2023 will be Year from Hell – Martin Armstrong SOURCE: Gregg Hunter's USAWatchdog.org

 

He makes a lot of sense, but keep in mind that according to Wikipedia he "spent 11 years in jail for cheating investors out of $700 million and hiding $15 million in assets from regulators." I'm not sure how much I would hold the Federal government wanting him in prison against him.

America is quietly reinventing itself by Joel Kotkin SOURCE: Spiked

"Tech-company relocations pose a particular challenge to Silicon Valley. Hewlett Packard Enterprise, part of the Bay Area’s foundational tech economy, has moved to Houston. Meta – which despite its current problems, should not be counted out – has reportedly purchased 33 floors in downtown Austin. And Apple continues to expand in Austin’s suburbs. Tesla is also building its new factory in Austin."

New Hampshire: Free State Project

The Homeless Crisis Is Getting Worse in America’s Richest Cities by By Noah Buhayar and Esmé E Deprez FROM LA Times

"Safe Parking L.A., which operates five parking lots in cooperation with churches and local government agencies, plans to open 14 more sites in the coming months. Each lot has a security guard and restroom or portable toilet facilities. Safe Parking L.A.’s aim is to help people stabilize and get back into secure housing situations, instead of losing everything—including their cars—and winding up on the streets."

Here’s A Big Map That Shows You How Badly Everyone Around You Wants To Move To Another State FROM Buzzfeed [NO ARTICLE]

Bill of Rights Day: What's Left of Them? by Nat Hentoff The Cato Institute

"Also, the new generation — and quite possibly others to follow — are recognizing that what they put about themselves on Facebook, Twitter and other newly quickening means of communication may be embedded in FBI and other government files."

U.S. exporting millions of chopsticks to China as wood shortage grows in Far East By Mark Duell FROM The Mail Online

"Jae Lee is a Korean-American who started the business in Americus, Georgia – a town hit with 12 per cent unemployment."

Analysis: Companies churn out profits but jobs don't follow By Steven C. Johnson FROM Reuters

"Some of the most profitable firms are those with overseas markets."

[Corrected Link] Obamacare unconstitutional Editorial FROM The Washington Times

“Never before has Congress required that everyone buy a product from a private company (essentially for life) just for being alive and residing in the United States.” 

Incidentally, the Federal government has only limited enumerated powers, which do not include mandating the purchase of a national health care insurance program. For a list of its powers see wikipedia's Enumerated powers entry.

Costa Mesa, Calif: A Flash Point for City Belt-Tightening By Christopher Palmeri FROM Businessweek

"The city of 116,000 has begun soliciting bids to outsource as many as 18 city departments, including street sweeping and animal control, in an effort to curb pension costs and deficits that have depleted $35 million of the city's reserves since the start of the recession."

End the Fed by Dr. Ron Paul, Republican member of Congress from Texas.

Before the US House of Representatives, February 4, 2009, introducing the The Federal Reserve Board Abolition Act, H.R. 833.
 
Madame Speaker, I rise to introduce legislation to restore financial stability to America's economy by abolishing the Federal Reserve. Since the creation of the Federal Reserve, middle and working-class Americans have been victimized by a boom-and-bust monetary policy. In addition, most Americans have suffered a steadily eroding purchasing power because of the Federal Reserve's inflationary policies. This represents a real, if hidden, tax imposed on the American people.
From the Great Depression, to the stagflation of the seventies, to the current economic crisis caused by the housing bubble, every economic downturn suffered by this country over the past century can be traced to Federal Reserve policy. The Fed has followed a consistent policy of flooding the economy with easy money, leading to a misallocation of resources and an artificial "boom" followed by a recession or depression when the Fed-created bubble bursts.
With a stable currency, American exporters will no longer be held hostage to an erratic monetary policy. Stabilizing the currency will also give Americans new incentives to save as they will no longer have to fear inflation eroding their savings. Those members concerned about increasing America's exports or the low rate of savings should be enthusiastic supporters of this legislation.
Though the Federal Reserve policy harms the average American, it benefits those in a position to take advantage of the cycles in monetary policy. The main beneficiaries are those who receive access to artificially inflated money and/or credit before the inflationary effects of the policy impact the entire economy. Federal Reserve policies also benefit big spending politicians who use the inflated currency created by the Fed to hide the true costs of the welfare-warfare state. It is time for Congress to put the interests of the American people ahead of special interests and their own appetite for big government.
Abolishing the Federal Reserve will allow Congress to reassert its constitutional authority over monetary policy. The United States Constitution grants to Congress the authority to coin money and regulate the value of the currency. The Constitution does not give Congress the authority to delegate control over monetary policy to a central bank. Furthermore, the Constitution certainly does not empower the federal government to erode the American standard of living via an inflationary monetary policy.
In fact, Congress' constitutional mandate regarding monetary policy should only permit currency backed by stable commodities such as silver and gold to be used as legal tender. Therefore, abolishing the Federal Reserve and returning to a constitutional system will enable America to return to the type of monetary system envisioned by our nation's founders: one where the value of money is consistent because it is tied to a commodity such as gold. Such a monetary system is the basis of a true free-market economy.
In conclusion, Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to stand up for working Americans by putting an end to the manipulation of the money supply which erodes Americans' standard of living, enlarges big government, and enriches well-connected elites, by cosponsoring my legislation to abolish the Federal Reserve. 

Online petitions in support of abolishing the FED:
http://www.petitiononline.com/fed/petition.html

Rush Limbaugh--US Radio Talk Show Host

Rush Limbaugh, a radio talk show host, is one of the most influential political and social commentators in the US, though little known overseas.

The link takes you to his homepage--you may decide for yourself if he is a mainstream Republican or an extremist, as some claim.

Antigovernment extremists are on the rise—and on the march By Evan Thomas and Eve Conant FROM Newsweek

"Rhodes [of Oath Keepers]says he has 6,000 dues-paying members, active and retired police and military, who promise never to take orders to disarm U.S. citizens or herd them into concentration camps."

Click to see the "Declaration Of Orders We Will Not Obey" as listed on the Oath Keepers' website.

The Big Apple’s Big Problem by Joel Kotkin FROM Newsweek

"During the Bloomberg years the big subsidies have gone to luxury condo megadevelopments, sports stadiums, or huge office complexes."

Tribes buy back America--acres at a time FROM MSNBC

"Native American tribes tired of waiting for the U.S. government to honor centuries-old treaties are buying back land where their ancestors lived and putting it in federal trusts."

Cutting Down To Size By Tony Dokoupil FROM Newsweek

"And while The Washington Postand The New York Times have covered Pittsburgh's economic face-lift in recent months, lost tax revenue and a costly pension program for city workers have kept it flirting with bankruptcy."

About That Detroit Renaissance by Shikha Dalmia FROM Reason Magazine

"About 70 schools have been closed since 2005. Many haven't ordered new textbooks in 19 years and ask kids to bring their own toilet paper. The graduation rate has dropped to 25 percent—and about half of the city's population is illiterate."

California v Texas FROM The Economist

"AMERICA’S recent history has been a relentless tilt to the West—of people, ideas, commerce and even political power. California and Texas, the nation’s two biggest states, are the twin poles of the West, but very different ones."

Where Would You Relocate for a Job? By Prashant Gopal FROM BusinessWeek

"If you're like most Americans, you might select New York, San Diego, or San Francisco, according to a soon-to-be released survey of 2,500 employees and entrepreneurs across the nation by the Human Capital Institute, a Washington-based think tank and professional association largely made up of human resources professionals.

As the economy softens, this becomes more of a pressing issue because many Americans will find that they may be forced to relocate to find work. But even though some workers may not have the luxury of choice, some cities remain more desirable than others." 

Researchers Identify Regional Personality Traits Across America By STEPHANIE SIMONFROM The Wall Street Journal

"Even after controlling for variables such as race, income and education levels, a state's dominant personality turns out to be strongly linked to certain outcomes. Amiable states, like Minnesota, tend to be lower in crime. Dutiful states -- an eclectic bunch that includes New Mexico, North Carolina and Utah -- produce a disproportionate share of mathematicians. States that rank high in openness to new ideas are quite creative, as measured by per-capita patent production. But they're also high-crime and a bit aloof. Apparently, Californians don't much like socializing, the research suggests."