OBAMA COMES OUT AGAINST MANDANTORY HEALTH INSURANCE COVERAGE

Of course, this was during the campaign and you certainly can't expect thim to be held to THOSE promises.



Information Liberation

POSSIBLE MUTATED FLU OUTBREAK IN EUROPE - PANDEMIC?

On the heels of reports that Baxter sent contaminated batches of vaccine to this part of the world (DisInfo) one has to wonder just what is going on.

"A DEADLY plague could sweep across Europe, doctors fear, after an outbreak of a virus in Ukraine plunged the country and its neighbours into a state of panic.

A cocktail of three flu viruses are reported to have mutated into a single pneumonic plague, which it is believed may be far more dangerous than swine flu. The death toll has reached 189 and more than 1 million people have been infected, most of them in the nine regions of Western Ukraine."


"...President Yushchenko said: “People are dying. The epidemic is killing doctors. This is absolutely inconceivable in the 21st Century.”

In a TV interview, the President added: “Unlike similar epidemics in other countries, three causes of serious viral infections came together simultaneously in Ukraine – two seasonal flus and the Californian flu

“Virologists conclude that this combination of infections may produce an even more aggressive new virus as a result of mutation.”

"...A doctor in Western Ukraine who did not want to be named, said:” We have carried out post mortems on two victims and found their lungs are as black as charcoal.

“They look like they have been burned. It’s terrifying.”

Daily Express

FRIDAY NIGHT MUSIC TIME

Got me a New Castle Brown Ale and some good music. Have a wonderful Friday evening!

CUBA MAY TURN OUT LIGHTS - MEDICAL CARE STILL FREE

While it may be a little dark Michael Moore assures us that Cuba still has the finest medical care in the world.

"Cuba has ordered all state enterprises to adopt "extreme measures" to cut energy usage through the end of the year in hopes of avoiding the dreaded blackouts that plagued the country following the 1991 collapse of its then-top ally, the Soviet Union.

In documents seen by Reuters, government officials have been warned that the island is facing a "critical" energy shortage that requires the closing of non-essential factories and workshops and the shutting down of air conditioners and refrigerators not needed to preserve food and medicine."

Alert Net

WE ARE RUNNING OUT OF GOLD! REALLY??

But what about the "Lost Dutchman"?

Seriously. How high will prices have to get before those that have gold start releasing it to the market? Everything seems to be manipulated. Is this what is happening to the gold market?

"Aaron Regent, president of the Canadian gold giant, said that global output has been falling by roughly 1m ounces a year since the start of the decade. Total mine supply has dropped by 10pc as ore quality erodes, implying that the roaring bull market of the last eight years may have further to run.

"There is a strong case to be made that we are already at 'peak gold'," he told The Daily Telegraph at the RBC's annual gold conference in London."

Telegraph

HE STARTED IT - BUSH COMPLAINS ABOUT GOVERNMENT INTERVENTION

The guy that gave us the bailouts of the "too big to fails" and the giant expansion of Medicare drug benefits is now warning about government intervention in the market? PUHLEEEEESE!!!

"Former President George W. Bush, outlining plans for a new public policy institute, on Thursday said America must fight the temptation to allow the federal government to take control of the private sector, declaring that too much government intervention will squelch economic recovery and expansion."

Washington Times

MODERN DAY BREAD LINES - GET READY FOLKS, IT'S COMING

And all the while the party continues on Wall Street. The bonuses continue to flow and the profits continue to pile up. So many similarities to 1929.

"There seems to be a growing divide in the current U.S. economy. On the one hand, you have the financial sector swimming in their bailout-induced profits like a modern day Scrooge Mcduck. In their circles, it appears as if the recession is over. On the other hand, you have average Americans seeing access to credit cards shut down, equity in their homes vanishing, and their stock portfolios looking a little too much like 1999. Then you have 35.8 million Americans, roughly 11 percent of our population, on food stamps. To this group the recession is still very much alive.

At a recent Alliance for Family Entertainment of the Association of National Advertisers, Wal-Mart gave a sobering look at the current economy:

“(NY Times) There are families not eating at the end of the month,” said Stephen Quinn, executive vice president and chief marketing officer at Wal-Mart Stores, and “literally lining up at midnight” at Wal-Mart stores waiting to buy food when paychecks or government checks land in their accounts.”

My Budet 360

LOOKING BACK TO OUR FUTURE - THE 1929 CRASH

While the real economy, the one that you and I live in continues to contract the party goes on for the investing class on Wall Street. The disconnect between their world and ours is breathtaking.

Watch this video from PBS about the 1929 crash and pay close attention to the parallels with today. We are following the same trajectory and can expect the same results. With one major difference.

Debt.

The debt load of the country and individuals will cause a collapse that will make 1929 pale in comparison. On top of this, the FED is printing money to cover this debt at such an incredible pace that our currency will be worthless.

Just as in 1929 the market is in the midst of a bubble. Speculators from around the world, certain that we are going to enter a period of incredibly high inflation due to the massive amounts of money that have been injected into the system are buying as many assets as they can. The FED has kept interest rates low to prop up our failing economy so money is cheap for those that can get it. These investors are buying up assets with 0% loans hoping that inflation will let them pay back at super cheap prices. None of the recent surge in stock prices is based on solid economic growth but on pure speculation. This bubble will burst, just like all the others.

The people that lived through the depression were tough and self reliant. Can the same be said of us today?