Tuesday, January 24, 2012

That's Incredible!

A long, long time ago, like 40 years ago or so, there was a TV show called "That's Incredible!"  They used to do all kinds of crazy things, like landing airplanes on top of moving semi truck trailers, then take off again.  We used to call the show "That's Ridiculous!"  They even had a skit on Saturday Night Live about it.  Good stuff.

I got thinking today about all of the government agencies and started wondering how we ever lived without them.  When you think about how we somehow got by, That's Incredible!  Here are a few examples.

The Food and Drug Administration was created in 1927.  Since the ratification of the US Constitution, we went 138 years without one.  How did anybody survive?

FEMA was created in 1979, fully 190 years from 1789.  What did people do before then?  That's Incredible!

We went 212 years without a TSA.  That's Incredible!  149 years without Fannie Mae!  Wow!

We went 176 years without HUD, 97 years without the ATF, 119 years without an FBI, 99 years without a Department of Labor, 157 years without a Council of Economic Advisors, (I say their advice isn't worth what we're paying them), 190 years without a Department of Education, and 212 years without a Department of Homeland Security.  That's Incredible!  I still don't remember anybody in my life before President Bush talking about a "Homeland" besides Adolf Hitler, do you?  If so, let me know.

We went 178 years without a Department of Transportation.  What did everybody do before then, not transport anything?  That's Incredible!  Somehow, someway, things got transported.

We went 159 years without a CIA.  The agency reports directly to the Director of National Intelligence.  That's a good one for you.  It is also Incredible!

The National Endowment for the Arts was created in 1965 after 176 years.  What's up with that?  Was there no art heretofore?  That's Incredible!  After 178 years we invented the National Transportation Safety Admin.  Wow!  And there was no military draft before 1917, 128 years after the Constitution gave birth to our new country.  How did we ever prosper without forced conscription?  That's Incredible!

The list goes on and on, and the more it goes on the more Incredible it gets.  Here are a few I found very Incredible!

The US Arctic Research Commission came to life after 195 years.  United States Office of Compliance, 206 years.  Farm Credit Administration, 144 years.  The United States African Development Foundation, 191 years.  It provides grants of up to $250,000 to community groups and small enterprises that benefit under served and marginalized groups in Sub-Saharan Africa.  Really?  What do they have against Northern Africa?

What agencies do you think That's Incredible!?  Surely I've left out a few that are absolutely Incredible! that we lived without.

The links are here:  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_United_States_federal_agencies

Legislative branch

Seal of the United States Congress.svg
Agencies within the legislative branch:

[edit] Judicial branch

Seal of the United States Supreme Court.svg
Agencies within the judicial branch:

[edit] Executive branch

[edit] Executive Office of the President

Seal Of The President Of The United States Of America.svg
Agencies within the Executive Office of the President:

[edit] United States Department of Agriculture

US-DeptOfAgriculture-Seal2.svg
Agencies within the Department of Agriculture:

[edit] United States Department of Commerce

US-DeptOfCommerce-Seal.svg
Agencies within the Department of Commerce:

[edit] United States Department of Defense

United States Department of Defense Seal.svg
Agencies within the Department of Defense:

[edit] United States Department of Education

US-DeptOfEducation-Seal.svg
Agencies within the Department of Education:

[edit] United States Department of Energy

US-DeptOfEnergy-Seal.svg
List of agencies within the Department of Energy:

[edit] United States Department of Health and Human Services

US-DeptOfHHS-Seal.svg
Agencies within the Department of Health and Human Services:

[edit] United States Department of Homeland Security

US Department of Homeland Security Seal.svg

[edit] Agencies

[edit] Offices

[edit] Management

[edit] National Protection and Programs

[edit] Science and Technology

[edit] Portfolios
[edit] Divisions
[edit] Offices and Institutes

[edit] United States Department of Housing and Urban Development

US-DeptOfHUD-Seal.svg

[edit] Agencies

[edit] Offices

[edit] Corporation

[edit] United States Department of the Interior

US-DeptOfTheInterior-Seal.svg

[edit] United States Department of Justice

US-DeptOfJustice-Seal.svg

[edit] United States Department of Labor

US-DeptOfLabor-Seal.svg

[edit] Agencies and Bureaus

[edit] Boards

[edit] Offices

[edit] United States Department of State

Department of state.svg

[edit] Agencies and Bureaus

[edit] Reporting to the Secretary
[edit] Reporting to the Deputy Secretary for Management and Resources
[edit] Reporting to the Under Secretary for Arms Control and International Security
[edit] Reporting to the Under Secretary for Democracy and Global Affairs
[edit] Reporting to the Under Secretary for Economic, Energy and Agricultural Affairs
[edit] Reporting to the Under Secretary for Management
[edit] Reporting to the Under Secretary for Political Affairs
[edit] Reporting to the Under Secretary for Public Diplomacy and Public Affairs

[edit] Permanent Diplomatic Missions

  • United States Mission to International Organizations in Vienna
  • United States Mission to the European Union
  • United States Mission to the International Civil Aviation Organization
  • United States Mission to the North Atlantic Treaty Organization
  • United States Mission to the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development
  • United States Mission to the Organization of American States
  • United States Mission to the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe
  • United States Mission to the United Nations
  • United States Mission to the UN Agencies in Rome
  • United States Mission to the United Nations Office and Other International Organizations in Geneva
  • United States Observer Mission to the United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization
  • United States Permanent Mission to the United Nations Environment Program and the United Nations Center for Human Settlements

[edit] United States Department of Transportation

US-DeptOfTransportation-Seal.svg

[edit] Agencies

[edit] United States Department of the Treasury

US-DeptOfTheTreasury-Seal.svg

[edit] Agencies and Bureaus

[edit] Offices

  • Office of Domestic Finance
  • Office of Economic Policy
  • Office of International Affairs
  • Office of Tax Policy
  • Office of Terrorism and Financial Intelligence
  • Treasurer of the United States

[edit] United States Department of Veterans Affairs

US-DeptOfVeteransAffairs-Seal.svg

[edit] Agencies

[edit] Boards and Offices

  • Board of Veterans' Appeals
  • Center for Faith-Based and Community Initiatives
  • Center for Minority Veterans
  • Center for Veterans Enterprise
  • Center for Women Veterans
  • Office of Advisory Committee Management
  • Office of Employment Discrimination Complaint Adjudication
  • Office of Survivors Assistance
  • Small and Disadvantaged Business Utilization
  • Veterans Service Organizations Liaison

[edit] Independent Agencies and Government Corporations

[edit] Pending Government Corporation

[edit] Inspectors General

Inspector General (Full list of all sixty nine United States Federal Inspectors General.)

[edit] Boards and commissions

[edit] Quasi-Official Agencies

[edit] Private Regulatory Corporation

[edit] Self-Regulatory Boards

[edit] Government Enterprises

Saturday, January 21, 2012

Adam Hamilton and Gold Mining Stocks

When I first got interested in buying precious metals and their mining stocks, one of the first commentators suggested to me was Adam Hamilton.  Hamilton has been researching and promoting investing in the shiny metals since the beginning of the gold bull market in 2001.  His predictions have realized an annual average gain of 48%!

If you have never read his weekly newsletter, released every Friday, I highly recommend it.  He is extremely bullish on gold stocks right now his track record is excellent when looking at the big picture.  He even predicted a massive stock surge in 2009 when everyone else was ready to jump off the bridge!

His website, Zeal LLC, can be found here:  http://zealllc.com/

Tuesday, January 17, 2012

Mr. Cooney Speaks

All the perplexities, confusion and distress in America arise, not from defects in their Constitution or Confederation, not from want of honor or virtue, so much as from the downright ignorance of the nature of coin, credit and circulation.--John Adams



I have a friend who we will call Mr. Cooney who reveals to me the secrets of the universe.  The beautiful thing about is...Mr. Cooney is never wrong.  He has a way of seeing through the fog of war and revealing things as they really are, things that are invisible to other people but are the real reason behind things.


Mr. Cooney explained to me today why the people who are passionate about Ron Paul are at odds with the rest of the nation.  Since you are reading this page I am sure you have an opinion, but until you can get a 100% track record I will continue to heed the advice of Mr. C., who said:

"There is one core reason that you disagree with Ron Paul:  You have no idea how money comes into existence.  You therefore by default have no idea whatsoever of the history of money.


"This is easily understandable since the public K-12 schools would never teach it, and the public and private colleges do not even mention the history of money nor how money comes into existence.  You have no idea of either, and nobody you know has any idea of either except the people you know who support Ron Paul.


"Furthermore, you couldn't care less about the history of money nor how it comes into existence.  If you did you would already know something about it.  But you don't think either matters, so you have no incentive to research it.


"Ron Paul has written books on the subject.  Moreover, Paul agrees with John Adams, who lived through an inflationary hell.  I won't quote the links because you won't read them anyway, you don't care.  You don't think it matters.  


"The fact is, there have been 599 failed currencies in the history of the world.  I won't waste my time giving you that link either because you don't care.  This time it is different.  The US has the strongest military, the reserve currency of the world that everybody wants, nobody could live without us...and on and on...whatever.  Debts don't matter, as Dick Cheney said, remember?


"You see, you can make all the arguments you want, but you still have no idea how money comes into existence and you have zero idea of the history of money.  So you have nothing of substance to really back your argument, you are only quoting the obvious at the moment and therefore believe that is how it will always be.  You have no history to back your argument because there is none, and you have no math or physics to back your understanding of money or how it is created because you have no understanding of the subject.


"Because you have no understanding of either, you:


1.  Think paper money is ok.  Gold is archaic.
2.  Think deficits don't matter.
3.  Think debt doesn't matter.
4.  Think inflation and rising prices are as natural as a baby's smile.
5.  Think the dollar will be the world's reserve currency, if not forever, at least for your lifetime.
6.  Think the United States will always be the strongest military nation in the world.
7.  Think the US Constitution is out of date.
8.  Have no idea what the US Constitution says about money.
9.  Have no idea why the US Constitution was written the way it was, and furthermore, you don't care.


"I could go on and on, but suffice it to say that you are in the majority and you will get your way.  The United States defaulted on it's obligation to redeem paper dollars for gold 40 years ago and the trends are undeniable.  Now we are over $15 trillion in debt, Obama just said we need to raise the debt ceiling again, and still you don't think it matters.  


"Inflation stares you in the face every time you go to the grocery store, and still you don't think it matters.  There is no point in arguing with you because you don't know.  You have no clue about either the history or the creation of money, and you don't think it matters.


"Like Mr. Cooney senior used to say, if you think that attitude will get you places, then go for it."










Sunday, December 25, 2011

Numbers

Median Home Values: Unadjusted


                     2000      1990      1980      1970     1960     1950    1940

United States     $119,600   $79,100   $47,200   $17,000  $11,900   $7,354  $2,938

Alabama            $85,100   $53,700   $33,900   $12,200   $8,600   $4,473  $1,610
Alaska            $144,200   $94,400   $76,300   $22,700   $9,100   $3,477     NA
Arizona           $121,300   $80,100   $54,800   $16,300  $11,100   $5,935  $1,400
Arkansas           $72,800   $46,300   $31,100   $10,500   $6,700   $4,087  $1,100
California        $211,500  $195,500   $84,500   $23,100  $15,100   $9,564  $3,527
Colorado          $166,600   $82,700   $64,100   $17,300  $12,300   $7,151  $2,091
Connecticut       $166,900  $177,800   $65,600   $25,500  $16,700  $11,862  $4,615
Delaware          $130,400  $100,100   $44,400   $17,100  $12,400   $9,079  $4,159
Dist. of Columbia $157,200  $123,900   $68,800   $21,300  $15,400  $14,498  $7,568
Florida           $105,500   $77,100   $45,100   $15,000  $11,800   $6,612  $2,218
Georgia           $111,200   $71,300   $36,900   $14,600   $9,500   $5,235  $1,957
Hawaii            $272,700  $245,300  $118,100   $35,100  $20,900  $12,283     NA
Idaho             $106,300   $58,200   $45,600   $14,100  $10,600   $5,852  $1,600
Illinois          $130,800   $80,900   $52,800   $19,800  $14,700   $8,646  $3,277
Indiana            $94,300   $53,900   $37,200   $13,800  $10,200   $6,226  $2,406
Iowa               $82,500   $45,900   $40,600   $13,900   $9,900   $6,320  $2,253
Kansas             $83,500   $52,200   $37,800   $12,100   $9,300   $5,462  $1,733
Kentucky           $86,700   $50,500   $34,200   $12,600   $8,800   $5,283  $2,074
Louisiana          $85,000   $58,500   $43,000   $14,600  $10,700   $5,141  $1,414
Maine              $98,700   $87,400   $37,900   $12,800   $8,800   $4,856  $2,008
Maryland          $146,000  $116,500   $58,300   $18,700  $11,900   $8,033  $3,031
Massachusetts     $185,700  $162,800   $48,400   $20,600  $13,800   $9,144  $3,837
Michigan          $115,600   $60,600   $39,000   $17,500  $12,000   $7,496  $2,863
Minnesota         $122,400   $74,000   $53,100   $18,000  $12,800   $7,806  $3,024
Mississippi        $71,400   $45,600   $31,400   $11,200   $7,900   $4,159  $1,189
Missouri           $89,900   $59,800   $36,700   $14,400  $10,900   $6,399  $2,392
Montana            $99,500   $56,600   $46,500   $14,000  $10,900   $5,797  $1,651
Nebraska           $88,000   $50,400   $38,000   $12,400   $9,400   $5,918  $2,156
Nevada            $142,000   $95,700   $68,700   $22,400  $15,200   $8,859  $1,987
New Hampshire     $133,300  $129,400   $48,000   $16,400  $10,700   $6,199  $2,505
New Jersey        $170,800  $162,300   $60,200   $23,400  $15,600  $10,408  $4,528
New Mexico        $108,100   $70,100   $45,300   $13,000  $10,700   $5,697    $656
New York          $148,700  $131,600   $45,600   $22,500  $15,300  $10,152  $4,389
North Carolina    $108,300   $65,800   $36,000   $12,800   $8,000   $4,901  $1,802
North Dakota       $74,400   $50,800   $43,900   $13,000   $9,800   $5,396  $1,626
Ohio              $103,700   $63,500   $44,900   $17,600  $13,400   $8,304  $3,415
Oklahoma           $70,700   $48,100   $35,600   $11,100   $7,900   $5,228  $1,293
Oregon            $152,100   $67,100   $56,900   $15,400  $10,500   $6,846  $2,343
Pennsylvania       $97,000   $69,700   $39,100   $13,600  $10,200   $6,992  $3,205
Rhode Island      $133,000  $133,500   $46,800   $18,200  $12,300   $9,767  $3,848
South Carolina     $94,900   $61,100   $35,100   $13,000   $7,500   $5,112  $2,145
South Dakota       $79,600   $45,200   $36,600   $11,400   $8,800   $5,410  $1,618
Tennessee          $93,000   $58,400   $35,600   $12,500   $8,300   $5,268  $1,826
Texas              $82,500   $59,600   $39,100   $12,000   $8,800   $5,805  $1,693
Utah              $146,100   $68,900   $57,300   $16,800  $12,600   $7,409  $2,320
Vermont           $111,500   $95,500   $42,200   $16,400   $9,700   $6,277  $2,836
Virginia          $125,400   $91,000   $48,000   $17,100  $10,800   $6,581  $2,633
Washington        $168,300   $93,400   $59,900   $18,500  $11,700   $7,169  $2,359
West Virginia      $72,800   $47,900   $38,500   $11,300   $7,600   $5,473  $2,350
Wisconsin         $112,200   $62,500   $48,600   $17,300  $12,600   $7,927  $3,232
Wyoming            $96,600   $61,600   $59,800   $15,300  $12,300   $6,811  $2,174

NA:  Not Available
Source:  U.S. Census Bureau 
http://www.census.gov/hhes/www/housing/census/historic/values.html 
Median Home Value 2010  $221,800
 
Approx Price of Gold
2010    2000    1990    1980    1970    1960    1950    1940
1250     290     380     650      35      35      35      35 
 
Median Home Value Priced In Ounces of Gold 
2010   2000    1990    1980    1970    1960    1950    1940
177    412     208      72     485     340     210      83 







b
 
 
 
Approx Price of Silver
2010    2000    1990    1980    1970    1960    1950    1940
$23       5       4    16.39   1.63     .91     .80     .35         
 
 
Median Home Value Priced In Ounces of Silver
2010   2000    1990    1980    1970    1960    1950    1940 
9608   23920   19775   2880    10429   13076   9192    8394

Saturday, December 17, 2011

50 Reasons to Prove the US is Numbero Uno

http://www.zerohedge.com/news/50-economic-numbers-about-us-are-almost-too-crazy-believe



The Economic Collapse Blog does a terrific job of periodically putting together a compilation of the scariest data points about the US economy. Today is one such day, and the list of 50 economic numbers presented is indeed, as the author puts it, "almost too crazy to believe"... Almost. As noted: "At this time of the year, a lot of families get together, and in most homes the conversation usually gets around to politics at some point.  Hopefully many of you will use the list below as a tool to help you share the reality of the U.S. economic crisis with your family and friends.  If we all work together, hopefully we can get millions of people to wake up and realize that "business as usual" will result in a national economic apocalypse." Or, far more likely, 99% of the population can continue watching Dancing with the Stars, as what little wealth remains is terminally transferred to those who are paying attention right below everyone's eyes.
From the Ecopnomic Collapse Blog:
The following are 50 economic numbers from 2011 that are almost too crazy to believe....

#1 A staggering 48 percent of all Americans are either considered to be "low income" or are living in poverty.

#2 Approximately 57 percent of all children in the United States are living in homes that are either considered to be "low income" or impoverished.

#3 If the number of Americans that "wanted jobs" was the same today as it was back in 2007, the "official" unemployment rate put out by the U.S. government would be up to 11 percent.

#4 The average amount of time that a worker stays unemployed in the United States is now over 40 weeks.

#5 One recent survey found that 77 percent of all U.S. small businesses do not plan to hire any more workers.

#6 There are fewer payroll jobs in the United States today than there were back in 2000 even though we have added 30 million extra people to the population since then.

#7 Since December 2007, median household income in the United States has declined by a total of 6.8% once you account for inflation.

#8 According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, 16.6 million Americans were self-employed back in December 2006.  Today, that number has shrunk to 14.5 million.

#9 A Gallup poll from earlier this year found that approximately one out of every five Americans that do have a job consider themselves to be underemployed.

#10 According to author Paul Osterman, about 20 percent of all U.S. adults are currently working jobs that pay poverty-level wages.

#11 Back in 1980, less than 30% of all jobs in the United States were low income jobs.  Today, more than 40% of all jobs in the United States are low income jobs.

#12 Back in 1969, 95 percent of all men between the ages of 25 and 54 had a job.  In July, only 81.2 percent of men in that age group had a job.

#13 One recent survey found that one out of every three Americans would not be able to make a mortgage or rent payment next month if they suddenly lost their current job.

#14 The Federal Reserve recently announced that the total net worth of U.S. households declined by 4.1 percent in the 3rd quarter of 2011 alone.

#15 According to a recent study conducted by the BlackRock Investment Institute, the ratio of household debt to personal income in the United States is now 154 percent.

#16 As the economy has slowed down, so has the number of marriages.  According to a Pew Research Center analysis, only 51 percent of all Americans that are at least 18 years old are currently married.  Back in 1960, 72 percent of all U.S. adults were married.

#17 The U.S. Postal Service has lost more than 5 billion dollars over the past year.

#18 In Stockton, California home prices have declined 64 percent from where they were at when the housing market peaked.

#19 Nevada has had the highest foreclosure rate in the nation for 59 months in a row.

#20 If you can believe it, the median price of a home in Detroit is now just $6000.

#21 According to the U.S. Census Bureau, 18 percent of all homes in the state of Florida are sitting vacant.  That figure is 63 percent larger than it was just ten years ago.

#22 New home construction in the United States is on pace to set a brand new all-time record low in 2011.

#23 As I have written about previously, 19 percent of all American men between the ages of 25 and 34 are now living with their parents.

#24 Electricity bills in the United States have risen faster than the overall rate of inflation for five years in a row.

#25 According to the Bureau of Economic Analysis, health care costs accounted for just 9.5% of all personal consumption back in 1980.  Today they account for approximately 16.3%.

#26 One study found that approximately 41 percent of all working age Americans either have medical bill problems or are currently paying off medical debt.

#27 If you can believe it, one out of every seven Americans has at least 10 credit cards.

#28 The United States spends about 4 dollars on goods and services from China for every one dollar that China spends on goods and services from the United States.

#29 It is being projected that the U.S. trade deficit for 2011 will be 558.2 billion dollars.

#30 The retirement crisis in the United States just continues to get worse.  According to the Employee Benefit Research Institute, 46 percent of all American workers have less than $10,000 saved for retirement, and 29 percent of all American workers have less than $1,000 saved for retirement.

#31 Today, one out of every six elderly Americans lives below the federal poverty line.

#32 According to a study that was just released, CEO pay at America's biggest companies rose by 36.5% in just one recent 12 month period.

#33 Today, the "too big to fail" banks are larger than ever.  The total assets of the six largest U.S. banks increased by 39 percent between September 30, 2006 and September 30, 2011.

#34 The six heirs of Wal-Mart founder Sam Walton have a net worth that is roughly equal to the bottom 30 percent of all Americans combined.

#35 According to an analysis of Census Bureau data done by the Pew Research Center, the median net worth for households led by someone 65 years of age or older is 47 times greater than the median net worth for households led by someone under the age of 35.

#36 If you can believe it, 37 percent of all U.S. households that are led by someone under the age of 35 have a net worth of zero or less than zero.

#37 A higher percentage of Americans is living in extreme poverty (6.7%) than has ever been measured before.

#38 Child homelessness in the United States is now 33 percent higher than it was back in 2007.

#39 Since 2007, the number of children living in poverty in the state of California has increased by 30 percent.

#40 Sadly, child poverty is absolutely exploding all over America.  According to the National Center for Children in Poverty, 36.4% of all children that live in Philadelphia are living in poverty, 40.1% of all children that live in Atlanta are living in poverty, 52.6% of all children that live in Cleveland are living in poverty and 53.6% of all children that live in Detroit are living in poverty.

#41 Today, one out of every seven Americans is on food stamps and one out of every four American children is on food stamps.

#42 In 1980, government transfer payments accounted for just 11.7% of all income.  Today, government transfer payments account for more than 18 percent of all income.

#43 A staggering 48.5% of all Americans live in a household that receives some form of government benefits.  Back in 1983, that number was below 30 percent.

#44 Right now, spending by the federal government accounts for about 24 percent of GDP.  Back in 2001, it accounted for just 18 percent.

#45 For fiscal year 2011, the U.S. federal government had a budget deficit of nearly 1.3 trillion dollars.  That was the third year in a row that our budget deficit has topped one trillion dollars.

#46 If Bill Gates gave every single penny of his fortune to the U.S. government, it would only cover the U.S. budget deficit for about 15 days.

#47 Amazingly, the U.S. government has now accumulated a total debt of 15 trillion dollars.  When Barack Obama first took office the national debt was just 10.6 trillion dollars.

#48 If the federal government began right at this moment to repay the U.S. national debt at a rate of one dollar per second, it would take over 440,000 years to pay off the national debt.

#49 The U.S. national debt has been increasing by an average of more than 4 billion dollars per day since the beginning of the Obama administration.

#50 During the Obama administration, the U.S. government has accumulated more debt than it did from the time that George Washington took office to the time that Bill Clinton took office.
As for the culprit, there is no surprise here - all central planning, all the time.
Of course the heart of our economic problems is the Federal Reserve.  The Federal Reserve is a perpetual debt machine, it has almost completely destroyed the value of the U.S. dollar and it has an absolutely nightmarish track record of incompetence.  If the Federal Reserve system had never been created, the U.S. economy would be in far better shape.  The federal government needs to shut down the Federal Reserve and start issuing currency that is not debt-based.  That would be a very significant step toward restoring prosperity to America.

During 2011 we made a lot of progress in educating the American people about our economic problems, but we still have a long way to go.

Hopefully next year more Americans than ever will wake up, because 2012 is going to represent a huge turning point for this country.
Indeed it will - in it America will pick yet another president that it so rightfully deserves.