%

Any such devaluation will make our economy even more precarious since the cost of our imports would skyrocket. Additionally, the real value of dollar denominated savings will plummet. There is already a massive overhang of dollars in world markets and any action to reduce the value of dollar denominated assets - like T-Bills - will increase pressure on the dollar. Additionally, the BRIC's are looking to form an alternative payment system for oil and any success in that effort will lead to further dollar pressure.

Time to Go Positive

Hillary, My Liege -

It is time to go positive with your campaign.

Lots of money has been spent proving that Trump is a bad person.

That worked. Sadly, some voters PREFER bad people.

Oh, well.

Here's a new message for you. [The following is taken from your website and spun just a tad.]

"OK, We know that Trump is a disaster for the country.

Vote for Hillary, and you will get this stuff - These are my plans and I know how to do all this:

A democracy that works for everyone—not just the wealthy and well-connected.

Several sensible Supreme Court Justices

Comprehensive background checks on gun purchasers.

End Citizens United and curb the outsized influence of big money in politics.

Make the wealthiest pay their fair share in taxes.

Comprehensive immigration reform that includes a path to full and equal citizenship.

More than half a BILLION, NEW solar panels installed across the country by the end of her first term.

Enough renewable energy to power every home in America within 10 years of her taking office.

Continuing FULL EMPLOYMENT

Defend Planned Parenthood and women’s health care from Republican attacks and Doctor murders.

End to students being forced to borrow so Bankers can rip them off.

Guaranteed paid family leave.

“gay rights are human rights.”

Toughest plan available to keep Wall Street accountable.

Continuing expansion of healh care for all Americans.

Veterans access to timely and high quality health care."

Your faithful servant,

Sixth Mass Extinction Event

Humans are heading toward a mass extinction event like nothing ever seen on earth.

'The sixth mass extinction—the one that seven billion humans are doing their darnedest to trigger at this very moment—is shaping up to be like nothing our planet has ever seen.' Maddie Stone - Gizmodo

http://gizmodo.com/the-sixth-mass-extinction-will-be-like-nothing-in-earth-1786598392

This likely stream of events does not change the Doomsday Clock.

Failure of Monetary Policy

Hillary, My Liege:

Professor Janet Yellen is a competent and diligent Federal Reserve Board Chair; but, any monetary policy actions taken by the FED will fail because the policies are based on the outdated Keynes General Theory.

Keynes' thesis was that lowering interest rates would encourage businesses to invest because their new projects would be profitable. And, the new investment would stimulate Aggregate Demand resulting in the 'virtuous cycle' of increased investment and increased consumer spending from more wages.

However, in today's world businesses do not invest regardless of low interest rates - nor do they refrain from investing due to higher interest rates - because they rightly forecast that expansions will not be profitable.

Expansions will not be profitable until and unless middle class incomes rise to the point where an income or two can support family necessities and an occasional luxury.

If consumers cannot buy luxuries, then the expansions that may have been encouraged in different times by lower interest rates will not materialize because businesses do not forecast adequate demand.

With regret, My Liege,

Your faithful servant,

UPDATED August 18, 2016: Inquisition 14: Ireland

I have written an attempt to understand Ireland from an outsider's perspective. Here is a link to a revision which includes a haplogroup map and more quotes; you are welcome to read it, although it is highly personal and intended for my immediate family. I will happily correct any egregious errors you may find and take full responsibility for all errors of fact, attribution and/or opinion.

www.mkeever.com/ireland.doc

Mike P. McKeever

UP DATE 8.20 16 - NASA Study Predicts Collapse of Civilization Unless We Equalize Incomes

Hillary, My Liege:

It is not news that income disparities are large and growing larger, especially in California.

The news is that incomes of the poorest people are getting smaller.

UPDATE 8.20 16

Civilization will collapse unless income equality is introduced, now: NASA study here - http://collectivelyconscious.net/articles/nasa-study-concludes-when-civilization-will-end-and-its-not-looking-good-for-us/


Meanwhile, in California: A recent look at California incomes documents that some of the working poor are making less today than they were a few years ago.

From the study:

'Those at the bottom 10 percent of incomes in the Inland Empire [the Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario metropolitan area] , for example, saw their income drop by 35 percent since 2007. That’s mostly why the region, which includes Riverside and San Bernardino counties, suffered a 40 percent widening of the gap between rich and poor. In contrast, equivalent low-income residents of the Bay Area saw incomes fall just 9 percent.

California regions with the biggest chasm between rich and poor typically have some of the poorest populations in the state. In the Central Valley for example, households in the bottom 10 percent of income levels made less than $10,000 per year, adjusted for a family of four. Their equivalents in the Bay Area made more than double that.'

Source: http://www.sfchronicle.com/news/article/Income-gap-growing-in-California-s-poorest-9142062.php

My Liege, it is bad enough that, nationally, incomes gain are 'trickling up' to the wealthy, but now even the poor are losing what little income they have.

This is not who we think we are, My Liege.

Your faithful servant,

Wage Theft is Class Warfare

Some employers routinely pay employees less that they are legally obligated to.

Details here: http://theweek.com/articles/642568/biggest-crime-waves-america-isnt-what-think

Rabid Dog Trump

Mr. Trump:

Your campaign for President of the United States has convinced our owners - the people who control our money and our lives - that you are unfit to hold the Office of President.

In the unlikely event that you win the election, you will not serve as President because you will be killed.

The United States government has thousands of highly trained and effective assassins at its disposal. Some of these operatives are at the disposal of our owners. They will be used if needed.

To drive the point further, in a civilized country, rabid dogs are hunted down and shot to death in order to protect the larger society.

Here is a link to a graphic video showing the shooting to death of a rabid dog: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yf9rjoPvx5I

I am making this presentation because I agree with our owners on this point, even though this posting may cost me some of my personal freedom. It is likely that I will be added to the 'no-fly' list and thus be unable to visit my grandchildren.

Let me assure you Mr. Trump that I would be honored to kill you myself if the occasion arose, even though I am sure it will not.

Additionally, several prominent United States politicians have died in mysterious plane crashes in our recent history.

Since 1970, over a dozen national US political figures, governors, members of congress, and cabinet secretaries, have been killed in plane crashes. Most of these crashes were on private or military aircraft. The following list includes actively serving elected or appointed officials, as well as former politicians who had a relatively high public profile.

9 August 2010; de Havilland DHC-3T Otter; near Dillingham, AK: Former Alaska Senator Ted Stevens was one of five people killed when an turbine engine, float equipped Otter crashed into steep terrain during a flight from nearby Lake Nerka to a fishing lodge in the Dillingham, Alaska area. The pilot and four passengers, including Stevens, were killed, and four other passengers were injured. One of the survivors was former NASA administrator Sean O'Keefe.

This was not the first fatal plane crash in Alaska involving Senator Stevens. In December 1978, the Senator was one of two survivors of a fatal crash of a Learjet in Anchorage, Alaska. Both pilots and three other passengers, including the Senator's first wife, were killed in the crash.

The last time that a former US Senator was killed in a plane crash was in April 1991 when former Texas Senator John Tower was one of the 23 passengers and crew members killed in the crash of an Atlantic Southeast Airlines Embraer Brasilia near Brunswick, Georgia. Also killed in that crash was NASA astronaut Sonny Carter.

26 October 2002; Aviation Charter Inc.; Beech King Air A100; near Eveleth, MN: Minnesota Senator Paul Wellstone, along with five other passengers and two crew members, was killed when the Beech A100 (N41BE) he was in crashed just outside the Eveleth-Virginia Municipal Airport, about 175 miles north of Minneapolis. At the time of the crash, light snow and freezing rain was reported in the area. Both the NTSB and the FBI investigated the event, and the NTSB determined that the probable cause of this accident was the flight crew's failure to maintain adequate airspeed, which led to an aerodynamic stall from which the crew did not recover.

16 October 2000; Cessna 335; N8354N; near St. Louis, Missouri: The governor of Missouri, Mel Carnahan, along with two others were killed in the crash of a twin-engined private plane about 25 miles (40 km) south of St. Louis. The aircraft had departed from the St. Louis area about 7 p.m. local time and was transporting the governor to a campaign stop in New Madrid, Missouri. The accident occurred at about 7:30 p.m., shortly after the pilot, who was also the governor's son, had reported a problem with one of the aircraft's instruments. The accident occurred at night and there was rain and fog in the area.

2 April 1996; U.S. Air Force 737-T43; near Dubrovnik, Croatia: The aircraft struck mountainous terrain while attempting to land at the airport under conditions of reduced visibility. The flight crew was using an unapproved approach. All six crew members and 29 passengers were killed. Among the passengers were a number of U.S. corporate executives and the U.S. Secretary of Commerce, Ron Brown. The aircraft is a military version of the 737 that was used to transport military and civilian VIPs.

19 April 1993; Mitsubishi MU-2B; near Dubuque, IA: South Dakota Governor George Mickelson and seven other occupants were en route from Cincinnati, OH to Sioux Falls, SD, when the propeller on one of the engines had a major failure. The crew was attempting to land the aircraft at the Dubuque, IA airport, but the aircraft crashed several miles short of the aiport, killing all on board.

5 April 1991; Atlantic Southeast Airlines; Embraer Brasila; flight 2311; near Brunswick, GA: Former Senator John Tower, of Texas, was killed along with his daughter, 18 other passengers, and three crew members. Also killed in the crash was NASA astronaut Sonny Carter.

4 April 1991; Piper Aerostar; near Lower Merion Township, PA: Senator John Heinz, of Pennsylvania, was killed when his plane collided with a helicopter over Merion, PA. The two crew members in his aircraft and the two crew members on the helicopter were also killed. Wreckage from the collision rained down on an elementary school, killing two children who were on the playground during noon recess.

13 August 1989, Cessna 177RG; near Janice, MS: Representative Larkin Smith of Mississippi and his pilot were killed when their aircraft crashed in the DeSoto National Forest in Mississippi while on a flight from Hattiesburg to Gulfport.

7 August 1989; de Havilland Canada DHC-6 Twin Otter; near Gambella, Ethiopia: Representative Mickey Leland of Texas was killed when his aircraft struck a mountain during a nonscheduled domestic flight from Addis Ababa, Eithiopia to a refugee camp. Leland, the 12 other passengers, and all three crew members were all killed.

17 August 1988; Pakistan Air Force Lockheed C130; near Bahawalpur: US ambassador to Pakistan Arnold Raphel was killed when the his aircraft crashed shortly after takeoff. Also on board were the president of Pakistan, General Zia-ul-Haq, 15 other passengers, and 13 crew members.

1 September 1983; Korean Air Lines 747-200; HL7442; flight 007; near Sakhalin Island, Soviet Union: Representative Larry McDonald of Georgia was killed along with the 29 crew members and the other 239 passengers. The aircraft was shot down by at least one Soviet air to air missile after the 747 had strayed into Soviet airspace.

3 August 1976; Beech 58, near Chillicothe, MO: Representative Jerry Litton of Missouri was killed along with his wife and two children when his plane crashed shortly after takeoff following a power loss on one engine. Litton had just won a primary election for a Senate seat from Missouri, and was on his way to a victory celebration in Kansas City, MO. The pilot and one other passenger was also killed in the crash.

14 February 1975: Representative Jerry Pettis of California was killed when his single-engine plane crashed into a mountain near Beaumont, CA.

8 December 1972; United Airlines 737-200; N9031U; flight 553;Midway Airport, Chicago: Representative George W. Collins of Illinois, three of the six crew members, and 39 of the 54 other passengers were killed when the aircraft crashed during approach.

16 October 1972; Cessna 310; en route Anchorage to Juneau, AK:Representative Hale Boggs of Louisiana, who was the House Majority Leader, and Representative Nick Begich of Alaska were lost over Alaska. The two congressmen, the pilot, and the aircraft were never found, and they are presumed to be dead.

http://www.airsafe.com/events/celebs/politics.htm

In addition, several government officials have been killed by lone persons; these are probably amateur events.

Recently Assassinated US Politicians, Partial alphabetical list

Derwin Brown, D, 2000, Sheriff Elect of DeKalb County, GA

Vickie Bunnell, 1997, Colebrook NH District Judge

Tommie Burks, D, 1998, Tennessee State Senator

Richard J. Daronco, 1988, Judge, US District Court, Southern District of New York

James E. Davis, D, 2003, New York City Councilman

Bill Gwatney, D, 2008, Chairman of Arkansas democratic Party

Mark Hasse, R, 2013, Assistant District Attorney for Kaufman County TX

Leon Jordan, D, 1970, Missouri State Representative

John F. Kennedy, D, 1963, President of the United States

Robert F. Kennedy, D, 1968, United States Senator from New York and Candidate for Democratic Presidential Nomination

Ed King, 1986, Mayor of Mount Pleasant IA

[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_assassinated_American_politicians]

COMMENT 8.20.16: Whistling phones from the boys and girls in West Oak Land. Really?

Rep. Kurt Schrader (D) Commits Class Warfare

Rep. Kurt Schrader, (D), Oregon, has proposed a bill which would roll back the Department of Labor’s new rule that expands the overtime rights of salaried employees who earn less than $47,476 a year ($913 per week).

The explanation is here: http://www.epi.org/publication/schrader-bill-would-gut-the-department-of-labors-new-overtime-rule/

Why is this important?

It is important because of the irrefutable fact that when workers make less money they will buy fewer products from businesses and THE BUSINESSES WILL GO BANKRUPT.

It's simply depressing to see how the Class Warriors fail to connect the effects of their selfishness on their own prosperity. Such stupidity is incomprehensible.

Class Warfare Against the United States Middle Class Threatens Violent Reaction

Hillary, My Liege:

Bernie Sanders Presidential campaign highlighted an increase in Americans' disquiet.

You were correct to pay attention to and applaud the inclusion of some of the concerns in the Democrat Party Platform.

But, My Liege, it is unlikely that the electorate will be satisfied with platform promises only with no real results.

Our frustrations support a move toward a more revolutionary outcome.

As voters, we will elect you and a majority in Congress in the hopes that you provide a REAL revolutionary outcome.

If you fail to deliver on that hope, we can continue to simmer until our discontent takes a violent form or we can vote you out as we look for real change.

If we vote Democrats out of power and accept a Republican control in the immediate future, rest assured that it was from the same disquiet which brings you into power today.

If that happens and we continue to suffer under a severely unfair system, that disquiet will grow. The longer we go with no real relief, the more violent will be our explosion when it erupts.

So, My Liege, your charge is clear:

You must deliver on real reform to prevent a violent explosion.

We pray you are successful, My Liege.

Your faithful servant,

Black Lives Matter [BLM] Kills Black People

Sometimes it happens that an emotional movement embroils people in an orgy of feeling good about their cause without thinking through the effects of their passions and actions.

So it is with BLM.

Let us grant, albeit charitably by leaving aside personal aggrandizement and/or anarchic aspirations contained in their activists, that the BLM folks really want to reduce the number of black deaths.

Their passions focus anger on Police killings of black people. One can gain the impression that all, or most, killing of black people are caused by racist Police officers with the collusion of a racist government.

But, this narrative ignores completely the astounding fact that most black people are killed by other non-police black people.

Police kill more white people and Hispanic people than they kill black people.

If the BLM were truly interested in reducing violent black deaths, it would focus attention on the black-on-black killings which occur routinely.

Perhaps the BLM could reduce the number of black people killed by other black people by encouraging the witnesses to the killings to tell Police who did the killing. Usually there are no secrets about who are the killers. But, the people who know the guilty parties routinely do not identify them to the Police. Thus the killers are free to kill again.

There may be two reasons that witnesses do not tell Police.

First, witnesses may be frightened of retaliation from the killers if they 'rat' out the killers. This is wrong since most Police have confidential tip lines where even the police do not know the identity of the person leaving the tip. In the event the killers face a trial, the witnesses may be afraid of being identified in open court. This is a real risk for which some government programs offer protections.

Second, there is a culture in some quarters which says that it is a sin to 'rat' on killers. Apparently, these folks would rather live under the rule of gangsters than in an orderly and safe society - for that is the effect of refusing to identify criminals. I have lived in East Oakland and seen in my neighborhood the effects of a society where gangsters run rampant. I have also complained to Police frequently and loudly and have discovered that the gangsters are cowards who will not respond if the Police are involved.

The other major reason that BLM kills black people is that it fosters the impression that Police are random killers without rules; then, if that is true, anything which happens to a person in a Police interaction is the fault of the Police and not the responsibility of the person harmed.

This is so false that it boggles the mind of a rational person; nevertheless, it does provide an explanation for some of the really stupid actions we see on video and read in the newspapers.

Police operate with strict Rules of Force guidelines. If they violate those guidelines they can be sued personally or disciplined otherwise. That exists already without the input of BLM.

We ask Police to protect us from violent persons. That is their job and we do not want to change it.

Perhaps a better way to protect black people from harm by Police in violent situations is to teach black children what are the rules of force used by Police.

The predictable reaction from BLM is that the Police routinely violate those rules and that the rules do not protect black people.

Both are nonsense. Any Police who violates the rules will be disciplined as is proper. The rules are there to protect everybody. If the rules were unfair to black people, then black people would be killed more frequently than white or Hispanic people, but they are not.

Japan: Bankruptcy Coming?

Japan's economy is in trouble. Most of the trouble arises from Japanese consumers spending too little.

Some economists are recommending that the country abandon a Keynesian policy of stimulus and low interest rates that has failed to remedy the situation and, instead, contract the economy with higher interest rates thereby precipitating a recession and, perhaps, a resulting worker productivity increase. See Martin Hutchinson copyrighted article linked below.

This is wrong.

Although the economy historically has shown low levels of income inequality, Japan's current Gini Coeffcient is close to the USA. This level of Gini is a sign of consumer weakness with associated lack of Aggregate Demand.

A better solution for Japan is to increase incomes for middle class families. Only then are they likely to spend more.

See my book on economic policies for the United States for an explanation at this link:

https://www.amazon.com/Occupy-Wall-Street-Plan-Governmental-ebook/dp/B00UK97C84?ie=UTF8&ref_=asap_bc#navbar


Here is the link to Mr. Hutchinson's article:

Martin Hutchinson, World Banking Analyst at GEOMACRO 'Japan Is a Bankruptcy Waiting to Happen'

http://www.wallstreetdaily.com/2016/07/18/japan-economy-bankruptcy/

July 18, 2016

Police Reality - New comment: BGF calls for more assaults on Police

An armed public increasing police trauma, shootings

By Gabrielle Grossman

San Francisco Chronicle, July 12, 2016

Imagine yourself as a police officer and the fear you might experience as you patrol the streets day after day, getting calls to deal with violent persons, many armed with guns. You are also aware of the many police officers who have been shot. Police work is tough enough without officers having to face an increasingly armed public.

I had several clients and their spouses in this circumstance. Usually the police officer’s wife had the first appointment, asking for help coping with the officer’s behavior — in one case, keeping loaded guns near the front door, jumping at noises outside, experiencing night fears and frequent emotional outbursts. He refused to go to social events outside their home, for fear of being seen.

Typically, the wife was asked to bring her husband for the second session. Usually, the husband would announce that he would come in only that one time, just to help his wife with “her” therapy; the reason was he believed it would jeopardize his job if it became known that he was undergoing psychotherapy.

When they were willing to answer questions, I saw symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder exhibited by the officers. Some admitted to barricading doors and windows, and sleeping with their weapon, the reason being that thugs who that officer had arrested or interacted with might come to know his address and would come to harm him and/or his family. He usually wanted his wife to understand his need for continuous vigilance, as well as his need to keep away from social activities.

Many of these officers, although suffering from frequent flashbacks to past traumas and the fear this brings, were not willing to become psychiatric patients as this identity could bring other consequences. Some used alcohol or drugs to self-medicate and calm themselves, in order to face another day in a trauma-filled work setting.

Mental health workers who treat people with post traumatic stress disorder expect to treat the symptoms well after the trauma has occurred, i.e, after the veteran is home and safely away from life-threatening combat. Police officers face potential traumas every day, which re-traumatize the officer, making his or her symptoms worse.

The diagnosis of “acute stress disorder” does not apply to police officers; it applies to the days and weeks right after the trauma has occurred. In fact, the diagnostic manual does not contain a diagnosis for ongoing traumatic stress, as that experienced in a police officer’s life.

The Minnesota police officer who shot a black motorist said he reacted to the man’s gun, not his race. My guess is that the sight of a gun was a “trigger” for the symptoms of traumatic stress to emerge, symptoms which often render an officer unable to act rationally. The officer’s lawyer said the officer was “overcome with sadness” over the shooting.

The increase of guns in the population has increased the traumatic experiences endured by police. Today, with more than 300 million guns in the population and people buying more of them, the amount of threat to police is very high, as is the threat to the public. Shootings by police, who are often experiencing a traumatic stress disorder, are commensurately more frequent.

Gabrielle Grossman is a retired psychologist.

Hit the Ground Running

Hillary, My Liege

It seems likely that you and the Democrats will win the Presidential election and a majority in both Houses of Congress in the coming elections.

But, My Liege, do not take this as a personal compliment if it actually occurs.

As confirmed by the British vote supporting Brexit, there is a profound malaise among the world's population and American voters as well.

The malaise reflects the growing realization that Governments and other systems are rigged in favor of the accumulation of money and power by a few among us. And, our further realization is that the few who benefit from the system have no intention of ameliorating its pernicious effects on the rest of us despite clear and incontrovertible evidence that the few would gain even more if the rest of us could gain the smallest relief.

In practical terms, it will mean you will have two years to accomplish your agenda since it is likely that voters will tire of your failure to correct quickly the many problems facing average people. Thus, the Democratic majority in either or both Houses will be overturned in two years.

Hillary, My Liege, I am sure you recognize the limitations of a President's powers to change daily reality for the population as well as anyone. The foregoing implies that you will have a two year window to set your programs in motion since you will lose your Congressional advantages at that time.

So, My Liege, be well prepared and resolute in your first two years; set in motion all your ambitions during that time.

We wish you well, My Liege.

Your faithful servant

Canary (Mouse) in the Coal Mine (Atoll)

Scientists record first mammalian extinction due to global warming.

A species of mouse on the Great Barrier Reef has gone extinct due to rising sea levels.

Read it here: http://www.gizmag.com/climate-change-mammal-species-extinct/43877/