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Politics : The Obama - Clinton Disaster -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: Farmboy who wrote (69430)	4/6/2012 7:50:24 PM
From: GROUND ZERO™	1 Recommendation Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 103300

19 Signs Of Very Serious Economic Trouble On The Horizon Are we headed for the next great depression? Something worth considering... We are right back where we were two years ago. I would put money on 2012 being a bigger year for foreclosures than 2010," said Mark Seifert, executive director of Empowering & Strengthening Ohio's People (ESOP), a counseling group with 10 offices in Ohio. Most Americans have no idea how much economic trouble is heading our way. Most of them just assume that everything will eventually "return to normal" just like it always has before and that those running our economy "know what they are doing" and that we should trust them to do their jobs. Unfortunately, these beliefs are being reinforced by the bubble of false hope that we are experiencing right now. For example, it is being reported that weekly unemployment claims in the United States have fallen to a four-year low. That is a very good thing. Let us hope that unemployment claims go even lower and that the current period of stability lasts for as long as possible. We should enjoy these last fleeing moments of tremendous prosperity for as long as we can, because when they are gone they won't be coming back. As I noted the other day, all of this false prosperity in the United States has been financed by the 15 trillion dollar party that we have been enjoying. We are adding about 150 million dollars to our debt every single hour so that we can continue to enjoy an inflated standard of living. Unfortunately, nobody in the history of the world has ever been able to keep a debt spiral going indefinitely, and our debt bubble will burst eventually as well. Sadly, when you attempt to end (or even slow down) a debt spiral the consequences can be extremely painful. Just look at what is happening in Greece. Several waves of austerity measures have been implemented, the Greek economy has been plunged into a full-blown depression and Greek debt is still going up. The rest of the nations of the eurozone are also now implementing austerity measures, and most of them are also starting to fall into recession. The economic pain in Europe is just beginning and it will go on for quite a long time. And eventually the United States is going to join the pain. Right now the U.S. government can still borrow trillions of dollars at super low interest rates thanks to games being played by the Federal Reserve. But it is simply not possible for this Ponzi scheme to last too much longer. When it ends, the pain will be extremely great. And even in the short-term there are some extremely troubling signs for the U.S. economy. The following are 19 signs of very serious economic trouble on the horizon.... #1 According to one new survey, approximately one-third of all Americans are not paying their bills on time at this point. #2 The U.S. housing industry is bracing for another huge wave of foreclosures in 2012. The following is from a recent Reuters article.... "We are right back where we were two years ago. I would put money on 2012 being a bigger year for foreclosures than 2010," said Mark Seifert, executive director of Empowering & Strengthening Ohio's People (ESOP), a counseling group with 10 offices in Ohio. #3 The Citigroup Economic Surprise Index, a key indicator watched by many economists, is on the verge of heading into negative territory. #4 We are supposed to be in the middle of an economic recovery in the United States, but bad news just keeps pouring in from major companies. For example, Yahoo is firing thousands of workers and Best Buy is closing dozens of stores. #5 Richard Russell says that the "big money" is starting to quietly exit from the financial markets.... "My guess is that this is the big money that has been holding off as long as it decently can -- and then dumping their goods just before the close. I don't think the big money likes this market, and I think they have been slowly exiting this market, as quietly as they can." #6 Goldman Sachs is projecting that the S&P 500 will fall by about 11 percent by the end of 2012. #7 All over the country, local governments are going into default and we have not even entered the next recession yet. #8 The U.S. government will add more to the national debt in 2012 than it did from the time that George Washington became president to the time that Ronald Reagan became president. #9 The Federal Reserve is desperately trying to control interest rates. The Fed purchased approximately 61 percent of all government debt issued by the U.S. Treasury Department in 2011. This is the only thing that is keeping interest rates in the United States from soaring dramatically. #10 German industrial production is falling at a pace that is far faster then expected. #11 Italy's debt-to-GDP ratio is now up to 120 percent. #12 The Spanish government admitted on Tuesday that Spain's debt-to-GDP ratio will rise by more than 11 percent this year alone. #13 Yields on Spanish bonds are rising to dangerous levels. #14 The Spanish government is projecting that the unemployment rate in Spain will exceed 24 percent by the end of the year. #15 Unemployment in the eurozone as a whole has risen for 10 months in a row and is now at a 15 year high. #16 In the aftermath of a 77-year-old retiree killing himself in front of the Greek parliament in protest over pension cuts, the economic rioting in Greece has flared back up dramatically. #17 At this point, Greece is experiencing an economic depression with no end in sight. Some of the statistics coming out of Greece are really hard to believe. For example, one port town in Greece now has an unemployment rate of approximately 60 percent. #18 The IMF is asking the United States to contribute more money for European bailouts. #19 At this point, even some of our top scientists are projecting economic trouble. For example, researchers at MIT are projecting a " global economic collapse" by the year 2030 if current trends continue. But the truth is that we will experience a "global economic collapse" long before 2030 comes rolling around. Let us hope that we still have at least several more months of economic prosperity in the United States before things really fall apart. The truth is that the vast majority of Americans need more time to prepare for what is coming. Sadly, most Americans are not preparing. Most Americans have blind faith that those in positions of power are going to fix everything and set us on the path to even greater prosperity than ever before. Unfortunately, all Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke and Barack Obama have been doing is kicking the can down the road and making our eventual collapse much worse. As many of us have painfully learned, you can run from debt for a while, but you can't hide from it forever. Eventually debt catches up with you, and when it does it can be very cruel. The 15 trillion dollar party is coming to an end, and the consequences of decades of very foolish decisions are going to fall on this generation. theeconomiccollapseblog.com Message 28066251 GZ

To: Farmboy who wrote (69430)	4/6/2012 10:09:28 PM
From: lorne	2 Recommendations Read Replies (2) \| Respond to of 103300

Military board: Tea Party Marine who slammed Obama on Facebook should be dismissed By Associated Press usnews.msnbc.msn.com CAMP PENDLETON, Calif. -- A Marine who criticized President Barack Obama on his Facebook page has committed misconduct and should be dismissed, a military board recommended late Thursday. The Marine Corps administrative board made the decision after a daylong hearing at Camp Pendleton for Sgt. Gary Stein. The board also recommended that Stein be given an other-then-honorable discharge. That would mean Stein would lose his benefits and would not be allowed on any military base. The board's recommendations go to a general who will either accept or deny them. If the general disagrees with the board, the case could go to the secretary of the Navy. Vote: Should Marine be kicked out? Stein's lawyers argued that the 9-year Marine, whose service was to end in four months, was expressing his personal views and exercising his First Amendment rights. "We're truly surprised and disappointed but it was an honor to fight for a hero like Sgt. Stein and every other Marine's right to speak freely," Stein's defense attorney Marine Capt. James Baehr said. Free speech groups line up to back Tea Party Marine Stein addressed board members during Thursday's hearing, telling them he loved the Marine Corps and wanted to re-enlist, Baehr said. During the hearing, the prosecutor, Capt. John Torresala, said Stein went as far as superimposing images of Obama's face on a poster for the movie "Jackass." Torresala argued that Stein's behavior repeatedly violated Pentagon policy that limits the free speech rights of service members, and said he should be dismissed after ignoring warnings from his superiors about his postings. The government submitted screen grabs of Stein's postings on one Facebook page he created called Armed Forces Tea Party, which the prosecutor said included the image of Obama on the "Jackass" movie poster. Stein also superimposed Obama's image on a poster for "The Incredibles" movie that he changed to "The Horribles," the prosecutor said. Security clearance removed Torresala also said anti-Obama comments by Stein that were posted on a Facebook page used by Marine meteorologists were prejudicial to good order and discipline, and could have influenced junior Marines. Stein's security clearance was taken away and he has no future in the Marine Corps because he can't do his job without that clearance, Torresala said. "The Marine Corps community views the command's lack of action as some kind of knock on good order and discipline," Torresala said. "Our own people are questioning why this Marine is not being held accountable." Baehr said during the hearing that prosecutors were trying to dredge up any damaging information they could against Stein. "There is no basis in this case," Baehr said. "Sgt. Stein has broken no law." Baehr expressed after the hearing that he hoped that the recommendation would be rejected by the general, saying the case will go forward. "The issues are too important for this to end today," he said. The military has had a policy since the Civil War of limiting the free speech of service members, including criticism of the commander in chief. Pentagon directives say military personnel in uniform cannot sponsor a political club; participate in any TV or radio program or group discussion that advocates for or against a political party, candidate or cause; or speak at any event promoting a political movement. Commissioned officers also may not use contemptuous words against senior officials. 'Dangerous' Backed by a team of lawyers and congressmen, Stein has said he is fighting for his constitutional rights and should be allowed to stay in the military. His lawyers and the American Civil Liberties Union contend his views are protected by the First Amendment. "Think about how dangerous this could be if the U.S. government can prosecute you for something you say on your private Facebook page," Baehr said. Stein has said his opinions are his own and has put a disclaimer on his Facebook page saying so. His attorneys argued service members have a right to voice their opinions as long as they do not appear to be presenting their views as being endorsed by the military. They say the Pentagon policy is vague and military officials do not understand it. The Marine Corps has said it decided to take administrative action after Stein declared on Facebook that he would not follow orders from Obama and later clarified that statement saying he would not follow unlawful orders. Stein could face other-than-honorable discharge while seeing his rank reduced to lance corporal and losing his benefits. The nine-year veteran was set to finish his service in four months. Desk job He said he was removed from his job at the Marine Corps Recruiting Depot in San Diego last month and given a desk job with no access to computers. Rep. Duncan Hunter, R-Calif., a former Marine, wrote a letter to Stein's commanding officer stating the sergeant should not face dismissal for an opinion shared by a majority of Marines. Hunter said he was referring to Stein's statement that he would not obey unlawful orders. Rep. Darrell Issa, R-Calif., also expressed support for Stein. Stein said his statement about Obama was part of an online debate about NATO allowing U.S. troops to be tried for the Quran burnings in Afghanistan. In that context, he said, he was stating that he would not follow orders from the president if it involved detaining U.S. citizens, disarming them or doing anything else that he believes would violate their constitutional rights.