Advancing Time: Colonel Macgregor's View Of Ukrainian War Is Pure ...

Advancing Time: Colonel Macgregor's View Of Ukrainian War Is Pure ...: The war in Ukraine is an issue I have avoided writing about for a while mainly because it is so difficult to get true information about wha...

Colonel Macgregor's View Of Ukrainian War Is Pure Ugly

The war in Ukraine is an issue I have avoided writing about for a while mainly because it is so difficult to get true information about what is happening. This has caused many people to simply look for stories touted as news that reflect their views rather than facts. One thing has become clear and that is that Putin and Russia have not rolled over and been easily defeated. With this in mind, it is time we take a look at what Douglas Macgregor has been saying.

If you believe Colonel Douglas Macgregor the Ukraine war is a shitfest. If you want to call a spade a spade this term is appropriate. Macgregor was recently interviewed by Tucker Carlson and his view and opinion, which few Americans have heard, has merit. Whether you think this war is about turning back Russian aggression, or simply about power and money, Macgregor presents a case few Americans have considered or faced. 

We live in a time and in a world where it is difficult to gain traction when speaking out against the message and propaganda being spewed out by the mainstream media. This has resulted in Macgregor and his views being sidelined. Macgregor paints the war as a meat grinder in which the Ukrainians are being decimated. This means the war is all but over, unless we allow the warmongers to ratchet thing higher.

The warmongers are moving us towards destruction and their motivation must be questioned. Are they stupid, blinded by propaganda, greedy, or what? History shows what has become known as "proxy wars" create profits for companies manufacturing weapons. The cost, of course, is then pawned off on taxpayers and a public preoccupied with personal concerns. The problem we face today is that this may escalate as it becomes clear Ukraine is not winning the war.

This is big, by this, I refer to the situation in Ukraine and what we, as Americans are fomenting. Again, much of it is about power and money. Sadly, this is not the first time we have seen this, and this is not the first war we have entered into that has not made the world better or ended in victory. Still, this conflict is different in that Ukraine has a greater potential to escalate into becoming World War III.

Pursuing a national policy that profits the few at the detriment of the many does not generate good outcomes. Twenty-four minutes into the interview the topic turns to the financial cost of this conflict and America's national debt. Macgregor brings out the ugly numbers of waste flowing out of Washington and what Biden and are leaders are doing to America. 

As the Colonel points out many of the problems our country faces he points out there is little difference between the two political parties. He highlights this by calling the Democrats and the Republicans the Unaparty. Like many Americans he sees the swamp getting richer while the vast part of America gets poorer. Adding to his downcast appraisal of the situation he does not see a white knight coming to save us from the group currently running for president. As far as viewing this war as a shitfest, the Urban Dictionary defines shitfest as:  

1. 1) An extremely undesirable or unpleasant situation.
2. 2) An occasion or situation where only bad things are expected to happen, or a situation that is expected to become progressively worse.
3. 3) A monumental clusterf##k.

Forty-seven minutes into the interview things go totally disgusting when Tucker Carlson plays a tape of the kind of propaganda being broadcast to the masses in Ukraine. Long-time readers of the AdvancingTime blog know it has taken the stand time and time again against the whole Ukrainian thing from the get go. Ukraine has a history of corruption and its current leader who ran as an anti-war candidate is no different. 

Biden's war is a shitfest and train-wreck that few Americans seem willing to confront for what it is. This goes all the way back to President Obama, in April of 2014 an Advancing Time article titled: "War In Ukraine A Bad Idea!" warned against such an endeavor. It noted the now infamous phone comment, "F— the E.U.," by U.S. Assistant Secretary of State, Victoria Nuland, which underlines who was pushing an agenda of confrontation.

While some people hold the former President Obama in high esteem, the world has paid dearly for his sins, Remember it was Obama that reassured and almost encouraged the people of Syria to rise up and overthrow their brutal leader. Obama started a series of events that took countless lives and destroyed millions of others. Flowing from Obama's actions are the development of ISIS, the flow of millions of refugees into Europe, and the bombing and destruction of cities and innocent civilians.

As this war drags on Biden continues playing a deadly game and the people of Ukraine are his pawns. Whether Macgregor is right or wrong, the one thing many Americans would agree upon is the money we have spent we havespent in Ukraine could have been put to good use here at home. As of today that figure totals roughly five hundred dollars per man, woman, and child in America. 

(Republishing of this article welcomed with reference to Bruce Wilds/AdvancingTime Blog)

Advancing Time: The Hidden Tax Of This And That

Advancing Time: The Hidden Tax Of This And That: Life is full of hidden taxes. Governments, banks, and businesses all benefit from taking advantage of us by shifting costs and then nibblin...

The Hidden Tax Of This And That

Life is full of hidden taxes. Governments, banks, and businesses all benefit from taking advantage of us by shifting costs and then nibbling away at us. This often occurs when we are distracted by a larger attack on us coming from another direction. All this should be considered part of a larger ruse, or ploy to mask how we are being weakened by a thousand cuts. Such schemes promote the idea these "little" penalties and taxes upon us are minor tolls that must be paid for society to function rather than a theft fostered upon us. 

Of course, this is becoming much easier as we move towards a cashless society where systems allow people to pay bills without even looking at them. In general, most people have come to accept a little pilfering here and there as normal. Fighting such incursions into our lives usually fails and many people deem the effort more trouble than it is worth.

No matter how much we rile at the failure of our institutions and governments, the biggest problem we face is things will most likely get far worse. Many of the trends that are developing indicate that society is having a very difficult time adjusting to the rapid rate of change taking place. This can be seen in the large number of people that are being left behind. 

While many people have been lifted out of poverty we have also witnessed a growing percentage of the population with both physical and mental ailments. These "disabilities." often take the form of  things such as addiction, alcoholism, and eating disorders. The demographic picture unfolding across the world combined with huge government deficits does not bode well for future growth. When you mix these dysfunctional people into the demographic soup it becomes downright ugly. 

It Also Allows Him to Avoid Customers

We should expect more and more of our resources to be funneled into this deep hole created by horrible policies that weaken rather than strengthen society. Obamacare failed to achieve its goals of lowering the cost of healthcare but it is now accepted as the law of the land. Open borders benefit the immigrants flowing into our country far more than the average citizen, but it is allowed. Big companies are given huge advantages over the small businesses lining Main Street and few people care, it is just another small "tax" on the way we live. What people don't understand is that over time this has a drastic effect on the economy.

Too much of the world, too much of what we see, too much of what we are told is a lie and that is a fact. The small hidden taxes on this and that almost guarantee that further declines in both society and the financial system are likely. We are constantly bombarded with charts showing where things are going based on historical references but a question we must ask is just how relevant today's comparisons are with prior economic cycles. Changes in how the economy is structured do not take place overnight. This does not mean it will be worse, just different. 

Low Productivity, Cones But No Workers

Real growth and productivity are generally a direct result of private enterprise being able to move forward without barriers from the government constantly impeding progress. Increased productivity is a huge factor contributing to real growth. Sadly, it is becoming apparent that qualitative easing failed to bring much growth. Easy money was an experiment that did not fulfill its promise. The side effects of unlimited and false liquidity have proven toxic. They include bigger government, more regulation, less productivity, and malinvestment of capital.

The term trueflation merits a great deal more attention than it gets, how the government arrives at these numbers matter. Inflation is viewed on a year-over-year basis, which means as the higher months drop away the numbers tend to give the impression we have it on the run. This should not be seen as prices now going back to "normal" but rather that they are not moving up as fast. Unfortunately, this method of computing inflation creates a "base effect" on inflation rates setting them up for another wave higher. Inflation is not gone and this means long-term investment in government bonds remains problematic.

It is important to note that a fundamental change has occurred in the economy related to productivity. The hidden tax resulting from the acceptance of continued incompetence is no longer an exception, it is the rule. AI and all the newfangled improvements be damned, many things no-longer work and productivity is falling. Government regulation is monkey-hammering businesses, especially small businesses. High wages kill small businesses that can't afford to automate. Many small businesses are being forced to cut hours and staffing until they simply go out of existence. If you want you can declare this the plan of a government seeking to control everything and everyone.

 

(Republishing of this article welcomed with reference to Bruce Wilds/AdvancingTime Blog)

Advancing Time: Volatility Ahead, Deflation, Then Inflation, Equal...

Advancing Time: Volatility Ahead, Deflation, Then Inflation, Equal...: Deflation followed by inflation still amounts to inflation in the long run. This means when liquidity dries up the value is gone and you mus...

Volatility Ahead, Deflation, Then Inflation, Equals Inflation

Deflation followed by inflation still amounts to inflation in the long run. This means when liquidity dries up the value is gone and you must have the staying power to ride things out. Thinking you can move in and out fast enough not to be crushed may be optimistic. The future looks far from tame and it is likely investors are in for a wild ride. Remember that bad things happen when you hit a wall.

The CPI is a poor indicator of true inflation, it is rigged to give the impression everything is still in control. Decades ago, politicians and those concocting this system created it as a way to reduce the cost of living adjustments for government payments to Social Security recipients, etc. By moving to a substitution-based index and weakening other constant-standard-of-living ties those reporting inflation have muddied the water lessening the impression of just how much our cost of living is impacted by inflation. 

Other tricks were also used to give the illusion of less inflation. In cases where the quality of the product is deemed by the government to be "improved" prices in the CPI, calculations are now adjusted lower to offset the higher quality. Extending this idea the Baskin Commission Report, December 4, 1996, actually used steak and chicken as its substitution example. It is said that without these changes, Social Security checks would be more than double what they are today.

Then we have the GDP. It is created by junk numbers, which makes it a "more out of nothing at all" thing. For example, utility bills are up everywhere, and guess what? For most consumers and businesses this acts as a "not good" driver of the GDP. Another driver is government spending which tends to be a negative growth multiplier that pulls money away from the private sector. In short, the case could be may that the GDP is a big fat hoax. 

Today we are looking at an America that is running a wartime deficit at a time of peace. Considering how the GDP numbers are figured this is heavily weighted to give the impression all is well. When we think about the definition of a recession, two consecutive quarters of negative GDP, government spending makes it almost impossible to get there. Still, other factors are at work that signal trouble ahead.

A fair number of economic forecasters foresee a hard downward move in the value of assets followed by a massive rise due to inflation. It has been my experience that it is not as easy to move in and out of hard assets such as real estate or even precious metals. The bars to entry are often high with a lot of fees, many of these markets are also illiquid. This is the main reason many investors turn to stocks. 

Are You Ready To Get Jerked Around?

Adding to the difficulty of moving in and out of hard and tangible assets is trust. Who do you buy from in an uncertain market? Will you get what you pay for or will you be scammed? Most investors lack the knowledge they need when moving into different markets and generally they don't have the specialized contacts they need. In fact, the average American often does not have the financial resources to open the accounts that would allow them to invest in many markets.

This all means we should focus on several points. Often the most important ingredient when it comes to wealth preservation is not putting yourself in a position where you get squeezed out of your asset. The squeeze usually is the result of debt and over-leverage. This is especially true in volatile markets where liquidity has dried up. It is also important to remember in a world of global markets many markets are still local. The collapse of a market in one area does not mean it will drop in another or guarantee it will stay down when due to narrow short-term circumstances.

Having assets that hold their value is important. Also, not putting all your eggs in one basket is something we should remember. When the so-called experts are busy downplaying the risk of jumping in and out of various markets a red flag appears in front of my eyes. What is in it for them, do they have an agenda? "They" don't care about you. The goal is to whipsaw investors and savers out of their money. There is a reason caveat emptor, a term that means "buyer beware," remains in our vocabulary. Buyer beware is still a relevant term. 

 

(Republishing of this article welcomed with reference to Bruce Wilds/AdvancingTime Blog)

Advancing Time: China Busy Hiding Reports Of Flood Damage And Death

Advancing Time: China Busy Hiding Reports Of Flood Damage And Death: Devastating reports of flood damage and death are trickling out of China. The country has just been hit with the largest flood it has seen i...