Election season, system still not good enough.

 

SADLY, THERE WILL STILL BE QUESTIONS ABOUT THE UPCOMING ELECTION 

WITHOUT REFORM, INTEGRITY WILL CONTINUE TO BE QUESTIONED

There have been some attempts to reform election methods that will make them more trusted, but sadly it has not gone far enough. As long as we have unlimited mail in ballots, unguarded drop boxes, machines that are connected to the internet, counting done only in large counting centers, there will be questions. We cannot trust our election results to be based on trust of political election officials and elections need to have the ability to be audited.

Here in Pennsylvania we have a Supreme court that has disregarded the constitution numerous time concerning mail in ballots. They should be impeached for not doing their constitutional duty.

Elections are critical to the success of any democratic government. Honest and clearly legitimate elections can only be conducted and accepted by the population if the elections and their results are auditable. Elections must be 100% verifiable. There cannot be a system were the results need to be accepted on faith in the process or the people in charge of the elections. It is clear this is not presently the case with our election system here in Pennsylvania or in many other states. It is time to put into  place a full proof auditable system of elections.

1. General mail in voting is to be eliminated. It allows multiple opportunities for fraud, abuse and is not verifiable. 

2. Absentee voting with cause is allowable. This would accommodate the handicapped, nursing home and hospitalized persons, the military, and persons required to work out of their voting district on the general election day. All first time applications for absentee ballot would need to be affirmed by a physician, nursing home administrator, superior military officer or work supervisor. All absentee ballots would require the identification number of the drivers license or state Identification. This would assure their place of residence.

Applications for absentee ballots would be kept for 24 months from date of the general election. Absentee ballots and applications would have an identification number coinciding with a number on their voter registration. This is necessary to have an auditable system.

Absentee ballots would be required to be received 10 days before the general election. Absentee ballots would be opened by teams of representatives of all political parties involved in the election. These representatives would be vetted and supplied by the political parties. Each team would stamp the ballots as complete and genuine and be initialed by the team, each team would have a team number. The ballots that they approve will be counted by the team and placed in a sealed container with a result of their count. A copy of their count will be placed on the outside of the container and each team member will keep a copy of their totals. On the general election day, all teams will be present to add their totals to general count and verify they are correct. All these ballots will be kept for 24 months from the general election.

3. General election ballots will also have a number placed on them coinciding with the number on the voters registration. This could be a number from the registration or coinciding with the signature record at the voting place. Ballots are to be counted by teams made up of individuals from all political parties involved in election. Ballots are counted at the precinct level and all ballots are sealed in boxes by the teams with a copy of the results inside, outside and kept by members of the team. Results are then communicated to county. All ballots will be kept for 24 months after the general election.

 Election Audit

Before any proclamation or certification of the results of an election an election audit team made up of representatives of all political parties involved in the election shall conduct a random sampling of districts for audit. These teams will be vetted and supplied by the political parties. They will begin their audits with both sides picking 6 districts or precincts in their county for spot auditing. This would be accomplished by picking 50 ballots from each selected district, identifying the voters and contacting them to verify their votes. If the results are 100 %. in all districts, no further action would be needed, if not there would need to be a more complete audit.

Registration

Registration may be performed as now, requiring Identification and also a group of auditors composed of representatives from all political parties to work together to assure addresses and voters are real. Registrations will be purged if voter does not participate in 2 consecutive presidential elections, or any other elections. Voter will be notified that his registration has lapsed with instructions as to how to re-register. 

The goal of this system of voting is to have an opportunity for representatives of both parties to work together and insure that everyone is satisfied that an honest and fair election has taken place. It should insure that the election results are recorded in a timely manner, without any doubts as to the validity of the vote. With precincts limited to 2000 voters, hand counting should be accomplished in several hours. This would eliminate the cost of electronic voting machines which have a high level of distrust by voters. This is a simple, less costly and fully auditable system that all Americans can and deserve to trust.

originally published 11/2/21

After 2022, now 2023, election integrity is still not assured. If not corrected, we will soon see a decline in voting and the real end of democracy.

7/30/24. No real changes to a flawed system. We must assume intentionally. All first timer registrations should also include proof of citizenship.

Kamala would like you to think, she is the candidate of change.

 NO POLICY, NO PLATFORM, ONLY TRUMP IS BAD

EVEN BIDEN, IS MISSING IN ACTION

It is interesting that listening to Kamala Harris, she likes to give the impression that Trump is the incumbent and she is the candidate of change. No mention of her accomplishment in the last 4 years, because she has none. No mention of the victories or accomplishments of the whole Biden Harris team, because there are none. She was given the opportunity to manage the border and she was a no show, did nothing or at least nothing positive. All democrat initiatives on the border were an attempt to make the entry into the country quicker, easier and more permanent.

We have record inflation, the lowest home affordability situation, the highest rents in history. Then promises more home loans and government housing. Loans that many will not be able to service. The highest food prices in history, making some items unaffordable to many. I guess her answer will be more food stamps.

The debt is now increasing at the rate of $2 trillion a year, a disaster with no solution in sight.

In foreign affairs we are at the greatest danger of world war since 1945. Mostly because this administration has intentionally gone around the world threatening a multitude of nations with economic sanctions and military intervention. Near 30% of the worlds nations are under U.S. sanctions of some kind.

Their policies have destroyed Ukraine and rather than a prosperous European nation, it is destined to be failed state, dependent on the west for decades.

The once situation of hope and peace in the middle east has exploded into a never ending cycle of revenge and death, with no end in sight. This administration does not have 1 credible diplomat that has any credibility in world affairs, neither with allies or competitors. We are in the worst foreign policy crisis in 70 years.

I guess we should understand why Kamala would like to distance herself from her own record, she understands that it is disastrous. The reality is that she has no idea how to correct any of this mess. 

If you Americans believe that it can not get any worse, I expect, if given the opportunity, she will prove you wrong. She is without a doubt the candidate of more of the same.

I voted by mail, I do not see the point.

 MUCH EASIER TO VOTE IN PERSON

MAIL VOTING: TOO MANY POSSIBLE BAD OUTCOMES

Yesterday I voted early with a mail in ballot. I did not trust putting it through the mail, so I dropped it in a drop box in west Allentown. I will give my opinion of the experience.

I applied by mail for a ballot, my ballot arrived 8 days after I mailed in my application. I am in Lehigh county. This was ok, as I had plenty of time to get my ballot in. Filling out the ballot was the same as in person, and putting it in the yellow envelope and signing and dating the mail envelope was no problem.

I did not feel comfortable mailing in the ballot, imagine this ballot going through many hands on its way to the court house, with your signature on the outside, I suppose it would be easy to determine ones political affiliation and trash the ballot, or even worse, open the outside envelope and switch the ballot. I never stop thinking about possibilities. After all, the post office union has endorsed Harris for President. The same could be true of biased election workers in the court house. They will have the ballot in their hands for a week.

As for easier, I had to travel about 15 miles to the nearest drop box, took near 1 hour for round trip, due to lots of traffic around Allentown. Box was inside and not accessible from outside, a good thing. I did see others dropping in ballots. 

I did get an email from the state when they received my application and I understand that I will receive notification when they get the ballot. All this is extra work and cost to the state.

My opinion is the same as before, it is far too complicated and the ballots are given multiple opportunities for something bad to happen. While I understand that service people and people who need to travel may need this opportunity, it is far too costly and too open to bad outcomes to be used by everyone. I will vote in person in the future, as long as I am able.

Have the dems staked their future on abortion?

 MISINFORMATION AND LIES ARE POOR ELECTION STRATEGY

COURT DID NOT MAKE ABORTION ILLEGAL

The reality is that the Supreme court took the abortion issue out of the purview of the federal government and federal legislators. It is unlikely that any federal law concerning abortion will pass supreme court scrutiny, yet the Democrats have insisted that Republicans want to ban abortion and even In Vitro fertilization, which is just dishonest. I don't believe any candidate for federal office has proposed or support any of those measures.

It is another sign of the lack of serious policy initiatives that has become the hallmark of Democrat strategy. Either proposing things that can not be enacted, like student loan forgiveness,  or even proposing to support Republican initiatives, like border security, it seems there is a vapid purpose to their campaigns other than retaining power. Say or propose anything that will garner votes is the only goal.

Removing abortion from the federal purview was a good step in attempting to unify the nation. A fine tuning of this controversial issue is best done at the state level. What is acceptable in San Francisco may not be acceptable in Alabama.  Using in vitro as a federal campaign strategy is just plain dishonest. It is a sad commentary on this election. It is just attempting to create more division in an attempt to retain power, rather than propose things in the best interest of the nation. 

With only 1 week to the election,  it seems we can only expect more outrageous claims and misinformation. Then rather than it all being over, we can expect it will just begin the next round.

Should we be surprised at foreign troops in Russia.

 RUSSIA IS THE SECOND BIGGEST ARMS EXPORTER IN THE WORLD

THE U.S. IS FIRST

Much ado about North Korean troops seen in Russia. I would expect that a large number of foreign troops come and go in Russia. With Russia being the second biggest arms exporter we can expect troops from every country that they do business with to be in Russia at some time, maybe even some NATO members. 

It seems Ukraine now believes that the presence of North Koreans in Russia may be an excuse to send NATO or U.S. troops to come to their aid. It is pretty much confirmed that Uk, U.S., French and Polish troops are now actually in Russia fighting on the side of Ukraine. This is in Kursk region were an estimated 25,000 Ukraine and its allies troops have been reported killed. 

The reality is that we can expect North Korean, Chinese, Iranian and possibly other troops in Russia on training missions and also as observers of the present conflict. Some may also be involved in logistics support and construction. North Koreans are in fact working in many countries including some of our allies in the middle east.  

U.S. troops are now in an estimated 150 countries including some just announced going to aid in air defenses in Israel. It is very possible that some may die or be injured. 

The U.S has many thousands of foreign troops in the U.S. either for training or examining weapons for sale.  I suspect it is a very long list.

I find it hard to believe that North Korean troops in Russia is a strong case for the U.S. to enter this war, but it seems that some in the state department and intelligence community still would like that to happen. I suspect they will at least have to wait until after the election.

Pathetic closing argument,"Trump is a fascist".

 

FASCISTS USE FASCIST LABEL TO DISCREDIT OPPOSITION

We continually hear groups labeled as fascists. This label has been applied to Trump and his supporters relentlessly. Many really don't know what the term fascist means. They relate it to the socialist governments of Germany and Italy in the 1930's and 40's. It is true that these governments did fit the definition of fascist and were likely the first to be so labeled.

The American Heritage dictionary definition 1982. "A system of government that exercises a dictatorship of the extreme right, through the merging of state and business leadership, together with a belligerent nationalism".

Websters Collegiate Dictionary 1987."Political Philosophy, movement, or regime that exalts nation and often race above the individual and stands for a centralized autocratic government headed by a dictatorial leader, severe social and economic regimentation and forcible suppression of opposition".

It seems the definition has changed over time, but basically we could say that it is a government that has dictatorial and almost absolute power, or a movement that advocates a government with absolute power. It is in cooperation with business or business leaders to use their power to enhance the power of the state with a reciprocal blessing from the state. Also that the government and business use their power to silence or oppress opposition.

Can a fascist government be a government of the left, if  the above principles are in play? Also is fascist behavior or tactics limited to nationalist governments. 

While Nazi Germany is considered fascist, what is the difference in the behavior of Stalinist USSR , China's Mao or communist China today, North Korea, Cuba  or Venezuela. The common denominator of all these countries is Socialism. That is when the state is exalted over individual rights, economic freedom and liberty in general. Most socialist governments are more internationalist or global in their view.

We see many today who have been convinced that Socialism is the route to equality. In effect it has been historically proven to be just the opposite. It only comes close to equality in poverty and misery.

We have seen government continually grow and assume more power. It has exercised increasing more power and regulation of business, until possibly the biggest determining factor of success for a business is government regulation. This requires business's who attempt to protect their livelihood to continually lobby government officials, either to enact legislation to allow or protect their business from government regulation or competition. Much of this requires contributions to political candidates or parties. The politicians on both sides of these questions, just love it. They are, as long as they are in power the ultimate Alpha Dog.

While most of these activities are also regulated and legal, the crossing of the line into fascist behavior is when these businesses use their power to enhance the power of the state or suppress opposition. 

In the 2008 and 2012 election, the Obama campaign was praised as brilliant for using social media to enhance it messaging. In 2016 the Trump campaign was considered criminal for doing the same. In the 2020 campaign, and for months before, we saw social media, block, suppress and take down messaging from the conservative side. They stepped over the line into a fascist co-existence with the state.

We have seen a media that has become part of political campaigns, what would be the value of their in kind contributions? 

We have seen big Tech expend millions on election programs to enhance their agenda. This is again a fascist relationship with the state.

We have witnessed Universities that are financed by the Government, suppress opposing voices, even their administration members encouraging violence. 

It does seem that they perceive that they are losing the debate and have to go to extraordinary and repressive practices to sustain their hold on power. Is the debate on policy over, when they perceive they are losing?

We have seen Black Lives matter and Antifa, destroy cities, assault the police and opposing protesters, but they are labeled by the state and media as peaceful protesters. While anyone who should defend themselves or counter protest are white supremacists and domestic terrorists. This is all repeated and advocated for by the fascist media.

Trump and his supporters have continually been labeled fascists, but they do not have a fascist relationship with social and big media. They do not advocate more government regulation and control. They do not advocate for expanding government power over individual liberty. They do advocate obeying and enforcing the existing law and even this is labeled fascist by the true fascists.

Even in the Pandemic, Trump was careful not to tread on states rights to deal with the virus. While providing everything that was needed, he allowed the states to do as they saw appropriate for their state. Does anyone doubt that many would have loved to have expanded the power of the federal government in this crisis.  

As far as a belligerent nationalism, while Trump advocated an America first policy, he stepped back from international intervention in the affairs of other countries. While his opponents have been intervening and using belligerent American power for decades.

We see the use of language being distorted every day. We see new definitions of words, even by the dictionaries.  It is all in the quest of maintaining and expanding power of the socialist state.  A state that has increasingly become separated from the people, not representative of the people, but the ruler and arbitrator of right and wrong with ultimate power as the goal. 

We now see a rush of establishment government to endorse suppressing of dissent and freedom of speech by the private sector. A private sector that is in a fascist relationship with the existing government power. A private sector that has been reaping the benefits of its relationship through trade and regulation benefits. A sector that has helped finance voting changes that have tipped the balance toward their benefactors. Fascism plain and simple.

Now we hear threats of policy's to diminish the incomes of everyone who supports a different view. Are we now going to embark on not only a political war but an economic war. Such a war is a two way street, particularly when the base of the existing power is in areas that are not self sufficient, but dependent on the very people they wish to oppress. This idea should be dismissed quickly, or the whole nation is going to descend into an escalating decline.

We hear the coming president claim that BLM protesters would have been treated differently than those that breached the capital. We hear him label Trump supporters as white supremacists and racists. I see no effort of unity and addressing the concerns of all the people. If those who are coming to power believe that they can dismiss and attack all those who supported the policies of Trump it very likely will be the end of this experiment in self government.

This article was originally published 12/15/20, it is now updated in view of current events.

The fascist label along with white supremacy is the 2022 and 2024 talking point of the democrats. They know that they cannot win on their policies, but only in instilling fear of those who oppose their destructive policies. 7/6/2022

We now see the FBI and DOJ increasingly being used to intimidate those that oppose the agenda of this government. More fascism at work.

9/27/2022

6/4/2024  

We now see the use of the legal system and again the fascist media to attempt to eliminate the existing powers opposition, another hallmark of fascism.  The real fascists do indeed become more obvious every day.

10/24/2024. Here they go again, Trump is a fascist and a potential Hitler. While they advocate intervention around the world and suppression of political opponents at home. At the same time being aided by big business and the complicit media. It is clear who are the real fascists

BRICS is offering an alternative to present economic system.

 ALTERNATIVE, NOT REPLACEMENT

19 GOVERNMENT HEADS MEET IN KAZAN  

The 2024 BRICS meeting in now underway in Kazan, Russia. It is expected to run through the end of the week. While many describe this as a threat to the U.S. dollar supremacy, it really is not an attempt to replace the dollar as much as to offer an alternative. Both economic systems could operative cooperatively if there was a desire for that to happen. The reality is that the present system is failing and it will fail with or without a BRICS alternative. It is failing because of irresponsible debt and spending by most of the western powers. We witnessed the first signs with the 2008 debt collapse and now the ingredients are far more serious and the debts are now unsustainable. We can expect that we will be offered some sort of reset that will make everyone a lot poorer.

The world has strayed far off the path of economic solvency and honesty. 2 +2 still can only result in 4 and no one can spend themselves into prosperity. There are limits to debt and fiscal irresponsibility. The present system has lasted because there is no alternative, all money is now fiat and unbacked and no government engages in balanced budgets. 

In the 1930's the economic debate was between the Keynesian and the Austrian School of economics. The Austrians believed that money was to be an asset that was represented by currency and could be exchanged for goods and services. That governments should have a balanced budget and should not manipulate the economy by debasing the currency. This is of course a simplified explanation.

Keynesian's believed that money did not need to be backed by anything, fiat currency, and the economy could be controlled by raising and lowering interest rates. They in effect changed money from being an asset into being an instrument of government debt. They believed in running deficits to stimulate the economy and raising interest rates to suppress overheating.

Keynesian policy was adopted by Europe and the United States and our currency also became an instrument of government debt rather than an asset. Of course we see that the stimulation through deficits is never slowed by decreased spending. The theory has failed because there is no restraint on government deficits.

The New Democrats have embraced the "Modern Monetary Theory", which believes that deficits and debt are not relevant nor to be considered. The plan is to control all aspects of the economy by government spending and taxes.

With this theory they can spend on social programs without restraint, debt, deficits and even interest, as far as the government is concerned, would be eliminated. They also believe that to restrain the economy from overheating, taxes, licenses, fees etc would be raised to restrain inflation and also to target the wealthy to achieve income equality and social justice. They also propose to adopt Asset Taxes, starting with the very wealthy, but as one could imagine it would soon apply to anyone with assets.

This theory is without simple common sense and attempts to defy the laws of simple economics and human nature. Implementing such a policy would destroy the economy in short order. Their policies would force people to shift assets from paper to hard currency and simply shut down much private economic activity.

Of course, that is precisely their goal, no private economy, it would be a 100% Government controlled economy which would lead to an economy like Venezuela or Cuba.

I suspect that these policies will culminate in a worldwide economic crisis unprecedented in history.  It is not a question of if, but when, and it appears we are now in the beginning of an economic collapse in the western world.

It may be possible to escape such a crisis but it would take recognition of the errors and a plan to remedy this irresponsibility. It would cause much pain, but it could be less than a total collapse.

The dollar, gold, silver, debt and manipulation.

 ARE DOLLARS BEING USED TO BUY METALS WORLDWIDE?

IS IT THE END OF MANIPULATED MARKETS?

In recent weeks we have seen extraordinary rise in the price of gold and now silver. Gold has risen to the  all time high of over $2700 and silver has gone to $34. It is becoming clear that many foreign countries and their banks are exchanging their holdings of U.S. dollars and treasury bonds for gold and silver. This could be a response to the increasing debt of the U.S. government. Remember that these metals are sold for different prices in other currencies, depending on the currency exchange rate.

Consider this, If you were not an American and you had a choice of doing business in dollars or Chinese currency which would give you a larger choice of items that you could afford to buy, goods produced in the U.S. or goods produced in China. While this may be one example, this could apply to many other countries.

Most countries have a trade deficit in their dealings with the U.S., meaning that they sell more goods to the U.S. than they buy. So, either they need to buy products made in the U.S., buy U.S. stocks, which many are doing, invest in U.S. debt or liquidate the dollars and buy a strong store of value. It seems that increasingly both individuals and central banks are choosing to put their money into precious metals.

For many years there have been accusations that the commodities markets are manipulated by primarily U.S. major banks, possibly in cooperation with the U.S. government. The reality is that there often are more paper contracts being sold in gold and silver than metal that is in existence. This is in the futures contracts that are often in the short market and some wonder if physical possession ever takes place. The price of these commodities is mostly set by these contracts.

In recent years there is now the Shanghai commodities market and a soon to come Moscow commodities market. The Shanghai market is becoming the biggest market and is surpassing the Comex. The vast amount of these sales are being consummated with the taking of physical possession.  In the U.S. there are claims that a full year of silver production is being shorted in the commodities market. Most of this is held by 5 major banks and if they lose their  ability to control this market they will be forced to cover all their short positions with major losses.

Historically, the ratio of the gold to silver price has been between 10 and 16. This is consistent for over 4000 years. The ratio for U.S. money was 15 to 1, until we scraped the standard and just printed as much money as we wanted. Today the current ratio is 80 to 1. Is the historical ratio now irrelevant? Is gold vastly overpriced or silver underpriced? With gold at $2700, at 15 to 1 silver would make  $180 an ounce, or if gold is overpriced $510 gold.  I suspect that $510 gold will not be seen in the near future, but I will not speculate at what the honest price will be. The cost of mining these metals is very expensive, there is floor below which no metal will come on the market.

Silver is used in more ways today than in the past and we may soon see a more honest and relevant price for these metals on the world market. 

Global trade wars escalate.

 CHINA'S ELECTRIC CARS HAS THE WEST ALARMED

EUROPE TAKES CENTER STAGE

We all remember when Trump was is office he used tariff's as a tool to remove tariffs from U.S. exports and to negotiate deals to lower the trade deficit. He put tariffs particularly on steel and aluminum manufacturing because it was evident the if not protected the U.S. would soon have no domestic manufacturing. Many of the U.S. allies complained because it affected then also. but the reality is in the U.S. and in the allies situation most were refab companies that shaped Chinese steel into products like sheet or rods from bulk steel manufactured in China.

The motto was reciprocity or removing tariffs from both countries. It was also negotiated that China would buy huge amounts of U.S. grain in an attempt to lower the trade deficit. That deal has now fallen as new tariffs on silicon chips are being pursued by the U.S. 

The tariffs today are now much more an attempt to damage the economies of China and others, this is coupled  with abusive language and insults that are without a doubt counter productive. It seems these are short term emotional policies that have not taken into account the long term consequences.

Much of this started with the Ukraine conflict were in an attempt damage Russia, Europe at the insistence of the U.S. cut off their use of Russian energy products. It resulted in severely higher prices for energy, the closing of many manufacturing plants and decline in the economies in Europe. It also cost Germany their lucrative market for luxury cars in Russia.

The U.S. attempted to contain China by restricting electronic chips from the U.S. and then China began their own manufacturing and one can expect they can replace those hi end chips from Taiwan, which is only miles away and does 50% of its business with China.

Now the latest is Electric cars in Europe. The EU want near 40% tariffs on Chinese electric cars, but it appears China is ready to retaliate by tariffing luxury fashion goods and wine from France and Italy, dairy from the the netherlands and luxury cars from Germany. China is the dominate world market for those goods. This creating a serious dilemma in the Eu. Spain has refused to cooperate in these tariffs because of a threat of massive pork sales to China.

The problem is that the west is in reality dependent on China in many ways. One is that lower priced products from China has restrained the U.S. inflation rate by sending much of that devalued money overseas and keeping prices down at home.

China has near 6 billion other buyers that it cultivating through trade deals and diplomacy.  It can buy grain from Brazil, Argentina and Russia and can also buy wine from Chili. At the same time much of that world will jump at the chance to buy low priced electric cars and other goods.  

It is looking like trade war is not the answer, but it is going to a very difficult  learning experience for all involved.

Attack on Iran appears inevitable.

 ISRAEL MAY FEEL THIS IS THEIR LAST CHANCE

IRAN TELLS NEIGHBORS IT EXPECTS WAR

All indications are that Israel is going to attack Iran. It is expected they will attempt to take out their nuclear facilities and possibly their oil infrastructure. Iran is engaged in diplomatic talks with all their neighbors in the region, the message is, that they do not want war, but if attacked, they will respond in a very serious way. Some in Israel have wanted to attack the nuclear facilities for years, some in the United States are very much on board with such an attack. 

It is no secret that the some in U.S, wanted to attack Iran shortly after invading Iraq in 2003, Bush backed out and refused to go there. There was pressure and a plan while Trump was in office, he also refused. Israel may feel it is now their opportunity to attack, as they seem to have Washington behind them. The question is, can they wait until after the November election. 

At present it is reported that U.S. is moving B-52's into the region and it can be expected that Israel will not attack Iran on their own. 

There are many reports of Russia delivering sophisticated anti-aircraft missiles and electronic countermeasure equipment to Iran. There are also Russian troops in Syria and any attack may lead to a widespread conflict. The only way this conflict will be avoided will be a message to Israel from Washington that if they attack they will be on their own, an unlikely development. 

It is apparent by their support of Kamala Harris by the chief war enthusiasts the Cheney's and John Bolton that her administration will approve an attack on Iran. More of the same policies of the last 30 years.

Any such war will at the least will cause a global disruption of oil supplies and  economic crisis.

This week is also a major meeting in Kazan, Russia of the BRICS group, a major announcement about an alterative economic system is expected. A system that will be another excuse for war.

While many in Israel and many evangelical christians believe that Israel is protected by god and can never be defeated, a word of caution should remind them, that I expect they also believed that in 597 BC. A serious soul searching by all should be engaged in before risking what could be a defining moment for Israel. 

Save the dollar? "Make the dollar great again"

 FORCE WILL NOT SAVE THE DOLLAR

POLICIES THAT MAKE THE DOLLAR DESIRABLE WILL

The latest in the dilemma on how to ensure that the dollar remains the reserve currency is enacting large tariffs on any country that does not use the dollar. Not only will such policies not save the dollar but will hasten its demise. 

Whether Donald Trump is playing to the neocon crowd or sincerely believes this is a right strategy is anyone's guess. If elected, I would hope he would reanalysis this approach. Power politics and fiscal irresponsibility is what has weakened the allure of the dollar, more of the same will be its ultimate demise.

In the 1960's with the introduction of many new social programs and the VietNam war, the US. government embarked on a policy of deficit spending, spending more money than they take in taxes. Many love that policy, especially speculators and those who deal in paper assets. Savers and the financial responsible pay for these policies with lost purchasing power.

In the mid 1960s the U.S. removed silver from coins and in 1971 refused to redeem dollars with gold. It was the end of fiscal restraint in Washington. Not only do these polices weaken the buying power of savers and financially responsible citizens, but also is an attempt to defraud international partners by giving them dollars that are constantly losing value.

The first push back came from oil exporting countries whose oil is priced in dollars and the price of oil was at $3.25 a barrel. At the same time the U.S. had inflation of as high as 17%. They then formed OPEC, "Organization of the oil exporting countries", in an effort to control production and keep the price of oil at price that accounted for the U.S. inflation of it dollar.

Many exporters to the U.S. began to realize as the U.S. lost its manufacturing capacity that all those inflated dollars could only be used to invest in U.S. debt or purchase U.S assets as a hedge against that lose of purchasing power. This soon became a political weapon, first with Japan that was buying buildings, golf courses etc. Pressure was places on Japan with sanctions and ended with their 1987 stock market crash, and has not yet recovered.

China then became the major exporter and also buyer of debt, as soon as it sought to purchase U.S. assets it was time to attempt to curtail the wealth of China. At the same time the U.S. has engaged in one war after another creating more deficits that has resulted in a $35 trillion and growing debt. In last few years the dollar had been used a weapon to force the submission of anyone who should not accept U.S. rules. It has now reached a point were an alternative system is being created other than the dollar system. This came about by the U.S. lack of fiscal responsibility and its use of the dollar as a weapon.

Historically the dollar was praised as "as good as gold". It is no longer applicable and the inistance and the attempt to force its acceptance will fail. 

Only "Making the dollar great again" will accomplish the sought result. Sadly that will require a long term and painful policy that Washington is not ready to accept. Only historic suffering can wash out the delusions and fantasies of the past.

Is escalation and WW3 postponed until after election?

 LONG RANGE MISSILES & ATTACKS ON IRAN ON HOLD?

WILL ELECTION CHANGE U.S. FOREIGN POLICY?

With only 3 weeks until the election we may see a pause in the escalation of military action by both Ukraine and Israel. In Ukraine there has not as yet been any long range missiles fired into Russia, but we hear the usual propaganda from ex generals and Neocons that it is still on the table. Israel's promised major attack on Iran has not as yet materialized, it may be that the leadership in the U.S. has instructed both to cool their activities until after the election.

After the election, they will have 3 months in power, no matter who wins the election, and it may be their last opportunity to escalate these conflicts. If Harris wins, they will be assured of 4 more years to engage in their present policies. If Trump should win it will offer an opportunity to sow as much chaos around the world as possible to lay WW3 on his table. 

Either way, we can expect more chaos and a heightened risk of WW3 as soon as the election is concluded.

Ukraine is being decimated every day and the Ukraine project is destined to end in defeat unless the rules are changed to make Russia pay a heavier price. The problem is that Russia has seriously warned the west that Russia will respond with force against any country whose long range missiles are used against their country. This escalation will lead to war with NATO and a WW3 situation.

As for Israel, Iran has also warned that if Israel targets is nuclear or oil infrastructure they will be at all out war. Iran does have the capacity to seriously damage every inch of Israel and may actually have nuclear weapons. Israel would be tempted to use nuclear weapons if Iran should put their existence in jeopardy. Some in Israel have been itching to strike Iran's nuclear facilities and this has also been encouraged by many in the U.S.. Any such strike will not end Iran from securing nuclear weapons, but actually enhance that possibility. Iran could have produced nuclear weapons, but there are internal conflicts against doing so. A major attack by Israel will most likely end that debate in Iran.

In any event, it is likely that escalation will slow in the next 3 weeks, but after the election may be a very dangerous time. The present shapers of the U.S. foreign policy will not be overcome without a serious fight both internally and around the world. It will be a time of great danger to everyone.

Harris's promise of bringing prices down: NONSENSE.

 

ONLY SOUND POLICIES CAN BRING DOWN PRICES

ELECTION YEAR LIES ARE IRRELEVANT

We hear from the democrats, that if elected, I think they are now in office, they will bring down the prices of food, energy, health care, rent, mortgages and any other thing that has been experiencing record inflation. Anyone with any economic sense, which seems to be sadly scarce in today's America, knows that government cannot dictate the price of products without causing shortages and worse disruptions in the marketplace. The role of government is to enact policies that will bring about that result. The idea is to create an environment that limits the cost of production and the cost of goods by sound economic policy.

The reality is that this administration and its staff have had little or no experience in the private sector. They are the worst example of the blind attempting to create an environment of sound economic polices that they have little or no understanding about. They still believe that they, the powerful government, can pass laws, and partake in narratives and they will get results. We see this in the domestic policy and even in foreign relations, they have in fact created the worse conditions in the modern era. They have little understanding of economics or diplomacy and still believe they can use the power of the federal government to force results. These prices have all escalated while they are in power. It is the result of their policies, why don't they fix them now if they actually know how?

In the last few days I have begun to see the narrative that prices are now less than in 2020. It seems that if all else fails, just lie some more. The American people, they believe, are really dumb, if we tell them these lies they will believe us. They have do whatever it takes to win this election.

So, this morning I can across this from a women in South Carolina, who it seems is questioning the new lies.

Well, enough said, I suspect that there really are many who will be put off by the outrageous lies. It really is an insult to the American people to engage in these outrageous lies.

Ukraine setbacks continue.

  MEETING CANCELLED AS UKRAINE DEFENSES FALTER

WESTERN RESOLVE LIKELY NEAR END

The much heralded meeting in Germany has been postponed or possibly cancelled. The decision came when Joe Biden cancelled trip to Germany because of the domestic weather crisis. It comes at time when it appears some in the alliance are becoming weary of their support for the war.

Germany is now in its second year of recession with no end in sight. Its manufacturing sector, the strongest in the EU is floundering under the shortages and high cost of energy. Plants are closing and some are relocating to more affordable energy cost countries. It is unlikely that Germany can sustain its support for Ukraine.

On the eastern front the Russians are moving west at an increasing rate. It is now a pattern that Russia is able to encircle Ukrainian strongholds, which also seem to be in a pattern of fighting until surrounded, then being forced to surrender or die. Whether these are decisions from Kiev or Washington is  anyone's guess, but it is a strategy that has resulted in great loss of equipment and manpower. It seems the planners do not understand strategic withdrawal, that allows their troops to fight another day.

We have watched as this has been repeated in Maripol, Bakemut, Advika and recently in Vuhledar were 1500 troops were either captured or killed. At present there are several areas on the verge of encirclement. Fighting rather than escaping, when that result becomes evident is just poor strategy.

Without some sort of miracle, Ukraine can not last much longer. It is a reality of war that hopes and spin cannot overcome overwhelming firepower and troops in a long term conflict. Ukraine is in a position that winning is not possible and its best hope of any future is to deal with that reality, the sooner the better.

Forecasting Democrats future agenda is easy.

 THEIR PAST PERFORMANCE IS AN INDICATOR OF THEIR FUTURE POLICY

WILL WE SURVIVE ANOTHER 4 YEARS?

You could say that much of this division started with the passing of the Affordable Care Act. This bill, which affected the health care of everyone in the country, was passed without one republican vote. They had to change the rules of the Senate and publicly bribe many of their own democrat senators to pass this law. They knowingly lied to the people that if they liked their doctor, they could keep their doctor. If they liked their insurance, they could keep their insurance. It was all about political power and control of the health care industry. They used the plight of those who were uninsured to disrupt the health care of the whole country in an effort to move the country to a national health care system. A system that did not pass muster with the constitution, but they were able to keep it alive by a convoluted ruling by the Republican appointed Chief Justice himself. 

The uprising that resulted led to the democrats losing 63 seats in the house and the majority and losing 7 seats in the senate which gave them a slim 53-47 majority. 

They could have taken their time and worked for a bi-partisan effort to address the problems with healthcare, which was high quality healthcare, but a continually rising cost. Instead they used the problems to push a partisan ideological solution.

In the election of 2012 Obama was reelected, but the republicans held the house. It was obvious that the people were afraid to give them that power again.

In the election of 2014 the Republicans won 9 senate seats and now controlled the senate and the house. A Democrat state senator from California and a Democrat state representative from Connecticut were arrested and convicted for voter fraud. Voter machine irregularities occurred in Virginia, Maryland, North Carolina and Illinois. The Affordable care act was still a major issue in this election.

On February 13, 2016 Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia unexpectedly died. On Mar. 16, 2016 Obama nominated Merrick Garland to replace him. The president nominates and the Senate give advice and consent. The republican senate refused to put the nominee up for a vote. They had the constitutional right to make that decision, but the animosity over the partisan passing of ACA weighed in the decision.

During the presidency of Obama every part of the Federal government was politicized. We had the IRS use their power to restrict political organizations. The ATF engaged in gun running to Mexican cartels to create a climate for gun control that resulted in the death of a Border control officers. We saw his Justice department refuse to hand over subpoenaed documents.

We saw the Obama administration engage in regime change and foment revolution in Syria, Egypt, Libya, Ukraine and interfere in the elections in Israel and Russia. They helped in effect to finance Iranian terror and destabilization in the middle east. Their policies resulted in the destabilization of much of Europe and greatest displacement of human beings since WW2. It has resulted in the death of 100's of thousands in the middle east.

Then during and after the election of Donald Trump the FBI, State department and CIA engaged in an effort to overthrow the election, to discredit Trump, drive his popularity down and force him to resign. The Mueller investigation went on for 2 1/2 years and when they finally gave it up, within a week the Democrat controlled house set out to impeach the President for inquiring about the true corruption engaged in by the Joe Biden family in Ukraine. They had the constitutional power to engage in that and they did. They did not receive 1 Republican vote. It was nothing more than a partisan abuse of power.

We have seen four years of Democrat appointees and bureaucrats leak misleading and dishonest attacks on the president. Undercut and attempt to hinder his presidency. All in an attempt to destroy and cover up their own corruption.

We watched a viscous, slanderous and perjury laden Senate hearing for the confirmation of Brett Kavanaugh as a supreme court justice. A disgrace to the country.

Now they whine about the Republican senate actually fulfilling their constitutional duty to fill a seat on the supreme court. Not just whine, but threaten and promise, that if they regain power there will be no limit to the abuse of power they will engage in by enlarging the court, adding states to the union to control the senate forever and lower the voting age to sixteen so they can then politicize the public schools to win elections.

The last sixteen years has shown the nature of this new Democrat party, it is a party of revolution and destruction. Their goal is to destroy America as we know it and replace it with some yet to be determined Utopian illusion. This is the most important election in the history of this country. Our very survival is at stake.

Originally published 10/29/20, Now that they have obtained their goal of unlimited power, you will see their priorities, it will be insuring power forever and retribution to those that oppose their agenda. There will be little reconciliation or unifying agenda. It will very likely not end well for the United States

Update 10/9/2024

Nothing has changed, if Kamala Harris is elected we can expect a doubling down on the policies that have shaped the politics of the United States and the world. While being pictured as a change candidate, she is just another stand in for 4 more years of the same leadership that has the world on the brink of WW3.

We can only depend on ourselves when crisis strikes.

 WE ARE OUR BEST FIRST RESPONDERS

BASIC PERSONAL RESPONSIBILITY IS REQUIRED

The last week should serve as a notice to all that in reality we are responsible for providing basic necessities for ourselves in time of crisis. That does not mean that the value of neighbors and community should be ignored, but in the end no one can provide the basic necessities better than ourselves. When disaster strikes it may make all the difference between serious loss or or just a minor inconvenience.

Some basic foresight can make most natural disasters mangable for the vast majority of the population. Of course if your house is flattened by a tornado or other direct damage we have little ability to remedy such a loss.

We can and should all be preppers to some extent. We dont need 2 years of food or 100's of gallons of gasoline or other extreme preparations, but in today's world a small generator capable of running your refrigerator and freezer is a basic necessity, it should take preference to vacations and expensive dinners. Also enough fuel for a couple of days and the knowledge of how to use it. All small engines should be run on non ethanol fuel, it will ensure that it works when you need it.

We should all have several weeks of canned food on hand, enough to survive without going to a store. It does not take that much, and of course depends on the size of your family. Water, several gallons of drinking water on hand at the very least, small generators will not run the well pump.

A grill or other device with the fuel to heat water and cook is something that everyone should have.

While these are the basics, if we just imagine the loss of electric which will happen to all of us at some time, we should be able to make a list of things we will need to have on hand. 

Winter is an especially bad time to lose electric, most heating systems will not run without electric and electric heat will be unavailable unless you have a large generator. Running a generator is very expensive, but you can run it on and off to save fuel. My brother in S. Carolina just had his electric off for 9 days, it cost him $40 a day for basic electric with a mid sized generator. 

We can all expect a loss of electric sometime in the future, a little preparation can keep such events an inconvenience rather than a catastrophe.

Democrat political ads smell like desperation.

 OUTRAGEOUS FALSE CLAIMS ABOUT OPPOSITION POLICY

DEMOCRATS POLICY HAS BEEN SHOWCASED FOR 4 YEARS

My latest perception that is based on the increasingly outrageous claims by democrat politicians leads me to believe they are in a state of desperation. 

First, is their claim that Trump intends to institute a national sales tax. The reality is there is no such plan, but he has stated that he advocats putting tariffs on certain Chinese products. The Biden/Harris team is already putting tariffs on some Chinese goods and is advocating adding more.

Trump's tariffs in his administration were based on reciprocity, where tariffs were intended to be used to force trading partners to reduce or eliminate tariffs on imported goods. It seems everyone is encouraging tariffs on Chines electric cars. There should be a debate concerning tariffs, as it is two edged sword, but labeling it a sales tax is just political nonsense.

The other is the Democrats claim that all republicans want to ban abortion nationwide. I do not see any candidate for federal office that has that position. In fact, most all have rightly decided that this matter should be decided by the states. Which coincides with the Supreme court position and any law to ban abortion or to legalize abortion by the federal government will most likely be struck down as not in the prevue of the federal government.

Harris is also resurrecting the claim that they will forgive student loans, something that has already been struck down by the court, it is just more election year pandering.

Also we see claims that democrats now want to actually build a wall on the border and reduce taxes, contrary to their claim that will allow the former tax reductions to expire. They had four years to finish the border wall, but actually sold the materials to finish the wall for scrap. Present corporate taxes were adjusted to make U.S. taxes competitive to other countries in the hope of retaining business in the U.S. rather than penalizing business and forcing them to move to other countries.

Again, these outrageous claims by Democrats is an indication of their desperation in their inability to insure a margin for victory. I suspect most real voters know that their policies have been on display for the last 4 years and that these election year claims are just nonsense.

We can expect that the real policies of any Harris administration will be more of the same and probably more aggressive.

War with Iran will have global consequences.

 EVERYONE HAS INTERESTS IN EXPANDING WAR

SOME VIEW PRESENT,  LAST CHANCE TO DAMAGE IRAN

The stakes with the very possible Iran war could not be higher. This conflict would not be limited to Israel, Iran and possibly the U.S., but will reveal the the strategic interests of Russia, China and others.

An attack on Iran, long wanted by some in the United States and some in Israel will not be just a one time attempt to destabilise Iran, but will inevitably lead to a far more extensive conflict.

Israel has been concerned by Iran's nuclear program for years, it may feel it is now time to damage that program, and set it back for many years. They may feel this may be their last opportunity.  They are also threatening to attack Iran's oil producing capabilities. This will trigger oil insecurity around the world and bring China and many others, who depend on mideast oil, to feel they need to become engaged. 

At the same time, Iran is a pivotal player in the new economic order that makes it a strategic geographic player and may entice Russia to also feel their economic future is threatened.

The plans for the United States to attack Iran shortly after the Iraq invasion were aborted due to concerns of economic and global conflict. Many of the same advocates, like John Bolton and Lindsey Graham have been hoping to attack Iran in every administration since. The much heralded papers at the Mar A Lago raid had to do with a proposed attack on Iran. Much of this may be an attempt to short circuit the ability of the BRICS group from implementing their new economic alliance.

Internally, Iran is conflicted in actually possessing nuclear weapons. Many of the religious leaders feel it is an immoral proposition. If Iran really were on a fast track to nuclear weapons, they would have had them long ago. Their people are well educated and have more capabilities than Pakistan or North Korea. It is actually a wonder if they do not have nuclear weapons. 

If they do not have nuclear weapons now, they are by no means the same military power that they were 20 years ago, they have become far more capable. While many feel that they are root of all the problems in the region, they have been very carefully restrained in their responses to Israeli attacks. Much of this has been due to counselling from their proposed partners, China and Russia to not engage in a major war that could disrupt their economic future.

At present everyone is waiting for Israel's response to Iran's missile attack, which despite the reports, demonstrated that Iran does have the capability to seriously damage Israel. Israel is being encouraged by some of its U.S. supporters to attack their nuclear facilities and oil instructure. If they do, the game will be on and no one can predict were it will end.

A Story of Federal Government Corruption

BANK OF AMERICA FORCED TO FINANCE LIBERAL ACTIVIST GROUPS

EXTORTION USED TO BE ILLEGAL

This story begins in 1977 with the passage of the Community Reinvestment Act. This law was passed in an effort to make home ownership more easily accessible to low income citizens. The original law encouraged banks to lower lending standards so that more minority and low income people could qualify for mortgages.  Initially there was resistance by the banks, but as time went by the foreclosure rate was low and banks became accustomed to lowering standards in some neighborhoods. The real estate market at the time was stable with just normal growth in market values, but as time went on more pressure was exerted on banks to lower down payment requirements and to overlook poor credit ratings. The lowering of standards was encouraged by both the Clinton and Bush administrations. In 2000 HUD Secretary Andrew Cuomo promised to buy 2 trillion dollars worth of affordable mortgages through Fannie Mae and Freddie Mack. This led to competition between all lenders to lower standards till eventually there were no down payments required. It also lowered standards on all mortgages as real estate values were increasing and those that got in trouble could usually unload the properties with minimal losses. This led to the packaging of mortgages into collateralized mortgage obligations. These mortgage-backed securities were then traded and purchased by many pension funds and other entities who wanted to participate in the housing boom. When mortgages could be had for less interest than banks were paying on CD's, it became obvious to some that there was a growing problem. I also remember Alan Greenspan stating that all was well and he saw no problems on the horizon.  He stated he was shocked when all went bust, but keep in mind that he resigned in 2006 just before the market collapsed.

As home prices skyrocketed, and everyone was convinced that the best investment was real estate, many knew that the end was near. The hysteria over the real estate market came to an end when gas prices rose to $4.00 a gallon and crimped the already tight budgets of many over-mortgaged home owners. It started with the sub-prime mortgages and soon spread to many other mortgages. Investments in mortgage-backed securities plunged in value and the collapse of investment companies began.

 After Lehman Brothers went bankrupt, Countrywide and Merrill Lynch were the next in line to fail. Henry Paulson, Treasury Secretary, and Fed Chairman, Ben Bernanke, pressured Bank of America to buy Countrywide and Merrill Lynch to stop the implosion. The executives at Bank of America looked at the financials and considered backing out of the deal. The Feds then pressured them so they could not back out and assured them they needed to do this to save the financial system; furthermore, the Fed guaranteed they would help Bank of America with this deal. Bank of America lost an estimated $40 billion on the Countrywide deal alone. But that was just the beginning of their problems. When Barack Obama was elected, he did not feel he owed anyone for deals made by the former administration. His Attorney General, Eric Holder, then indicted Bank of America for fraud in the investments of Countrywide. They threatened criminal charges against the executives if they would not agree to a settlement. Bank of America executives agreed to pay 16.6 billion in August 2014.

It has now been reported by several newspapers that part of this settlement was a side deal arranged by Holder that would allow the bank to make contributions to non profit organizations specified by the administration rather than pay the settlement to the Treasury Department as required by law. The deal would allow Bank of America to take a $2 credit for every $1 they contributed to the list of several hundred qualifying organizations. This required Bank of America to contribute a minimum of $50 million to community development organizations, $20 million to affordable housing groups, and $30 million to legal aid groups. This was the minimum; there is no limit to the amount they can give.  The administration claims this is all legal because they allowed Bank of America to choose who on the list that they contributed to. This arrangement is similar to the deals that have been given to CitiGroup and probably other banks.

Now some may say that the banks deserve this ill treatment and these non-profit groups are all good causes. In reality, this is an example of government corruption at its worst. This is the type of behavior seen in third world countries and dictatorships. You have coercion and the threat of government legal and/or criminal suits if you do not lower standards, then when it all goes bust you use coercion to buy the worst companies, and then extortion to take money and give it to the administration's political supporters. This is in effect exactly what has been done. Congress is supposedly investigating this, and those who have asked to see what groups have received these funds have been told it is confidential. These are the acts of lawless politicians who now believe they can do whatever they want and it seems they may be right.

This article was originally published 1/26/16

Mideast conflict: Little hope for peace.

  BOTH SIDES TRAPPED IN RETALIATION

ESCALATION WILL NOT BENEFIT ANYONE

Yesterday, we witnessed the Israeli invasion into southern Lebanon and then the missile attack from Iran on Israel. Today, as is the pattern, we can expect an Israeli attack on Iran, probably more severe than the attack from Iran. I see no one offering a solution to this decades old pattern of tit for tat, an eye for eye and a tooth for a tooth diplomacy. Is it the eternal destiny of this region of the world?

Everyone can empathise with the frustration of Israel's never ending conflict. Many also empathise with those caught in the crossfire who have no options other than attempting to survive. No one seems to have any serious ideas of a solution that would be acceptable to all. Is complete and utter annihilation of one side or the other the only option left? Or will it end with both sides devastated to the point of utter destruction.

This conflict is now even more complicated due to alliances that have been established due to the Ukraine conflict, they have now been linked as never before. At one time there was communication and cooperation from Russia in negotiating some measure of patience and objectivity, that is now no longer possible. Global alliances are now at odds in a manner not seen since WW2. 

While no one, including myself, see an immediate solution to this crisis, we should all be able to agree the present course needs to be ended now. Israel has been conducting operations in Gaza for a year, I don't know that any progress has been made. Are things better now? Is there hope of it being better? Is the only solution the elimination of the population? Does anyone believe that operations against Iran can be successful, short of nuclear war? No one, including the United States is going to enter into a ground war in Iran. Even regime change will not change the course of this crisis.

We can place the blame for all this global crisis on the serious lack of any real diplomacy today. The present U.S. diplomacy is, send more weapons and threaten intervention by western armies. Armies that no longer are feared as they once were by many who have lost all respect for the U.S. due to its decline in respectability and substance. A sad state, that if embarked on, may take decades to correct. 

Again, the world is ready to erupt into war and increased chaos. I see no evidence that it will be avoided by the present leadership in the western world.

Ukraine: Pivotal moment in world economic order.

 CHANGES SET IN MOTION CANNOT BE REVERSED

GLOBALISMS TWO EDGED SWORD

While many still want to believe that the Ukraine war is a product of Russia's and Putin's hope to reestablish the former Soviet Union, the reality is that this conflict was in the planning, by the west, for decades. It was a plan outlined by former national security adviser Zbigniew Brzezinski and it seemed it took hold in the U.S. state department by those who followed him. The idea was that if Russia could be broken up into smaller parts it would be able to be diminished in its capacity and it would be available to the west as as source of resources. It seems we are seeing the results of this misguided adventure as the war in Ukraine is going to come to an end shortly after the next U.S. election, no matter the winner of the U.S. election.

The reaction to the war in Ukraine and the sanctions levied around the world has set in motion the greatest change in the world economic and political alliances since WW2. It is now a situation that can no longer be reversed. The best hope by the west is to adjust and manage the changes. The alternative is a global war with no winners. At present we are on the verge of just such a war.

This conflict and the sanctions used to control alliances have resulted in pushing Russia and China into an alliance that is based on the survival of both, it is unlikely they will be seperated. The use of the present monetary system as an economic and political weapon has pushed much of the world into an alliance that has divided the world into the west and soon most of the rest. It is on an unstoppable course.

The proposed tariffs and economic boycotts proposed by both candidates for president will bring about economic crisis in much of the western world. The duel edge sword of globalism will swing very hard into the consuming nations in favor of the producing nations. We are witnessing the results of these policies now.

The U.S. attempt to starve China of silicon chips has resulted in them now manufacturing their own and may soon dominate that market. At the same time they have cancelled the grain contract from the U.S. that may see a drastic drop in prices of grain in this country. This will cause the loss of many farms in this country and their impact on the domestic market may be unestimatable. Europe's coming tariffs on Chinese cars has already indicated the end of purchases of many EU products by China. This may be only the beginning.

At the same time, China is replacing their grain purchases with contracts in Russia, Brazil and other countries not part of the sanctions regime. If Russia should actually curtail their shipments of fertilizer, oil, gas, and raw materials to western countries they will be dire economic straits.

We are witnessing the new alliance shaping up that will encompass most of the nations of Asia, Africa and even South America, that can and will prosper by trading amongst themselves. Can the west prosper without trading with them?

The best hope is that an adjustment in U.S. and the west's foreign policy recognizes this new reality and commits to a policy of coexistence and cooperation rather than a system dictated by the west. 

The reality is that the U.S. through its fiscal mismanagement, corruption and hope to rule the globe has squandered its place in the world that has existed since WW2.  It no longer has the economic and political power to control these events, and it if decides to rely on its military power it will be a global catastrophe.