Barack Obama has been very successful in what he set out to do

This is the most secretive and deceitful administration in history. 

Bush/Cheney published their plans of what they were going to do in 1997. 
It's not their fault if the American public couldn't be bothered to read them or were too dumb to understand the terrible consequences of their proposed actions and voted for it. 

Obama ran on a message of change in 2008 when his specific agenda has always been to continue exactly the same policies of the previous regime and extend them. 
But to be much smarter with the PR.
Bush had a 34% approval rating when he left office. 

Heck there are no anti war protests, no civil liberties marches, no protests about stealing $2tn a year from the 99% and handing it out to rich elites.
At least there were some complaints about Bush. 

Barack Obama has been very successful in what he set out to do. 

(Maybe the censors on Huffington Post were asleep when I wrote this comment in the middle of the night. It got published. Maybe it will get removed later.) 

Comment number 2 (being censored on Huffington Post)

Americans don't want to have to try and think. 
They don't want to think about the merits or otherwise of specific policies or proposals or agendas. 

The vast majority of Americans much prefer to join in with the game the Oligarchs have set up for them. 

Partisan politics and cheap shots over trivialities and social policy when the core policies of the leaders of both parties are exactly the same. 

The core policies are :- 

Continue to steal $2tn a year from the 99% and hand it out to rich elites. 

Make the rich elites above the Rule of Law so that they can get away with pretty much any white collar crime they choose to commit, without penalty. 

Take away the civil liberties of the 99% and expand the Police State, through perpetual war. 

The execs of Goldman Sachs and JP Morgan couldn't care less about abortion or Gay Rights as long as they continue to get a large chunk of the $2tn being stolen each year from the 99%. 

My comments were in response to this article :- 
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/02/21/strategy-seeks-to-ensure-_n_2730248.html 

I made several other comments as well :- 


There would be screaming outrage from the left if a Republican President had tried to do even half of the things that Obama has gotten away with. 

That is why Ben Bernanke specifically endorsed Obama by announcing QE3 prior to the election and NOT after it. 

The Neocons behind the scenes and the Corporatists much prefer to have Obama in the WH. 
He can get much more done for them. 
He is much better at boiling frogs.

You wrote: Ordinary Americans of today have much in common with ordinary Germans in the 1930's.

29 minutes agoLincolnJones

Sure do!

 

26 minutes agomyconoclast

There was a similar cult of personality around the socialist candidate in Germany during that time.

 

20 minutes agoKittensAndCruiseMissiles

absolutely

 

20 minutes agoDont-treadonme

“How fortunate for governments that the people they administer don't think”

A quote from a dictator around that same time.

 

21 minutes agoTristman

"The great masses of people will more easily fall victim to a big lie, than to a small one."

A.Hitler

Naturally the common people don't want war; neither in Russia, nor in England, nor in America, nor in Germany. That is understood. But after all, it is the leaders of the country who determine policy, and it is always a simple matter to drag the people along, whether it is a democracy, or a fascist dictatorship, or a parliament, or a communist dictatorship. Voice or no voice, the people can always be brought to the bidding of the leaders. That is easy. All you have to do is to tell them they are being attacked, and denounce the pacifists for lack of patriotism and exposing the country to danger. It works the same in any country. 

Hermann Goering

That he who would reform the Institutions of a free State, must retain at least the semblance of old Ways.

Whoever takes upon him to reform the government of a city, must, if his measures are to be well received and carried out with general approval, preserve at least the semblance of existing methods, so as not to appear to the people to have made any change in the old order of things; although, in truth, the new ordinances differ altogether from those which they replace. For when this is attended to, the mass of mankind accept what seems as what is; nay, are often touched more nearly by appearances than by realities. 

Niccolo Macchiavelli

Beware the leader who bangs the drums of war in order to whip the citizenry into a patriotic fervor, for patriotism is indeed a double-edged sword. It both emboldens the blood, just as it narrows the mind. "And when the drums of war have reached a fever pitch and the blood boils with hate and the mind has closed, the leader will have no need in seizing the rights of the citizenry. Rather, the citizenry, infused with fear and blinded by patriotism, will offer up all of their rights unto the leader and gladly so. "How do I know? For this is what I have done. And I am Caesar." -- Julius Caesar

The tactics in use today are as old as the hills. (This comment censored by Huffington Post.)

Why do so many Dems still support and offer excuses for Obama's Neocon Fascist agenda? (This comment censored by Huffington Post.)
http://ian56.blogspot.co.uk/2013/02/why-do-so-many-dems-continue-to-support.html

John Brennan is an out and out Neocon. 

He should never have been part of Obama's administration - let alone his senior security advisor or nominated for CIA director with his own fleet of drones. 

Brennan is counter productive to American interests. 
Except to the interests of the big banks and the execs of the arms companies. 

If the Chinese could pick someone as CIA Director to work for their interests - they would pick Brennan. 

The Chinese have risen greatly in relative power over the last 15 years. 
In this they have been GREATLY assisted by the American government. 

The American government continues to act in the interests of the Chinese Communist Party and not in the interests of the American people. 

America has suffered a great decline in relative power since 2001 and a great loss of wealth for 99% of it's people. 

It was obvious that the Neocon and Corporate agenda in place since that time would lead to a decline in America's power and the wealth of the vast majority of Americans - I said so at the time. 

If John Brennan gets to be CIA Director it will not only continue America's current strategic path of a decline in relative power and loss of wealth - it will make things even worse.



Yep. 
Obama is much smarter at lying than Bush or Cheney ever were. 

That is what makes him so dangerous.


If the above were not enough he has set about WRECKING the US economy - just like Bush/Cheney did.
http://ian56.blogspot.co.uk/2013/02/how-government-and-federal-reserve-are.html

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Censored by Huffington Post - comments on Mitt Romney

Republican supporters should wake up and smell the coffee on Romney. 

Fox News told you lots of lies about him. 

If you don't check out things for yourselves on the internet you will get massively screwed again in 2016 - just like you got massively screwed with loser Romney in 2012. 

McCain dug up more than enough dirt on Romney during the 2008 election. 

It was really surprising that nobody wanted to publicize it. 

It's on my blog "ian56 blogspot Romney McCain"



This comment was delayed long enough so nobody would see it. 

What Romney/Ryan would of done for America 

Romney/Ryan ARE Bush/Cheney clones - except that they are even more CORRUPT.
They have EXACTLY the same policies and EXACTLY the same Foreign Policy and economic advisers.
Romney has already demonstrated his corruption with the multiple medicare frauds of Bain companies, e.g.Damon Corp.
There are several other examples of his nefarious business connections, e.g. Allen Stanford's $8bn Ponzi scheme - the official investigation of Romney's role in this is on-going.
The taking of seed capital for Bain Capital from El Salvadorean Death Squad families, who were themselves supported by drugs money. 
Romney got into bed with some VERY DIRTY characters when he was starting up Bain Capital.

Romney/Ryan would bring economic carnage to the US - just like Bush did. 
Do you even remember the housing bubble, crash & financial meltdown?
Bush didn't start the housing bubble, but his economic policies hugely EXACERBATED it and the financial carnage that resulted from it.
E.G. by reducing interest rates down to 1% in 2003/2004 to get re-elected.
By not taking away the government guarantees of Freddie & Fannie.
By not reinstating Glass Steagal or repealing Clinton's directives to the banks to lend to sub prime.

Continued at :- 
http://ian56.blogspot.co.uk/2012/11/what-romney-ryan-would-do-for-america.html”

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Karl Rove and his plans to turn America into the USSR

Newt Gingrich is not pleased with Karl Rove's latest strategy for the Republican Party.

In an op-ed published by conservative magazine Human Events on Wednesday, the former House speaker and Republican presidential candidate spoke out against the Rove-backed Conservative Victory Project, an offshoot of Rove's American Crossroads super PAC that aims to block fringe candidates from winning GOP congressional primaries.

"I am unalterably opposed to a bunch of billionaires financing a boss to pick candidates in 50 states," Gingrich writes. "This is the opposite of the Republican tradition of freedom and grassroots small town conservatism. ... It should be repugnant to every conservative and every Republican.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/02/20/newt-gingrich-karl-rove_n_2720699.html

Karl Rove's plan is Stalinist. 
His plans are EXACTLY the same as Stalin used to take over the Russian communist party in the 1920's.

It aims to take over the Republican Party by senior party officials backed by rich money men. 
It aims to prevent any grass roots activists from having any future say in the GOP. 

Corporatism or Plutocracy is the main problem that got us into the shambles we we face today.
It is the main problem we have with the economy. 
Economic policy and legislation is written for Plutocrats and to the detriment of everyone else.

Karl Rove wants to turn America into the USSR.

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The frightening path that the government and the Federal Reserve has set out upon Update 09/27

Nick Leeson and Barings bank vs the Federal Reserve and America

The Fed are behaving in exactly the same way as Nick Leeson, who kept doubling down on his bets that the Nikkei would  turn around and start rising again in the early 1990's.
The Nikkei was way over valued at the time - just like US Treasuries are now.
It was a sure fire losing trade.
Nick Leeson broke Barings Bank.
Barings Bank had been a profitable institution for 230 years - it was founded in 1762.
The Federal Reserve private bank is going to do the same thing to the whole of America.
America has also been a profitable institution for about 230 years.


The Federal Reserve's sure fire losing bet

The Fed is currently making healthy profits from it's greatly expanded balance sheet - $96bn for 2012.
But just a small rise in interest rates will turn these current profits into losses.


The Fed is now doubling and tripling down on a 100% sure fire losing bet (they are exactly akin to the worst kind of rookie trader).

They are increasing their balance sheet by $1tn a year ad infinitum, by buying US Treasuries at record high prices and overpaying for impaired mortgage debt in QE3.

WHEN (not if) interest rates start rising back towards normal historical levels the Fed will start making losses.
The longer the Fed continues with their current policy of buying huge quantities of debt at extremely high prices the greater these future losses will be.

Instead of returning a health sum to the US Treasury each year, the Fed will call upon the US Treasury (i.e. taxpayers) to pay for their losses.

These future payments by the US Treasury to the Federal Reserve private bank have not been factored into future deficit or National Debt calculations.

The Federal Reserve will not be able to escape the path that it is on.
There is no way out.
The Fed is already buying US debt equivalent to the ENTIRE annual government deficit every year.
There is an extreme shortage of other buyers at current rates.
The Fed will not be able to reduce their balance sheet at any stage in the future without taking a very substantial loss.  

Any selling by the Fed in any quantity would lead to a dramatic decrease in the price of US Treasuries (and other US debt held on the Federal Reserve's balance sheet).
The Federal Reserve is by far the largest player in the market for US debt - they are greater than all the other Central Banks put together.
The market has already priced in that the Fed will be buying $1tn of US debt a year ad infinitum and any change in that policy (even without actually buying or selling anything) would dramatically lower the perceived worth of US debt.

The interest rate for 10 year government debt averaged over the last 200 years is between 5 and 6%.
An interest rate of between 5 and 6% is the historical norm.
Markets ALWAYS revert back to historical norms sooner or later (unless they cease to exist entirely).

Source : Société Générale Institutional Research

10 Year US Treasuries currently have an interest rate of 2%.
Some estimates put the break even point for the Fed at 4.5% at the end of 2013 (below this and the Fed makes a profit).
Some estimates put it as low as 2.5%.
There is no doubt it is closer to the latter number.
You have to factor in the future losses on the huge amounts of debt the Fed has already bought while the 10 year note has averaged between 2.5% and 3% over the last 4 and a half years ($2.1tn from mid 2008 to January 2013).
You have to factor in the $1tn of US debt the Fed will be buying each year while the 10 Year note is paying around 2% interest, as it currently is.

The future Federal Reserve bank crisis is already set in stone alongside the US sovereign debt and bank crises.
By the end of 2013, if not earlier, the future will of already been set in stone. It is only a question of when these future events happen.

(The only remedy would be for the Fed to stop printing now and for the Federal government to stop borrowing now. There are no plans to stop doing either of those things - quite the reverse.
The Federal Reserve is going to keep printing and increasing it's balance sheet by $1tn a year ad infinitum.
Current congressional budget plans are to increase government spending to over $5tn a year by 2020 and to run a circa $2.5tn deficit in 2020 and it will continue to get worse after this.)

When the market woke up to Greece's debt problems in 2009, Greek interest rates moved from 2% to 7% within a few months.
Anybody who investigated the Greek government finances in the years before 2009, would also have known it was just a question of when, not if, their crisis happened.

There is NO way out.
And like all bubbles - the longer it is before this bubble bursts, the worse the eventual fall out will be.


Update 02/24
The frightening path that the government and the Federal Reserve has set out upon.

Source P48 of the following report
http://research.chicagobooth.edu/igm/usmpf/download2.aspx

When it comes to forecasting the long-term trajectory of the US economy, things usually get very fuzzy some time after 2020 because, as even the most hardened optimists, the "impartial" Congressional Budget Office have recently admitted, America has at best 3-4 years before everything falls apart due to the unsustainable demographic crunch that will wallop the US entitlement state as demographics suddenly becomes a four letter word. Beyond that, not even the CBO dares to plot a straight line as to what happens should America not get its fiscal house in order.

Which is why we were very surprised to see none other than Morgan Stanley's David Greenlaw and Deutsche Bank's David Hooper release a paper (whose views do "not necessarily reflect those of the institutions with which they are affiliated") titled "Crunch Time: Fiscal Crises and the Role of Monetary Policy" which is a must read for everyone interested in what very likely will happen to the US as ever more power is handed over by the country's now terminally malfunctioning fiscal and legislative apparatus to the monetary policy vehicle controlled by the US financial oligarchy.

Since we know that most readers are pressed for time, we will cut to the chase: the above chart shows what according to the authors' own simulation of the US economy, and not that of the CBO, rates on the 10 Year will look like through 2037. The second chart shows what US debt-to-GDP will be for the next two and a half decades.

We (the authors of the report) have assumed the U.S. current account deficit holds at 2.5% of GDP-- a level that matches the best result seen in the past decade and is slightly narrower than the 2.7% of GDP recorded in 2012. If, instead, we assume that the current account deficit reverted to the 3.7% of GDP average seen over the prior five years, then the projected debt burden would reach 180% of GDP in 2037.

We can also examine a scenario in which policy actions and economic outcomes produce a less favorable path for the primary budget deficit (using our baseline current account deficit assumption of 2.5% of GDP). For example, suppose that the looming budget sequester scheduled to occur on March 1 is cancelled and that the steady-state unemployment rate is assumed to be 6% (as opposed to the 5.25% as assumed by CBO). In this case (which we refer to as Simulation II), the budget deficit would be quite a bit higher than in the initial scenario. The debt/GDP ratio would rise much more rapidly, hitting 304% of GDP by 2037 (Figure 3.13) and bond yields would skyrocket, eventually getting above 25% (see Figure 3.14).

We should emphasize that we are not presenting these alternative simulations as more realistic forecasts of what the U.S. experience will actually be. In a country like the United States, the debt premium presumably would arise from inflation fears rather than concerns about outright default. And if we are talking about a higher inflation rate, forecasts of nominal GDP should be adjusted as well. Instead, we view these simulations as illustrating the extent to which the path implied by baseline CBO projections could quickly become much more difficult to manage than some policy-makers may be assuming-- something dramatic will need to change well before U.S. interest rates reach double-digit rates

Our main conclusion is that higher debt levels can have a significant impact on the interest rate path and that feedback effects of higher rates on the level of indebtedness can lead to a more dramatic deterioration in long-run debt sustainability in the United States than is captured in official baseline estimates. Figure

Putting some numbers to the forecast by Greenlaw and Hooper, and assuming a 1.5% CAGR for GDP, which in the new structurally slower normal is quite generous, we get $23 trillion in US GDP by 2037, $70 trillion in debt, and a blended cash interest expense that is over 75% of total GDP.

We also get the Fed monetizing all of it.

Appendices 

Federal Reserve financial statement for 2012.
http://www.frbatlanta.org/pubs/financialupdate/13q1_fed_returns_money_to_treasury.cfm

5 year chart of 10 Year US Treasury Notes
http://bigcharts.marketwatch.com/advchart/frames/frames.asp?show=&insttype=Index&symb=%24tnx&x=39&y=15&time=12&startdate=1%2F4%2F1999&enddate=2%2F20%2F2013&freq=1&compidx=aaaaa%3A0&comptemptext=&comp=none&ma=0&maval=9&uf=0&lf=1&lf2=0&lf3=0&type=2&style=320&size=2&timeFrameToggle=false&compareToToggle=false&indicatorsToggle=false&chartStyleToggle=false&state=8

US government spending

US government spending is planned to rise by nearly 50% to over $5tn a year in 2020 and continue rapidly rising thereafter.
Federal spending was $3.6tn in 2012.

The principal planned increases for 2020 compared to 2012 are roughly :-

$750bn on interest payments
$400bn on Healthcare
$400bn on Pensions
Over $100bn on the military

Total circa $1,650bn

There are also various inflation adjustment increases to the multitude of other government departments, but these are relatively small - adding up to an additional $50bn+ in total.

As noted above - the adjustment for payments from the Federal Reserve to the Treasury of $90bn a year to the opposite or much worse are not factored into the above calculations.

2012 Federal government spending
http://www.heritage.org/research/reports/2012/10/federal-spending-by-the-numbers-2012

A look inside the Fed's balance sheet 
http://blogs.wsj.com/economics/2012/09/13/a-look-inside-the-feds-balance-sheet-15/

Some scenarios of Federal Reserve future losses 

When US interest rates revert back to their historical norm of between 5 and 6% the Federal Reserve will take a realizeable loss of 50%+ on their balance sheet.

If this were to happen by 2016, the Federal Reserve would charge a loss to the US Treasury and the US taxpayer of about $3.5tn.
It would be spread out over a few years. The Federal Reserve imagines a scenario of about 5 years.
This is one of the more optimistic future scenarios in the Federal Reserve future forecasts.  

If interest rates did not rise for a few years and then rose in an orderly way over a few years back to lower historical norms of 5% by 2020, the Federal Reserve would charge a loss to the US Treasury of about $5.5tn.
This is the scenario envisioned in current Congressional budget plans.
If this were spread out over 5 years the Federal Reserve would charge  the US Treasury $1.1tn a year for 5 years on their losses.
The US government would already be spending circa $1tn a year on debt servicing, so this would double it.
The budget deficit would not be $2.5tn in 2020, it would be $3.7tn.
  
A much more likely outcome is that the market suddenly wakes up to the scenarios outlined above at some point in the future (just like the market eventually woke up to Greece) and interest rates rapidly rise from just over 2% to 7% in just a few months.
Then you have panic with far greater Federal Reserve losses and far higher interest payments having to be paid out by the Federal government.
Markets always tend to overshoot historical norms slightly, when they revert.

Why the Federal Reserve private bank is the root cause of America's problems 

Rick Santelli talks about the "sandcastle economy" 
http://www.againstcronycapitalism.org/2013/02/rick-santelli-talks-about-the-sandcastle-economy/

Rick Santelli from 01/29 
"The Feds exit will be very very messy"

Yes it will - the Fed is already buying up more than half of all new government debt issuance because there is an extreme shortage of other buyers.
Imagine what the shortage of buyers will look like when the Fed turns around and say they are going to be massive sellers instead of massive buyers of government debt.

http://video.cnbc.com/gallery/?video=3000144456


Update 04/01
David Stockman : We have been lied to, robbed and misled.
The Federal Reserve is currently buying up insane amounts of debt.
http://www.businessinsider.com/david-stockman-weve-been-lied-to-2013-3

Update 09/27
Some of the bubbles in America and around the rest of the world
http://www.forbes.com/sites/jessecolombo/2013/09/27/bubblecovery-why-our-economic-recovery-is-actually-an-illusion/

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Still Report SR70 State of the Union 2013 The real causes of America's problems

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Both John Kerry and Hillary Clinton are neocons too

Let's see what BHO's two SecStates had to say about the Iraq war and then recognize that Dem's were for the war as well.

"I will be voting to give the President of the United States the authority to use force -- if necessary -- to disarm Saddam Hussein because I believe that a deadly arsenal of weapons of mass destruction in his hands is a real and grave threat to our security."
-- Sen. John F. Kerry (D, MA), Oct. 9, 2002

"In the four years since the inspectors left, intelligence reports show that Saddam Hussein has worked to rebuild his chemical and biological weapons stock, his missile delivery capability, and his nuclear program. He has also given aid, comfort, and sanctuary to terrorists, including al Qaeda members ... It is clear, however, that if left unchecked, Saddam Hussein will continue to increase his capacity to wage biological and chemical warfare, and will keep trying to develop nuclear weapons."
-- Sen. Hillary Clinton (D, NY), Oct 10, 2002

"Without question, we need to disarm Saddam Hussein. He is a brutal, murderous dictator, leading an oppressive regime ... He presents a particularly grievous threat because he is so consistently prone to miscalculation ... And now he is miscalculating America's response to his continued deceit and his consistent grasp for weapons of mass destruction ... So the threat of Saddam Hussein with weapons of mass destruction is real..."
-- Sen. John F. Kerry (D, MA), Jan. 23. 2003

Both John Kerry and Hillary Clinton are Neocons.
As is Barack Obama, Joe Biden and John Brennan and several other members of Barack Obama's administration as well as most of the top Democrats in Congress like Harry Reid and Nancy Pelosi.

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How The Bush Administration Sold The Iraq War: MSNBC

The extremely weak Huffy Po article
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/02/18/bush-iraq-war_n_2712284.html


My comments :-

This is a very weak analysis of the lies told to get the public to support the invasion of Iraq. 

It had already been published in PNAC (the neocon agenda) in 1997 that regime change in Iraq was top of their list. 
5 other countries were also targeted for regime change - Libya, Iran, Syria, Jordan and Lebanon. 

Saddam Hussein announced in 2000 that he wanted to price oil in Euro's instead of dollars and encouraged Opec to do the same. This would of been disastrous for the Petrodollar system. 

Saddam and Osama Bin Laden were ideological enemies. 
Saddam ran a secular state and had to suppress religious extremists in Iraq to remain in power. 
He was completely opposed to Bin Laden's "Global Caliphate". 
Any suggestion that Saddam and Bin Laden were ever allied or that Saddam had anything to do with 911 is completely preposterous, but of course the American public bought it hook line and sinker. 

The organizing for 911 came out of Pakistan and Saudi Arabia. 
Most of the hijackers got their American entry visas from the same American office in Jeddah. 

Paul Wolfowitz had his own office in the White House as soon as Bush was elected. 
The sole purpose of this office was to doctor the intel reports about Saddam's WMD's.
The conclusion of the undoctored CIA reports were that they thought that Saddam no longer had any WMD's but as usual for these reports they inserted some caveats.

“Then of course we had the Niger yellow cake lies and Ambassador Joe Wilson's demolition of them. 
Which led to the outing of Valerie Plame (Joe Wilson's wife) and putting the lives of many Americans and friends of America at risk. 

Putting the lives of CIA operatives purposefully at risk should go down as treasonous and tried as such. 

The orders to out Valerie Plame came directly from Cheney. 
Only Scooter Libby (who was only acting under orders from above) got tried and then pardoned. 

Colin Powell was used as a patsy to sell the lies to the UN, the world and the American public. 
I am pretty sure he is now well aware that he was used as a patsy - that is why he resigned. 

Powell was got well out of the way for 911. 
He was sent to Peru. 

It is amazing how many Americans still haven't read PNAC and the names of the original signatories. 

They would understand what is happening in America today much better if they did.”

If you want to know about the events leading up to 911 and the invasion of Iraq you can read about them on here. 

http://ian56.blogspot.co.uk/2012/10/list-of-us-accomplishments-since-1992.html

To read more about Neocons and their true agenda :-

Google "ian56 blogspot neocons" 

To read the true reasons for the Invasion of Iraq, subsequent events and what is happening in America today, see this :- 
http://ian56.blogspot.co.uk/2013/01/what-if-wars-were-never-about-terrorism.html 

A list of original signatories to PNAC (the neocon agenda) and other neocon letters is available here. 
http://ian56.blogspot.co.uk/2012/03/romney-jeb-bush-and-dick-cheney.html

If anyone has any doubts that Barack Obama is a Neocon they should read this :-
http://ian56.blogspot.co.uk/2012/12/pnacs-neocon-agenda-continues-unabated.html

ALL of the Top Democrats are Neocons - Hillary Clinton, John Kerry, Joe Biden, Harry Reid, Nancy Pelosi, John Brennan etc.
http://ian56.blogspot.co.uk/2013/02/both-john-kerry-and-hillary-clinton-are.html

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