We HAVE medicaid, everyone/anyone can get medical care @ ER. We ALL have HC access. HC 'reform' = HC 'bailout'. Period...
This is so obviously what is going on with the entire health care debate. It is designed NOT to provide 'quality, affordable health care to all Americans' It is designed to pump 'tax payer dollars' into insurance companies, hospitals, doctors and drug companies.
Mandated coverage is unconstitutional and illegal.
STOP stealing money from Americans to bail out financial firms, insurance industry and drug companies! Trillions to the banks, AIG, auto companies, mortgage companies was ENOUGH!
You are going to destroy our country with your wild speculative 'gambles' to reflate an economy that is already gone. The consumer has finally wised up to the fact that corporations have been legally stealing from them for decades with the assistance of a greedy corrupt government. Government is OWNED by lobbyists! Everyone KNOWS this now!
Cease and desist your kleptocratic activities immediately!
Gregory S. Phillips
www.warlords2010.blogspot.com 'for details...
I write my representatives. If you are an American you should do the same. Tell them we have had ENOUGH of them STEALING our money!
Greg
Wednesday, October 28, 2009
Monday, October 26, 2009
Understand what tyrant means
Main Entry: ty·rant
Pronunciation: \ˈtī-rənt\
Function: noun
Etymology: Middle English tyraunt, from Anglo-French tyran, tyrant, from Latin tyrannus, from Greek tyrannos
Date: 14th century
1 a : an absolute ruler unrestrained by law or constitution b : a usurper of sovereignty
2 a : a ruler who exercises absolute power oppressively or brutally b : one resembling an oppressive ruler in the harsh use of authority or power
Draw your own conclusions...
Greg
Video: Peter Schiff issues a Red Alert “Get out of the US dollar”
See what Peter Schiff has to say about what is going on with our economy, our government and the US dollar...
Thursday, October 22, 2009
Doom & gloom
I really don't feel that great about possibly being considered a 'doom & gloomer'... Yet to *me* the charges in this video are very serious and alarming. And as I personally recall the events as they happened myself, I must say, it all adds up. I have a very difficult time arguing against the validity of these claims...
Debt, greed & corruption
To me what we have are debt issues, throughout the economy. If anyone is to be 'bailed out' it should be the consumer as they represent 70% of our economy. Our entire economy was built on credit. There was no real underlying economy to begin with. That is why it has disappeared like a puff of smoke.
Greed and corruption are the true causes of this crisis.
The politicians count on the corporations for cash and the corporations count on the American people for cash. That in and of itself might be ok. But the corruption and greed took over our entire economy, yea, I say, our entire culture/society.
In my opinion there is a potential flaw with capitalism when it becomes the goal of all corporations to grow share value above ALL ELSE. To suck and suck and suck as much 'fiat currency' as possible as fast as possible from the source (ie; the American people). But then we find out that not only the American people have huge debt issues but so does our government, at all levels and so do our corporations themselves...
We have place too much importance on the accumulation of wealth and material things... (Think Rome... lol)
IMO, we should 'allow/force' the bankruptcies of about 40% of our corporations, the ones that should prob already be gone. And we should 'allow/force' the bankruptcy of all Americans who have gotten themselves in way over their head. All the debt must be wiped out to repair this economy.
It CANNOT be fixed by the current strategy of merely piling on more and more debt!
No one has yet addressed any of the true problems that got us where we are now. We need usury laws for one thing. We need to stop either corporations from being stupid enough to CHARGE 20% and 30% interest rates (ie; loans to people who should NOT have loans) OR we need to stop people who are stupid enough to PAY 20% or 30% interest rates. This is a problem that needs to be fixed.
Greed drove the dot com bubble/crash. Greed and corruption have driven the housing bubble/crash.
We have all stood by and watched greedy corporations 'legally steal' from the mental midgets in our economy with the blessings of our corrupt government. THAT is the problem! That is what we need to fix.
There is currently much 'fear' in this country. That too needs to be addressed. 'Fear' unchecked may easily lead to anger. Anger unchecked is something we would rather not have to deal with at all. At the moment most of the angst is pointing in the direction of Washington and corporate America.
Is it any wonder?
Greg
Greed and corruption are the true causes of this crisis.
The politicians count on the corporations for cash and the corporations count on the American people for cash. That in and of itself might be ok. But the corruption and greed took over our entire economy, yea, I say, our entire culture/society.
In my opinion there is a potential flaw with capitalism when it becomes the goal of all corporations to grow share value above ALL ELSE. To suck and suck and suck as much 'fiat currency' as possible as fast as possible from the source (ie; the American people). But then we find out that not only the American people have huge debt issues but so does our government, at all levels and so do our corporations themselves...
We have place too much importance on the accumulation of wealth and material things... (Think Rome... lol)
IMO, we should 'allow/force' the bankruptcies of about 40% of our corporations, the ones that should prob already be gone. And we should 'allow/force' the bankruptcy of all Americans who have gotten themselves in way over their head. All the debt must be wiped out to repair this economy.
It CANNOT be fixed by the current strategy of merely piling on more and more debt!
No one has yet addressed any of the true problems that got us where we are now. We need usury laws for one thing. We need to stop either corporations from being stupid enough to CHARGE 20% and 30% interest rates (ie; loans to people who should NOT have loans) OR we need to stop people who are stupid enough to PAY 20% or 30% interest rates. This is a problem that needs to be fixed.
Greed drove the dot com bubble/crash. Greed and corruption have driven the housing bubble/crash.
We have all stood by and watched greedy corporations 'legally steal' from the mental midgets in our economy with the blessings of our corrupt government. THAT is the problem! That is what we need to fix.
There is currently much 'fear' in this country. That too needs to be addressed. 'Fear' unchecked may easily lead to anger. Anger unchecked is something we would rather not have to deal with at all. At the moment most of the angst is pointing in the direction of Washington and corporate America.
Is it any wonder?
Greg
Tuesday, October 20, 2009
Are 'they' succeeding?
'They' are not 'fixing' our economy... 'They' are, and have been all along, merely slowing things down... buying themselves some time. 'They' understand completely that everything about the United States of America is coming unraveled at the seams... Spiraling wildly out of control, only more 'slowly' now. 'They' whisper sweet little lies in our ear... 'green shoots', 'the recession is over', 'unemployment numbers are 'better' now', 'unemployment is a 'lagging' indicator', 'earnings are better', 'the market has recovered'. 'They' merely 'paint the picture' 'they' wish us to see... While, in the background, 'they' work feverishly, throwing every idea anyone can come up with at the problems that now face us as a country. Nothing is sticking...
It is all unraveling...
There was just too much leverage involved, too much greed and corruption to be fixed with the lowering of an interest rate here, the changing of an accounting rule there...
I often see it stated in news articles that the government, that the Federal Reserve, has pumped trillions of dollars into our 'economy' in an effort to 'save us'... 'They' haven't pumped ANY money into the economy at all... WE are the economy in this country! All the MONEY has gone to the banks (that wonderful 'recapitalization' we have heard so much about, that very simply means 'we gave all your money to the banks'). 'They' want still MORE of our money to hand over to insurance companies now! And the drug companies are likely next in line...
'They' nibble around the edges of our problems while offering us flowery, optimistic prose. 'They' are OWNED by the special interest groups... there isn't really much 'they' can do...
So we are involved in a 'slow motion' collapse now... It is all 'they' have to offer us. Stretch out the hardship over a longer period of time so that it doesn't ALL come crashing down at once!
Our social safety net(s) are in NO condition at all to deal with problems the magnitude of those we have. Nearly ALL of our states are broke also! There IS NO MONEY! Tax revenue is a thing of the past... It is crashing EVERYWHERE, at every level of government. Everything is bankrupt. The BANKS STILL do not understand! The banks will throw a mother and her two kids on the street in a heartbeat IF they think they can turn a quick buck on a foreclosure. I saw today that most of the banks are desperately seeking ways to increase earnings at all costs. The likely answer? FEES! More fees! Fees for everything you can imagine... Our entire financial system, the corporate elites, are STUPID! They have NO common sense at all! They create hardship and strife and leave that for the government to clean up... The financial elites destroy the very people they seek to rob and discard...
Our problem IS money people... Money rules our world as never before. I look forward to the day when it is WORTHLESS! I look forward to the day when 'people' rule themselves without the interference of kleptocratic governments! The money, the wealth, the greed and the corruption have ruined all that was once good about our country. How did we ever stand by and allow such a disaster to occur? What were we thinking? What are we thinking now?
That government is going to ride in on a white horse and save us all?
Well... it's not working. But 'they' do not want you to know that it's not working... The last thing 'they' want you to understand is what dismal failures 'they' really are... 'They' continue to 'pretend' that everything is going to be just fine... There really is nothing 'they' can do to save us. Not this time... And... things are NOT going to be just fine... What is left is for US, we the people, to deal with the mess 'they' have created for us.
It's 'time' we all get back to what life is really all about... Not health care and cap and trade, but faith, love, joy, liberty. The betterment of mankind. The evolution of human beings...
Don't take it from me...
Please watch this youtube video for a knowledgeable second opinion...
Greg
It is all unraveling...
There was just too much leverage involved, too much greed and corruption to be fixed with the lowering of an interest rate here, the changing of an accounting rule there...
I often see it stated in news articles that the government, that the Federal Reserve, has pumped trillions of dollars into our 'economy' in an effort to 'save us'... 'They' haven't pumped ANY money into the economy at all... WE are the economy in this country! All the MONEY has gone to the banks (that wonderful 'recapitalization' we have heard so much about, that very simply means 'we gave all your money to the banks'). 'They' want still MORE of our money to hand over to insurance companies now! And the drug companies are likely next in line...
'They' nibble around the edges of our problems while offering us flowery, optimistic prose. 'They' are OWNED by the special interest groups... there isn't really much 'they' can do...
So we are involved in a 'slow motion' collapse now... It is all 'they' have to offer us. Stretch out the hardship over a longer period of time so that it doesn't ALL come crashing down at once!
Our social safety net(s) are in NO condition at all to deal with problems the magnitude of those we have. Nearly ALL of our states are broke also! There IS NO MONEY! Tax revenue is a thing of the past... It is crashing EVERYWHERE, at every level of government. Everything is bankrupt. The BANKS STILL do not understand! The banks will throw a mother and her two kids on the street in a heartbeat IF they think they can turn a quick buck on a foreclosure. I saw today that most of the banks are desperately seeking ways to increase earnings at all costs. The likely answer? FEES! More fees! Fees for everything you can imagine... Our entire financial system, the corporate elites, are STUPID! They have NO common sense at all! They create hardship and strife and leave that for the government to clean up... The financial elites destroy the very people they seek to rob and discard...
Our problem IS money people... Money rules our world as never before. I look forward to the day when it is WORTHLESS! I look forward to the day when 'people' rule themselves without the interference of kleptocratic governments! The money, the wealth, the greed and the corruption have ruined all that was once good about our country. How did we ever stand by and allow such a disaster to occur? What were we thinking? What are we thinking now?
That government is going to ride in on a white horse and save us all?
Well... it's not working. But 'they' do not want you to know that it's not working... The last thing 'they' want you to understand is what dismal failures 'they' really are... 'They' continue to 'pretend' that everything is going to be just fine... There really is nothing 'they' can do to save us. Not this time... And... things are NOT going to be just fine... What is left is for US, we the people, to deal with the mess 'they' have created for us.
It's 'time' we all get back to what life is really all about... Not health care and cap and trade, but faith, love, joy, liberty. The betterment of mankind. The evolution of human beings...
Don't take it from me...
Please watch this youtube video for a knowledgeable second opinion...
Greg
Monday, October 19, 2009
Legislating lifestyles
So now 'they' want to run health care...
You know, it might be different if our kleptocratic government had proven, in the past, that 'they' could run ANYTHING right! Look around... The post office is bankrupt, medicare/medicaid is bankrupt, social security is bankrupt, the FHA and the FDIC are bankrupt, the entire financial system is 'insolvent' to use a polite term...
So now our entire medical industry, starting, only starting, with the SCANDALOUS insurance companies, is about to go 'belly up'...
Who among us us is 'foolish' enough to believe that 'health care reform' has ANYTHING to do with laudable goals like 'quality, affordable health care for all Americans'? Raise your hands... please... I want to know who you are lol
Health care 'reform' is OBVIOUSLY a MASSIVE bailout! Like none we have ever seen before...
What really set me off (this time...) is what I have been hearing about lately, over the past several days... That some of the health care 'bills', including the senate version, allows insurance companies to extract much larger premiums from Americans who are 'deemed' to lead an 'unhealthy' lifestyle. WHO will be determining WHAT is an unhealthy lifestyle?! The insurance companies themselves?! The government?! Come on!
What ELSE may constitute an 'unhealthy' lifestyle in the future?! Lack of membership in a gym maybe?! Are mandatory fitness regimes next?
It is 'OBVIOUSLY' unconstitutional, as if anyone still cares, for our kleptocratic 'leaders' to mandate the purchase of ANY 'product' from ANY 'private' company/industry/sector. It's unheard of. It's unimaginable... This should have been thrown out by some court somewhere before the words were ever spoken.
We have luxury taxes and we have sin taxes... Not saying we SHOULD have them but we do. The federal government already instituted a huge tax increase on the 20/25% of the population who smoke. Now 'they' nonchalantly discuss taxing soda pop... 'They' are looking at a multitude of ways to 'come after our money'...
So now 'they' are about to annoint 'themselves' with the power to TAX Americans based solely on their 'lifestyle'?! If I were gay, which I'm not, I would be ready to duck... I'm not a homophobe or any of that... I'm just saying that AIDS treatments are expensive... I have seen stats purporting that gays (men?) have quite a bit shorter lifespan than straights. Now I'm far from an expert in that field and, so, will leave it right there... But, do we really want to allow the government to give 'themselves!' the power to tax anything 'they', or insurance, companies determine to be an 'unhealthy lifestyle'???
Maybe it's just me... But I think not...
I do not understand why it is not perfectly clear to every individual in this country that our problem(s) are nothing more than greedy, corrupt politicians driven by special interest lobbies! It's that simple... The insurance industry is OBVIOUSLY one of the worse, along with, you guessed it, the financial industry, the pharmaceutical industry, even our military these days is eaten up with & by special interest groups... Many more remain unnamed here...
We have a financial implosion going on this very second. Though you would be hard pressed to hear anything about it from the government or the main stream media. No jobs, foreclosures... Please try to understand, please try to share with everyone you know, the 'fact' that what is being attempted, by the kleptocrats, is the theft of OUR money with the SOLE PURPOSE of handing it DIRECTLY to the insurance companies!
It is NOT for us! It is for them! It is the largest grand theft of human history in the making. Do you really think 'they' will stop there? The banks have 24 trillion, or so, of OUR dollars right now! Now 'they' are coming after TRILLIONS MORE for... insurance companies. Is that what you want? To have the government end up taking every dime you make to give it to a bank, an insurance company, a pharmaceutical company? Federal employees? State and county employees? The unemployed? The sick? The poor? The homeless? The needy? The stupid? Where can it ever end?
'They' WILL ram and cram something down our throats... that you can depend on. You can also depend on the fact that it WILL cost you money. Likely a lot of it.
This is all only just now beginning people... If we do NOT get a handle on it soon it may be too late to do it. Short of full blown revolution and civil war. No one wants that... Please help me rid ourselves of the kleptocrats in Washington and 'vampires' in corporate America that are too STUPID to have ever pondered what might happen if they DESTROYED their entire customer base!
Come on people and think about what's going on in this country... The entire medical system is nothing but a fraud. It's ALL about money! The drug companies are ONLY about getting as many people as possible on as many drugs as possible! The doctors and hospitals are ONLY about performing as many tests and as many procedures on as many people as possible! The insurance companies are ONLY about selling insurance to as many (healthy) people as possible! It's nothing new! It's ALL about money! Just like it ALWAYS IS!
For ONCE lets ALL stand up and say 'NOT this time!'
Do you not, can you not see how 'they' all work together in a massive effort to take YOUR money?!
Help me end it all in one of two ways... Either don't spend anything at all above and beyond what is absolutely necessary, (this is my choice) or, alternatively, go out and get every line of credit you can possibly get your hands on and BUY everything you ever DREAMED of owning and never make ONE DIME of payments toward ANY of the purchases.
Both can be 'fun' and both will work to eliminate the greedy corrupt FRAUDSTERS from our economy. Peaceful dissent is the way to go. Peaceful civil disobedience is the way to go.
Merely STOP playing 'their' game by 'their' rules!
It's up to us... You know... 'we the people'... We Americans. We know how to say ENOUGH! We know how to say 'SHUT UP!' We know how to say 'YOU'RE FIRED!'
I do, however, expect election/voter fraud in 2010 and beyond like we have NEVER seen before in this country. It's going on already, all around the world... It will happen here too. Will you be mice? Or will you be men?
Greg
You know, it might be different if our kleptocratic government had proven, in the past, that 'they' could run ANYTHING right! Look around... The post office is bankrupt, medicare/medicaid is bankrupt, social security is bankrupt, the FHA and the FDIC are bankrupt, the entire financial system is 'insolvent' to use a polite term...
So now our entire medical industry, starting, only starting, with the SCANDALOUS insurance companies, is about to go 'belly up'...
Who among us us is 'foolish' enough to believe that 'health care reform' has ANYTHING to do with laudable goals like 'quality, affordable health care for all Americans'? Raise your hands... please... I want to know who you are lol
Health care 'reform' is OBVIOUSLY a MASSIVE bailout! Like none we have ever seen before...
What really set me off (this time...) is what I have been hearing about lately, over the past several days... That some of the health care 'bills', including the senate version, allows insurance companies to extract much larger premiums from Americans who are 'deemed' to lead an 'unhealthy' lifestyle. WHO will be determining WHAT is an unhealthy lifestyle?! The insurance companies themselves?! The government?! Come on!
What ELSE may constitute an 'unhealthy' lifestyle in the future?! Lack of membership in a gym maybe?! Are mandatory fitness regimes next?
It is 'OBVIOUSLY' unconstitutional, as if anyone still cares, for our kleptocratic 'leaders' to mandate the purchase of ANY 'product' from ANY 'private' company/industry/sector. It's unheard of. It's unimaginable... This should have been thrown out by some court somewhere before the words were ever spoken.
We have luxury taxes and we have sin taxes... Not saying we SHOULD have them but we do. The federal government already instituted a huge tax increase on the 20/25% of the population who smoke. Now 'they' nonchalantly discuss taxing soda pop... 'They' are looking at a multitude of ways to 'come after our money'...
So now 'they' are about to annoint 'themselves' with the power to TAX Americans based solely on their 'lifestyle'?! If I were gay, which I'm not, I would be ready to duck... I'm not a homophobe or any of that... I'm just saying that AIDS treatments are expensive... I have seen stats purporting that gays (men?) have quite a bit shorter lifespan than straights. Now I'm far from an expert in that field and, so, will leave it right there... But, do we really want to allow the government to give 'themselves!' the power to tax anything 'they', or insurance, companies determine to be an 'unhealthy lifestyle'???
Maybe it's just me... But I think not...
I do not understand why it is not perfectly clear to every individual in this country that our problem(s) are nothing more than greedy, corrupt politicians driven by special interest lobbies! It's that simple... The insurance industry is OBVIOUSLY one of the worse, along with, you guessed it, the financial industry, the pharmaceutical industry, even our military these days is eaten up with & by special interest groups... Many more remain unnamed here...
We have a financial implosion going on this very second. Though you would be hard pressed to hear anything about it from the government or the main stream media. No jobs, foreclosures... Please try to understand, please try to share with everyone you know, the 'fact' that what is being attempted, by the kleptocrats, is the theft of OUR money with the SOLE PURPOSE of handing it DIRECTLY to the insurance companies!
It is NOT for us! It is for them! It is the largest grand theft of human history in the making. Do you really think 'they' will stop there? The banks have 24 trillion, or so, of OUR dollars right now! Now 'they' are coming after TRILLIONS MORE for... insurance companies. Is that what you want? To have the government end up taking every dime you make to give it to a bank, an insurance company, a pharmaceutical company? Federal employees? State and county employees? The unemployed? The sick? The poor? The homeless? The needy? The stupid? Where can it ever end?
'They' WILL ram and cram something down our throats... that you can depend on. You can also depend on the fact that it WILL cost you money. Likely a lot of it.
This is all only just now beginning people... If we do NOT get a handle on it soon it may be too late to do it. Short of full blown revolution and civil war. No one wants that... Please help me rid ourselves of the kleptocrats in Washington and 'vampires' in corporate America that are too STUPID to have ever pondered what might happen if they DESTROYED their entire customer base!
Come on people and think about what's going on in this country... The entire medical system is nothing but a fraud. It's ALL about money! The drug companies are ONLY about getting as many people as possible on as many drugs as possible! The doctors and hospitals are ONLY about performing as many tests and as many procedures on as many people as possible! The insurance companies are ONLY about selling insurance to as many (healthy) people as possible! It's nothing new! It's ALL about money! Just like it ALWAYS IS!
For ONCE lets ALL stand up and say 'NOT this time!'
Do you not, can you not see how 'they' all work together in a massive effort to take YOUR money?!
Help me end it all in one of two ways... Either don't spend anything at all above and beyond what is absolutely necessary, (this is my choice) or, alternatively, go out and get every line of credit you can possibly get your hands on and BUY everything you ever DREAMED of owning and never make ONE DIME of payments toward ANY of the purchases.
Both can be 'fun' and both will work to eliminate the greedy corrupt FRAUDSTERS from our economy. Peaceful dissent is the way to go. Peaceful civil disobedience is the way to go.
Merely STOP playing 'their' game by 'their' rules!
It's up to us... You know... 'we the people'... We Americans. We know how to say ENOUGH! We know how to say 'SHUT UP!' We know how to say 'YOU'RE FIRED!'
I do, however, expect election/voter fraud in 2010 and beyond like we have NEVER seen before in this country. It's going on already, all around the world... It will happen here too. Will you be mice? Or will you be men?
Greg
Thursday, October 15, 2009
Everything costs too much
"Jason Apple, a food scientist and beef specialist with the University of Arkansas, said older cows -- 36 months or so -- culled/crippled cows and heifers as well as older dairy cows are commonly slaughtered for hamburger."
This includes Angus beef of course...
I like to try to find information on the net from people who at least seem to know what they're talking about...
"Our family buys a half a steer (approx 400 lbs net) each summer when the commodity price for beef is around $70 per 100 lbs live weight. At that price, the average cost for all cuts of meat ends up being $1.80/lb (after trimming and processing costs). That includes 60 lbs of 90% lean ground beef, as well as better cuts of meat such as Filet Mignion and roasts. So I'd say that 90% lean ground beef needs to be selling for less than $1.80/lb to be a good deal."
I guess we have to assume that when McDonald's wants 3.99 for their 'new' 1/3 pound Angus burger that it's 'worth' that... Never mind the simple math that equates to charging 12.00 a pound for Angus hamburger...
For the sake of argument, say McDonald's pays 2.00 a pound for Angus hamburger... That means, in meat cost, they would have less than $1.00 invested in their 'new' Angus 1/3 pound burger. Throw in a bun and a little lettuce and what not and you have their burger. I'd be very surprised if they have much more than $1.00 in total cost in that burger... The one they want 4.00 for.
Of course we all know, because we have been 'told', that meat, bun and condiment prices are not all the costs McDonald's has to deal with... They have a higher minimum wage, government mandates, taxes, payroll, buildings, services, supplies, insurance, and equipment to cover. Just to mention a few of their additional expenses.
Of course the 'idea' is to 'cover' all these costs by making enough 'profit' on the products you sell. Not to pick on McDonald's here, the same applies to all business of course.
You have, on one hand, the 'expenses' of running a business while on the other hand you have the profit potential of the product(s) you sell. When your 'profits' exceed your 'costs' that's a good thing... That's pretty much what capitalism is all about... The offer of goods and services to consumers at a fair and competitive price.
But, to me, this is where things get a little screwy... It appears that maybe 'net profits' are what I'm actually after here...
I just wish I had the time and desire to really research what percentage of these business 'costs' are a direct, or indirect, result of government interference in business... We have federal and state unemployment taxes, workers comp taxes, employers portion of social security and medicare, higher minimum wage law, I'm sure there are more that I have missed. Throw on top of those various state 'licenses'... A business license, liquor, separate Sunday liquor license here, agri license, franchise fees... So MANY taxes and fees! ALL these 'costs', that most of us don't spend much time thinking about, have a dramatic effect on the prices that we pay for goods and services.
And of course business has to deal with many costs not related to government as well... Wild commodity price fluctuations, payroll, rent, utilities, telephone, advertising, accounting, office supplies, supplies, contract labor, repairs and maintenance, insurance, rental equipment, depreciation, bank charges, freight, travel... And on and on...
There seems to be a 'flaw' in the system itself (capitalism) somewhere and I want to find it! We need to figure out what has gone wrong and fix it before it's too late. If it isn't too late already...
A couple of examples...
I pay 1.48 per pound for ground chuck. That makes my meat cost for a 1/3 pound burger 49 cents! I think, with a tiny bit of deflation lately, that a retail 1/3 pound burger can be had for around 3.00 but that's nearly 6 TIMES what I can build the same thing for at home, buns and all! I make a damned good burger too ;)
I personally got so sick and tired of being blatantly ripped off on the purchase of laundry detergent that I decided to make it at home too... I takes just 3 ingredients and my cost equates to about 1.00 per GALLON! Again I think you'll find that average retail for this SOAP is close to 6 TIMES that! And it's very quick and easy to make...
What has been 'bothering' me lately is the huge gap between what we can buy base ingredients for, for assembly at home, and how that compares to the price retailers must charge for that same product to meet their obligations and still have a reasonable 'net profit'. It certainly 'seems' that retailers 'costs' are way too high! I want to look at the reason for this huge gap... I suspect it is in 'cost of sales and other direct costs', 'overheads and other indirect costs', & 'taxes/regulation'. 2, 3 and 5 above... Personally I feel like 4 above is a 'gimmick' that allows business to play with with 'profits' for tax reasons... 6, dividends, I suggest are a good thing ;)
Morality, ethics, and fairness must all exist for capitalism to work properly. I think many in corporate America 'may' have forgotten this 'fact'. Probably too wrapped up in all the complexities required to run a business period... On the whole Americans instinctively know when they are being lied to and/or cheated. There is no doubt that over the last few decades Americans have been lied to and cheated by many people in both government and corporate America. I feel like that is about to change. Maybe I'm too optimistic...
Many Americans, myself included, are tired of all this being OUR problem... If government and business cannot get their collective acts together then in the end, due to the 'cost problem' described above, every business in our economy is going to end up pricing themselves out of business... When 'things' cost too much people will seek ways to avoid that cost. And we all know that Americans can be pretty darned creative at times ;)
Sadly, it is *my* opinion that the drastic measures needed to right the sinking ship of capitalism are so unpalatable for both government and corporate America that there is NO chance that they will ever occur. Things are so incredibly screwed up and complex in nature (think government, politics, financial system, tax code, regulation, legal system) that to 'fix' it is quite impossible. Certainly it is impossible for the very same people who CREATED the problems to fix them! It took DECADES for things to get this screwed up! That is why it is *my* opinion that in the end there will be a cataclysmic collapse of both our economy and our government.
God help us all...
Greg
This includes Angus beef of course...
I like to try to find information on the net from people who at least seem to know what they're talking about...
"Our family buys a half a steer (approx 400 lbs net) each summer when the commodity price for beef is around $70 per 100 lbs live weight. At that price, the average cost for all cuts of meat ends up being $1.80/lb (after trimming and processing costs). That includes 60 lbs of 90% lean ground beef, as well as better cuts of meat such as Filet Mignion and roasts. So I'd say that 90% lean ground beef needs to be selling for less than $1.80/lb to be a good deal."
I guess we have to assume that when McDonald's wants 3.99 for their 'new' 1/3 pound Angus burger that it's 'worth' that... Never mind the simple math that equates to charging 12.00 a pound for Angus hamburger...
For the sake of argument, say McDonald's pays 2.00 a pound for Angus hamburger... That means, in meat cost, they would have less than $1.00 invested in their 'new' Angus 1/3 pound burger. Throw in a bun and a little lettuce and what not and you have their burger. I'd be very surprised if they have much more than $1.00 in total cost in that burger... The one they want 4.00 for.
Of course we all know, because we have been 'told', that meat, bun and condiment prices are not all the costs McDonald's has to deal with... They have a higher minimum wage, government mandates, taxes, payroll, buildings, services, supplies, insurance, and equipment to cover. Just to mention a few of their additional expenses.
Of course the 'idea' is to 'cover' all these costs by making enough 'profit' on the products you sell. Not to pick on McDonald's here, the same applies to all business of course.
You have, on one hand, the 'expenses' of running a business while on the other hand you have the profit potential of the product(s) you sell. When your 'profits' exceed your 'costs' that's a good thing... That's pretty much what capitalism is all about... The offer of goods and services to consumers at a fair and competitive price.
But, to me, this is where things get a little screwy... It appears that maybe 'net profits' are what I'm actually after here...
Example
Here is how you reach net profit on a P&L (Profit & Loss) account:
- Sales Revenue = Price (of product) X Quantity Sold
- Gross profit = sales revenue – cost of sales and other direct costs
- Operating profit = Gross profit – overheads and other indirect costs
- Pretax Profit (EBT, earnings before taxes) = operating profit – one off items and redundancy payments, staff restructuring – interest payable
- Net profit= Pre-tax profit – tax
- Retained earnings = Profit after tax – Dividends
I just wish I had the time and desire to really research what percentage of these business 'costs' are a direct, or indirect, result of government interference in business... We have federal and state unemployment taxes, workers comp taxes, employers portion of social security and medicare, higher minimum wage law, I'm sure there are more that I have missed. Throw on top of those various state 'licenses'... A business license, liquor, separate Sunday liquor license here, agri license, franchise fees... So MANY taxes and fees! ALL these 'costs', that most of us don't spend much time thinking about, have a dramatic effect on the prices that we pay for goods and services.
And of course business has to deal with many costs not related to government as well... Wild commodity price fluctuations, payroll, rent, utilities, telephone, advertising, accounting, office supplies, supplies, contract labor, repairs and maintenance, insurance, rental equipment, depreciation, bank charges, freight, travel... And on and on...
There seems to be a 'flaw' in the system itself (capitalism) somewhere and I want to find it! We need to figure out what has gone wrong and fix it before it's too late. If it isn't too late already...
A couple of examples...
I pay 1.48 per pound for ground chuck. That makes my meat cost for a 1/3 pound burger 49 cents! I think, with a tiny bit of deflation lately, that a retail 1/3 pound burger can be had for around 3.00 but that's nearly 6 TIMES what I can build the same thing for at home, buns and all! I make a damned good burger too ;)
I personally got so sick and tired of being blatantly ripped off on the purchase of laundry detergent that I decided to make it at home too... I takes just 3 ingredients and my cost equates to about 1.00 per GALLON! Again I think you'll find that average retail for this SOAP is close to 6 TIMES that! And it's very quick and easy to make...
What has been 'bothering' me lately is the huge gap between what we can buy base ingredients for, for assembly at home, and how that compares to the price retailers must charge for that same product to meet their obligations and still have a reasonable 'net profit'. It certainly 'seems' that retailers 'costs' are way too high! I want to look at the reason for this huge gap... I suspect it is in 'cost of sales and other direct costs', 'overheads and other indirect costs', & 'taxes/regulation'. 2, 3 and 5 above... Personally I feel like 4 above is a 'gimmick' that allows business to play with with 'profits' for tax reasons... 6, dividends, I suggest are a good thing ;)
Morality, ethics, and fairness must all exist for capitalism to work properly. I think many in corporate America 'may' have forgotten this 'fact'. Probably too wrapped up in all the complexities required to run a business period... On the whole Americans instinctively know when they are being lied to and/or cheated. There is no doubt that over the last few decades Americans have been lied to and cheated by many people in both government and corporate America. I feel like that is about to change. Maybe I'm too optimistic...
Many Americans, myself included, are tired of all this being OUR problem... If government and business cannot get their collective acts together then in the end, due to the 'cost problem' described above, every business in our economy is going to end up pricing themselves out of business... When 'things' cost too much people will seek ways to avoid that cost. And we all know that Americans can be pretty darned creative at times ;)
Sadly, it is *my* opinion that the drastic measures needed to right the sinking ship of capitalism are so unpalatable for both government and corporate America that there is NO chance that they will ever occur. Things are so incredibly screwed up and complex in nature (think government, politics, financial system, tax code, regulation, legal system) that to 'fix' it is quite impossible. Certainly it is impossible for the very same people who CREATED the problems to fix them! It took DECADES for things to get this screwed up! That is why it is *my* opinion that in the end there will be a cataclysmic collapse of both our economy and our government.
God help us all...
Greg
Monday, October 12, 2009
Bend over America
Forced/mandated health care 'INSURANCE' will cause more foreclosures. The 'tax' will be based on income, not one's level of debt... Many people, many 'families', who are already struggling to pay their bills will be forced into the 'red' by a federal government mandated 'tax' that will go DIRECTLY to large insurance companies!
I'm sorry but to me this is an outrage from our government (Kleptocrats) like none I have ever seen, or even imagined, in my lifetime.
It is, in my opinion, outright 'theft', not to mention most certainly unconstitutional.
Many people, 'families', have been living on two incomes for many years. In far too many cases many people, 'families', have been living on MORE than 100% of their income... Through, much too easy, credit and encouragement, indeed enticement, to spend. In MILLIONS of cases now, that 'income' has shrunk by 40% to 60% through job loss. There is a crisis of debt for American 'families', though you will not hear much about it in the main stream media.
According to our kleptocatic leaders our immediate crisis's are pumping TRILLIONS of tax payer dollars into the very same financial system, that on a drunken binge of greed, has destroyed our economic base. Our current crisis is NOT 20 something million Americans who do not have health insurance coverage. Our current crisis is 1,300 insurance companies that are about to go the way of the banks. The insurance companies need massive liquidity injections just to keep them afloat. The problem has been and is, where will this money come from?
Bend over America...
A mandated 'payment/tax' directly to insurance companies will not be helpful to American people, 'families', who are barely getting by right now... If passed it will force more foreclosures, more bankruptcies, more anxiety, more revolt against a tyrannical government that is completely out of control.
It is nothing but an insurance company BAILOUT! Where is the American main stream media on ANY of this?! The American people have been forced to cover nearly all the costs associated with the survival of our financial industry. TRILLIONS of tax dollars have been, and continue to be, pumped into these greedy corrupt institutions who happen to conveniently be 'too big to fail'. My contention is that the insurance industry is 'too big to fail' as well. Our 'failing' government is in no position to politely 'ask' the American people for another 'bailout'. We the people have had enough with the bailouts. We the people have had enough of REWARDING FAILURE! We the people have had enough of making those who are 'too big to fail' even LARGER! And now this administration, this government, expects to pile on our backs the burden of financially supporting the insurance industry?!
Nearly all of the 'policies' of this administration/government are wrecking our economy. All their 'crimes' are destroying our country.
It is past time that many of these people should be in jail! The Federal Reserve and Ben Bernanke, Hank Paulson, Christopher Dodd, Barney Frank, to name but a few. They trample our Constitution under foot as if it means nothing at all. Everything 'they' do sours the American people on government. 'They' can, and certainly DO, manipulate all the 'economic numbers', 'statistics' and 'polls' 'they' like but 'they' cannot hide the truth from the American people.
This IS a 'coup' by the financial and insurance industries. I suggest that our 'government' has already FALLEN! There has already been a coup. And they are coming for 'your' money now...
We CAN and indeed in my opinion MUST fight back... I openly advocate PEACEFUL resistance. To date I have two proposals... 1> STOP SPENDING completely. Alternatively, 2> Every American in the country, who can, spend 1,000% of their income through the use of easy credit with absolutely NO intention of EVER repaying a dime!
F them!
Greg
I'm sorry but to me this is an outrage from our government (Kleptocrats) like none I have ever seen, or even imagined, in my lifetime.
It is, in my opinion, outright 'theft', not to mention most certainly unconstitutional.
Many people, 'families', have been living on two incomes for many years. In far too many cases many people, 'families', have been living on MORE than 100% of their income... Through, much too easy, credit and encouragement, indeed enticement, to spend. In MILLIONS of cases now, that 'income' has shrunk by 40% to 60% through job loss. There is a crisis of debt for American 'families', though you will not hear much about it in the main stream media.
According to our kleptocatic leaders our immediate crisis's are pumping TRILLIONS of tax payer dollars into the very same financial system, that on a drunken binge of greed, has destroyed our economic base. Our current crisis is NOT 20 something million Americans who do not have health insurance coverage. Our current crisis is 1,300 insurance companies that are about to go the way of the banks. The insurance companies need massive liquidity injections just to keep them afloat. The problem has been and is, where will this money come from?
Bend over America...
A mandated 'payment/tax' directly to insurance companies will not be helpful to American people, 'families', who are barely getting by right now... If passed it will force more foreclosures, more bankruptcies, more anxiety, more revolt against a tyrannical government that is completely out of control.
It is nothing but an insurance company BAILOUT! Where is the American main stream media on ANY of this?! The American people have been forced to cover nearly all the costs associated with the survival of our financial industry. TRILLIONS of tax dollars have been, and continue to be, pumped into these greedy corrupt institutions who happen to conveniently be 'too big to fail'. My contention is that the insurance industry is 'too big to fail' as well. Our 'failing' government is in no position to politely 'ask' the American people for another 'bailout'. We the people have had enough with the bailouts. We the people have had enough of REWARDING FAILURE! We the people have had enough of making those who are 'too big to fail' even LARGER! And now this administration, this government, expects to pile on our backs the burden of financially supporting the insurance industry?!
Nearly all of the 'policies' of this administration/government are wrecking our economy. All their 'crimes' are destroying our country.
It is past time that many of these people should be in jail! The Federal Reserve and Ben Bernanke, Hank Paulson, Christopher Dodd, Barney Frank, to name but a few. They trample our Constitution under foot as if it means nothing at all. Everything 'they' do sours the American people on government. 'They' can, and certainly DO, manipulate all the 'economic numbers', 'statistics' and 'polls' 'they' like but 'they' cannot hide the truth from the American people.
This IS a 'coup' by the financial and insurance industries. I suggest that our 'government' has already FALLEN! There has already been a coup. And they are coming for 'your' money now...
We CAN and indeed in my opinion MUST fight back... I openly advocate PEACEFUL resistance. To date I have two proposals... 1> STOP SPENDING completely. Alternatively, 2> Every American in the country, who can, spend 1,000% of their income through the use of easy credit with absolutely NO intention of EVER repaying a dime!
F them!
Greg
Thursday, October 8, 2009
Contemplating solutions
I was fortunate enough to come across an astonishing video this week. I truly hope that if you happen to be reading my blog that you will take 47 minutes of your valuable time to watch this most important and informative video. In my opinion, it is worth every single second of time you can give it. It is entitled 'Money as debt' and clearly explains, in layman's terms, our bastardized financial system. It clearly shows, again in *my* opinion, that what now exists should be, indeed must be, DISMANTLED. It has all been a corrupt greedy ploy from the beginning.
It is so difficult to change now because we have all waited so long that the financial elites already control the world in which we live. Their world is defined by unmitigated greed and self satisfaction, self gratification. Is it not PAINFULLY obvious today that the financial elites control even our government?! We indeed DO need 'change'... We need very dramatic change! We need the sort of 'change' that will shake the entire world to it's very core...
As many of us know already many/most of our financial 'problems' began in 1913 with the creation of the Federal Reserve banking system. If you do not know about or understand the 'Fractional Reserve' banking system it is of utmost importance that you do so. It is an outrage concocted by the financial elites long ago... A great 'ponzi scheme' visited upon all of us.
Our current government is simply a powerful enabler for the financial elites. 'They' are currently deeply involved in the 'process' of relieving us of our money with the intention of giving it to insurance companies. This after giving TRILLIONS to the banks!
I spend some of my own time trying to figure out how best to thwart their evil plans for mankind... My initial thought was simply for everyone to STOP SPENDING. To bring it ALL to a screeching halt which, in my opinion, would allow 'market forces' to correct the entire situation through deflation which would, in my opinion, also squeeze all the greed and corruption out of the system. My thinking was/is that if we simply remove all 'demand' from the economic system it will collapse. Taking with it all the greedy corrupt politicians as well as this is where their real (though imagined) power resides.
However... I had another thought... What if we were to do the exact opposite of this?! Since what the government, the FED, the Central Bankers all want is a swift return to spend spend spend 'consumerism'. A return to the expansion of easy credit to reflate our (doomed?) credit/debt driven 'joke' of an economy. What if we not only obliged but obliged in overdrive?! Trying to imagine what it might be like is a fun exercise ;) A, though short perhaps, period of time where ALL Americans greedily grabbed all the credit cards they could possibly get their hands on and immediately sought to max them all out as fast as humanly possible! But not ONLY credit cards, with their 20% and 30% usury interest rates, but also auto loans (hmmmm, Mercedes or BMW???), Wonderful new homes, 3 times too large, for all!
What if, for a period of time, ALL Americans spent all the imaginary money they possibly could, as FAST as they possibly could, with NO intention of ever repaying a dime?! It would SAVE the economy! In the short term at least... And it would create a bubble SO LARGE that even God almighty might not be able to stop it's collapse next time.
I have 'faith' in God and 'faith' in the ideal that in the end good will triumph over evil... Having the privilege of being on the front lines of such an historic battle, being in the midst of history in the making, is a very humbling and very exciting thing. Indeed...
Which do you think would be the better plan of attack?
Greg
It is so difficult to change now because we have all waited so long that the financial elites already control the world in which we live. Their world is defined by unmitigated greed and self satisfaction, self gratification. Is it not PAINFULLY obvious today that the financial elites control even our government?! We indeed DO need 'change'... We need very dramatic change! We need the sort of 'change' that will shake the entire world to it's very core...
As many of us know already many/most of our financial 'problems' began in 1913 with the creation of the Federal Reserve banking system. If you do not know about or understand the 'Fractional Reserve' banking system it is of utmost importance that you do so. It is an outrage concocted by the financial elites long ago... A great 'ponzi scheme' visited upon all of us.
Our current government is simply a powerful enabler for the financial elites. 'They' are currently deeply involved in the 'process' of relieving us of our money with the intention of giving it to insurance companies. This after giving TRILLIONS to the banks!
I spend some of my own time trying to figure out how best to thwart their evil plans for mankind... My initial thought was simply for everyone to STOP SPENDING. To bring it ALL to a screeching halt which, in my opinion, would allow 'market forces' to correct the entire situation through deflation which would, in my opinion, also squeeze all the greed and corruption out of the system. My thinking was/is that if we simply remove all 'demand' from the economic system it will collapse. Taking with it all the greedy corrupt politicians as well as this is where their real (though imagined) power resides.
However... I had another thought... What if we were to do the exact opposite of this?! Since what the government, the FED, the Central Bankers all want is a swift return to spend spend spend 'consumerism'. A return to the expansion of easy credit to reflate our (doomed?) credit/debt driven 'joke' of an economy. What if we not only obliged but obliged in overdrive?! Trying to imagine what it might be like is a fun exercise ;) A, though short perhaps, period of time where ALL Americans greedily grabbed all the credit cards they could possibly get their hands on and immediately sought to max them all out as fast as humanly possible! But not ONLY credit cards, with their 20% and 30% usury interest rates, but also auto loans (hmmmm, Mercedes or BMW???), Wonderful new homes, 3 times too large, for all!
What if, for a period of time, ALL Americans spent all the imaginary money they possibly could, as FAST as they possibly could, with NO intention of ever repaying a dime?! It would SAVE the economy! In the short term at least... And it would create a bubble SO LARGE that even God almighty might not be able to stop it's collapse next time.
I have 'faith' in God and 'faith' in the ideal that in the end good will triumph over evil... Having the privilege of being on the front lines of such an historic battle, being in the midst of history in the making, is a very humbling and very exciting thing. Indeed...
Which do you think would be the better plan of attack?
Greg
Monday, October 5, 2009
A new take on health care
ATTENTION: This is a NEW conspiracy theory! lol
Just another one of my 'somewhat silly?' what if scenarios...
What if America's obesity problem were merely part of a well executed plan? What if 'they' collude to intentionally load all pre-packaged foods with tons of 'extra' carbohydrates? And then 'encourage' the consumer to purchase these items as a 'convenience'? (Full disclosure: I'm a happy low-carb dieter ;)
What if 'they' intentionally, knowingly, contributed largely to the obesity problem in this country? What is it now? Like 60% of Americans are overweight?
But why would 'they' ever consider such a devious, vile plan?
Money? Surely not...
Health care represents 1/6th of our economy, something like 17% of GDP...
How much does obesity 'help' our economy? How much money does our unhealthy life style funnel into the medical industry? Helping to pay the salaries of doctors and nurses. Pumping funds into hospitals. What about the drug companies? What percent of their revenue is a 'direct result' of the, generally, unhealthy life styles of so many Americans?
What if 'they' have been manipulating our existence for decades already? What if 'they' discovered the power of mastering a 'macro-view' and developing 'long term goals' long ago? (Matrix like huh? ;)
What if 'they' were/are 'smart' enough to foresee the potentially positive economic impact of an unhealthy society decades in advance? 'They' would have been right...
Too bad 'they' blew yet another bubble in the process...
No! to health care industry/insurance BAILOUTS!
Greg
Just another one of my 'somewhat silly?' what if scenarios...
What if America's obesity problem were merely part of a well executed plan? What if 'they' collude to intentionally load all pre-packaged foods with tons of 'extra' carbohydrates? And then 'encourage' the consumer to purchase these items as a 'convenience'? (Full disclosure: I'm a happy low-carb dieter ;)
What if 'they' intentionally, knowingly, contributed largely to the obesity problem in this country? What is it now? Like 60% of Americans are overweight?
But why would 'they' ever consider such a devious, vile plan?
Money? Surely not...
Health care represents 1/6th of our economy, something like 17% of GDP...
How much does obesity 'help' our economy? How much money does our unhealthy life style funnel into the medical industry? Helping to pay the salaries of doctors and nurses. Pumping funds into hospitals. What about the drug companies? What percent of their revenue is a 'direct result' of the, generally, unhealthy life styles of so many Americans?
What if 'they' have been manipulating our existence for decades already? What if 'they' discovered the power of mastering a 'macro-view' and developing 'long term goals' long ago? (Matrix like huh? ;)
What if 'they' were/are 'smart' enough to foresee the potentially positive economic impact of an unhealthy society decades in advance? 'They' would have been right...
Too bad 'they' blew yet another bubble in the process...
No! to health care industry/insurance BAILOUTS!
Greg
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