Category Archives: Business/Economics

Idaho housing costs “literally mathematically impossible”! Killing Idaho’s economy! Get ready for the crash-n-burn!

Video December 2, 2021 Hutchins AAron

“About six months ago, we were recruiting for a very high-level position in our company, we were recruiting somebody from California. They said, ‘You know what? Meridian, Idaho, is too expensive for me to live. It’s better for me to stay in California.’ Now how many of us have ever heard that? We never have.”-Garrett Lofto, President and CEO of JR Simplot, during the Associated Taxpayers of Idaho meeting on 01DEC2021

02 December 2021 (09:54-UTC-07 Tango 06) 11 Azar 1400/26 Rabi ‘ath-Thani 1443/28 Geng-Zi (10th month) 4719

A spat of news media reports offer overwhelming proof that a major housing price crash is coming for The Gem State of Idaho, and this comes just as many home owners just got another big county assessed increase in their property tax/fee schedules!

The Federal Housing Finance Agency warned that loan limits for Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac mortgages will hit record levels due to insane spikes in home prices in Idaho and Utah!

Biden’s Build Back Better bill’s low income housing vouchers will benefit only about 1-thousand-3-hundred Idahoans!

A Zions Bank economist recently stated to the Associated Taxpayers of Idaho: “I know that this level of housing price appreciation is unsustainable. It is, like, literally mathematically impossible for us to continue to have this level of housing price appreciation. My fear, of course, is that we see what we saw in 2009, where that big jump turns into big drops in housing prices.”-Robert Spendlove, Zions Bank Chief Economist, 01DEC2021

At the same Associated Taxpayers of Idaho meeting, gov’na Brad Little promised he would do something about skyrocketing property taxes and fees: “Property taxes continue to be a priority and I will work with the Legislature and organizations like ATI to find solutions to offer real and immediate property tax relief.”-Brad Little, Governor of Idaho, 01DEC2021

Idaho’s gov’na was not granted an increase in his housing allowance!

On 01DEC2021, CBS News reported that Boise, Idaho, is now the least affordable place to live in the United States, thank ass-hole housing speculators using bidding wars to get a house:

The Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA) U.S. House Price Index report of 30NOV2021.

Florida Atlantic University reports that homes in the Boise market are selling for an average of 80.5% more than what they are actually worth!

Florida Atlantic University also created a new ‘tool’ to help home sellers/buyers gage housing cycles, and predict the next crash!

Newspaper Idaho Statesman revealed that in November, Boise led the U.S. in crashing rents!

Coeur d’Alene/Post Falls Press stated: “1) Prices may come down on homes originally listed in the summer but didn’t sell for whatever reason. 2) Some sellers may be anxious to move properties before winter, especially if they’re also buying in a market with fewer listings. 3) A home may have been listed a little too high to begin with. 4) Some real estate agents purposefully list high to start, then gradually drop prices until that sweet spot buyer arrives.”

Despite main stream news sources, and housing developers/speculators, blaming Idaho’s high prices on lack of housing, this Good News Reality Group video report claims Boise’s housing inventory is actually up by 300%, as well as homes for sale are sitting on the market for longer, and that property tax/fee increases are driving locals out, warns that “even dual income families are gonna have a hard time qualifying”:

https://youtu.be/RXiOLm2qpN8

Zillow stops buying homes after losing $422-million, blaming volatile home prices, especially in the Boise area, for possibly rendering its Zestimate home pricing A-I tool ineffective!

KTVB news report about ‘luxury’ student apartments for Boise State University, replacing what were once affordable housing (this is called gentrification), warns it is a trend favoring out of state developers being allowed to happen by government officials:

Real estate researcher ATTOM recently revealed that home sellers in Boise were making an average of a 130.3% profit for the third quarter of 2021!

KREM reports housing costs in Northern Idaho drove a family to buy a boat for a home!

KREM reports that a Coeur d’Alene family now lives in North Carolina, due to lack of employment and outrageous housing costs in Idaho!

In July 2021, Local News 8 reported that the housing situation in Pocatello is being driven by housing developers seeking high profits, the situation in Idaho is so bad that low income workers must work an impossible 76 hours per week to afford a one bedroom apartment, Idaho is 5th ranked in the country for evictions & foreclosures:

Back in November, KIDO Talk Radio reported that rents were finally dropping in the Boise area.

Housing Crash Reality, 2021: FINALLY HITS BOISE-AREA REALTY MARKET WITH 920% CUTS!

My Immigrant Idaho, 2021: MEXICAN DRUG WAR TARGETS SOUTHEAST IDAHO, MORE THAN 200% INCREASE! CONNECTION TO PANDEMIC?

More Decline, 2019: POPEYES QUIETLY SHUTS DOWN FOUR IDAHO RESTAURANTS!

Idaho’s Continued Economic Destruction, 2018: “CLOSED INDEFINITELY”

More Decline 2017: NO MORE XMAS LIGHTS FOR CHUBBUCK? THE TRUTH ABOUT GENTRIFICATION (1066% increase in city services deposit, and 158% increase in monthly city services fees, since 1997!)

U.S. Job Losses, 2016: RURAL IDAHO KILLS THOUSANDS OF EQUINE JOBS & TENS OF MILLIONS IN REVENUES!

U.S. Job Losses, 2015: Taxpayer funded ‘BUY IDAHO’ program IS a BIG FAIL!

City of Boise launches surprise round up of homeless people, forced into concentration camp!

Government Incompetence, 2011: CONSTRUCTION COMPANIES SAY IDAHO CITY DRIVING DOWN THE ECONOMY WITH THEIR OUTRAGEOUS CONSTRUCTION FEES. IS POCATELLO VIOLATING STATE LAW?

Business/Economics, Influenza

Pandemic Logistics Perfidy: Skyrocketing Used Car Prices & Insurance Rates started years before the shortages!

November 30, 2021 Hutchins AAron

30 November 2021 (14:54-UTC-07 Tango 06) 09 Azar 1400/24 Rabi ‘ath-Thani 1443/26 Ji-Hai (10th month) 4719

I recently got a notice from the car insurance company I use (which is the cheapest I could find) and it stated that my eleven years old used car (I’m the second owner) is now “undervalued” and to meet its new valuation would require an increase to my insurance rate.

I have not been able to afford a new car since 1990, not just because of my income, but because of outrageous insurance rates for new vehicles (Anybody in the U.S. as old as me should remember when industry and government officials promised that making vehicle insurance mandatory would make it cheaper!). The news media wants you to believe that used vehicle prices are skyrocketing because of Pandemic shortages affecting the new vehicle manufacturers, my research shows used car prices started going up years before the Pandemic hit, and insurance rates are more about the switch to artificial intelligence than consumer ‘demand’.

An article published today, by The New Yorker, refers to insurance company Hagerty as reporting that second-hand pickup truck prices have gone up by 50% over the last four years. This is partly because people in the United States can actually make money ‘flipping’ a used pickup truck. Another reason is that old pickup trucks are seen as being easier for the owner to work on, compared to new vehicles which almost require you to take them to an expensive mechanic (some countries, like Germany, made it illegal for you to work on your own vehicle, unless you become a government licensed mechanic with a government inspected shop). This might seem logical for people with limited money who can’t afford to pay a mechanic, but the article makes an ironic point by blaming high-paid computer savvy tech workers for driving the demand for used pickups precisely because they don’t like the new computerized pickups!

This leads to an article by Forbes, which reports that the actual cause of automotive supply problems is not the Pandemic, but a mandated shift towards electric vehicle production! This will affect the economies of the world as the automotive industry is a truly globalized industry and not every link in the supply chain will benefit: “Companies making the wrong things will lose ground to those making the right things. Manufacturing jobs held by some people will go away. Manufacturing and software jobs will open up for others, possibly in the same locations, possibly in neighboring states, possibly in other countries.”

Another article published today reports on a relatively new U.S. insurance company that just acquired another relatively new U.S. insurance company, and how it just reported massive losses. The article doesn’t blame increased accidents involving used cars, but increased spending by the company on artificial intelligence (A-I) and other hi-tech software crap, as well as massive spending on advertising campaigns (marketing).

In the U.S. the car price ‘god’ is known as Kelly Blue Book, just this month they tried to explain why insurance rates are going up, basically insurance companies are now using ‘third-party’ A-I contractors to determine repair/replacement costs and set rates.

(U.S. Labor Shortage: Employers use third-party A-I driven contractors to make hiring decisions, keeps 7-million Americans unemployed!)

Today, Seeking Alpha tried to dissect the performance of an ecommerce used car seller called Shift Technologies, while used vehicle sales were way up, the company also reported a $14-million year-over-year net loss! The company had focused on selling its oldest vehicles for high prices in its first three quarters, but then reduced purchases because Shift expects used car prices to come down in its fourth quarter!

A recent article by Money says not only have used vehicle prices gone up, so have new car prices. The vehicle manufacturers are using the excuse of a so called microchip shortage to focus only on producing vehicles that make big profits.

In the United Kingdom, a recent article somehow connects the rising number of used car purchases to the rising number of accidents, at least that’s what one insurance company is claiming in order to justify jacking-up insurance rates. What the U.K.’s biggest vehicle insurance company claims is that when a used car gets into an accident it is most likely written-off, or what we call in the U.S. being totaled, due to the cost of repairs exceeding the value of the vehicle. Apparently a vehicle write-off is more expensive in the U.K. than in the U.S.? The insurance company also states that they’ve gone ahead and repaired some crashed vehicles, rather than write them off, because it was actually cheaper to do so. However, the Association of British Insurers claims that overall vehicle insurance rates have actually gone down precisely because there are fewer people driving due to Pandemic lockdowns!

In Wales, the news media claims that second hand car sales hit 19 straight months of booming sales in October, however, a car sales ‘expert’ reported that the Pandemic lockdowns of 2020 caused “1.5 million ‘lost’ car sales”!

Even in South Africa, the insurance industry is using Pandemic shortages to justify jacking-up vehicle insurance rates, claiming that Pandemic shortages are jacking-up the cost of labor and parts to repair a car.

Pandemic Perfidy: MILITARY MEDICAL TEAMS DEPLOY TO FEMA REGIONS 4, 6, 8 & 10! BLAME PRE-PANDEMIC NURSING SHORTAGE, caused by ObamaCare/ACA, THAT WILL LAST UNTIL 2025!

U.S. Pandemic Logistics Perfidy: YES, CALIFORNIA’S TRUCKING & EMPLOYMENT LAWS, not the Pandemic, PARTIALLY TO BLAME FOR SUPPLY PROBLEMS!

Pandēmus Totalitarian: TECH WORKERS WRITE ANTI-VAX MANIFESTO! THOUSANDS OF SOLDIERS ABOUT TO BE ‘FLAGGED’! OKLAHOMA CLAIMS TITLE 32 PROTECTION FROM Department of Defense!

A-I driven Pandemic Logistics Shenanigans: “A SUPPLY/DEMAND MISMATCH” “NEW NORMAL”

False Flag 2015: V-W INTENTIONALLY SACRIFICES DIESEL IN FAVOR OF GOVERNMENT CONTROLLABLE ELECTRIC CARS! BLAME TRILATERAL COMMISSION ROCKEFELLER!

Business/Economics, International, U.S.

Mother of all Money Pits: Why is Biden increasing military operations in Northern Iraq?

Video November 13, 2021 Hutchins AAron

An 11NOV2021 Kurdistan24 news report reveals that the United States, United Kingdom, Netherlands and Germany have created a Multinational Advisory Group separate from the usual coalition operations. This is an attempt to de-politicize the leadership of Peshmerga forces. There are different organizations within Kurdish society vying for power, and this is directly affecting Peshmerga forces’ cohesiveness in the fight against so called Islamic State.

On 10NOV2021, the U.S. military gave away yet more vehicles to Peshmerga forces at Erbil, Iraq. At least 170 vehicles were given away. U.S. Army video by Corporal Isaiah Scott:

Video report by Rudaw, 08NOV2021, explaining how small groups of so called Islamic State are scaring off Kurdish villagers in the area of Kirkuk, which is home to more than 20 oil fields:

On 06NOV2021, Kurdish news source Rudaw reports Iraqi army and Kurdish Peshmerga conducted their first ever joint operation against so called Islamic State, in Nineveh Province. The report also stated that U.S. forces were to end their combat ops by the end of 2021.

U.S. Army photo by First Lieutenant James Mason.

On 01NOV2021, the U.S. Army’s Task Force Spartan revealed that expansion work is being done on Erbil Air Base. For about three months now, engineers with 806th Route Clearance Company, 111th Theater Engineer Brigade, have been improving gravel ‘parking lots’ with limestone: “The limestone is a softer stone that will break up easier and in return ‘lock in’ to itself when packed down. This creates a solid surface that can still be packed down and have a smooth top layer that vehicles will not sink into and get stuck. At the same time, it allows for drainage through the limestone that does not create a muddy surface.”-Sergeant First Class Stephen Jones, NCO in command of the project

On 28OCT2021, retired Lieutenant General Daniel Bolger gave a presentation to the leadership of U.S. Army’s I-Corps (Joint Base Lewis-McChord, Washington) about why the U.S. lost the war in Afghanistan and Iraq. In 2014, Bolger published a book titled Why We Lost, which blamed inept military/political leaders. So why now is he advising the leaders of I-Corp?

Erbil Fuel System Supply Point, U.S. Army photo by Staff Sergeant Neil McCabe.

On 27OCT2021, the U.S. Army’s Sustainment Command conducted inspections of refueling points in Iraq.

A 25OCT2021 Kurdistan24 news report says U.S. advisors are pushing for the Iraqi army and Kurdish Peshmerga to create two joint brigades for the purpose of retaking territory recently lost to so called Islamic State. Other news reports by Kurdish news media indicate that attacks have increased.

Role 3 Hospital, Baghdad Diplomatic Support Center, U.S. Army photo by Major Andrew DeStefano.

On 20OCT2021, the U.S. Army’s Medical Logistics Command revealed that a FRAM (Forward Repair Activity-Medical) team from California was deployed to Iraq at the end of September, to repair and return to ‘operability’ medical equipment at a ‘Role 2 hospital’ on Erbil Air Base, as well as a ‘Role 3 hospital’ at the Baghdad Diplomatic Support Center, for the specific purpose of “boosting overall readiness.”

U.S. Army Photo by Staff Sergeant Jose A. Torres, Junior.

During 16-29OCT2021, Exercise Phoenix Fires was conducted near Al Asad Air Base. The purpose was to ‘hone the skills’ of Iraqi Tactical Attack Controllers (ITAC), who call in airstrikes to support ground forces. The training concluded with a live-fire exercise near Mosul Dam.

U.S. Army Phoenix Fires video explainer interview by Staff Sergeant Jose A. Torres, Junior:

Al Asad Air Base. U.S. Army photo by Specialist Clara Soria-Hernandez.

On 12OCT2021, Wisconsin Army National Guard’s 135th Medical Area Support Company conducted combat life-saving skills training for Iraqi special forces medics, as well as Iraqi air force clinic medics, on Al Asad Air Base.

U.S. Army photo by First Lieutenant James Mason.

On 11OCT2021, Task Force Spartan revealed that the 1022nd Engineer Company, 111th Theater Engineer Brigade, had engineers working on ‘vertical construction projects’ on Erbil Air Base. This is because more U.S. and Coalition personnel are operating on the air base, and it was deemed that existing structures were not safe.

Also on 11OCT2021, the U.S. Air Force revealed it had deployed Joint Expeditionary Tasked/Individual Augmentees (JET/IA) to Al Asad Air Base, to support AC-130W Stinger-2 operations. The AC-130W is a USAF Special Operation Forces gunship: “We’ve been assigned to support the AC-130W and provide them with all their logistical needs…whether that be transportation, aerial port, anything like that.”-Master Sergeant Charles Willis, Special Operation Forces and Logistics

One of the JET/IA Airman (Senior Airman Autumn Rivas), deployed for the AC-10W ops, intimated that combat action had increased when he said “You know any attacks that happen here, I would say like the other day we had to stay up all night and work all day. It hasn’t been the easiest thing. We do what we need to do to get things done, work at different paces and stagger things when they need to be staggered.”

Biden’s War, November 2021: ‘REBELLIOUS’ SNAKE RIVER (IDAHO, OREGON, et al) National Guard DEPLOYS FOR TASK FORCE SPARTAN!

Mother of all Money Pits, October 2021: $500-MILLION PLUS FOR FISCAL 2021, MORE PROOF YOUR TAXES ARE FUNDING BIG OIL COMPANIES!

Mother of all Money Pits, September 2021: MILLIONS OF DOLLARS PER DAY GIVEN AWAY IN IRAQ, BIDEN DEPLOYS MORE TROOPS! PREPS FOR WAR WITH ISIS, OR SYRIA, OR IRAN?

Biden’s War, March 2021: U.S. FORCES ENTER SYRIA, AGAIN

America Spread Thin, March 2018: NEW YORK MILITIA KILLED IN IRAQ!

Obama Legacy, Islamic State in Syria: KILL ALL CIVILIANS, TRUMP CONTINUES TRADITION!

Business/Economics, Influenza, U.S.

Pandēmus Totalitarian: Yes Virginia, the I-R-S will be notified of every $600 transaction, starting January 2022, blame ARPA!

November 10, 2021 Hutchins AAron

“It is going to be up to the taxpayer, if they receive a 1099 in any form for a nontaxable event, such as splitting rent among roommates, splitting a dinner bill, or even selling something on eBay for less than you paid for it, to explain to the IRS that the 1099 was received for a non-taxable transaction.”-Mark Luscombe, Wolters Kluwer Tax & Accounting

10 November 2021 (14:24-UTC-07 Tango 06) 19 Aban 1400/04 Rabi ‘ath-Thani 1443/06 Ji-Hai (10th month) 4719

This has nothing to do with the infrastructure debt financing plan just passed by the U.S. Congress, it is a sneaky part of the March 2021 COVID-19 Stimulus Package (aka American Rescue Plan Act, aka ARPA [not to be confused with DARPA’s original acronym]). Starting 01JAN2022, every time anybody uses an electronic payment processor to make a transaction of $600 or more (this includes $600 transaction for one item, or a single transaction for multiple items totaling $600 or more), the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) gets notified with one or more 1099 forms.

To make things more confusing, there are different types of 1099 forms and according to an accountant, interviewed by CNN, the IRS could get two different types of 1099s for the same transaction because the ‘language’ in ARPA makes it sound like both 1099-K and 1099-MISC (miscellaneous) will be filled: “Again, the taxpayer will have to explain to the IRS that the two 1099s are for the same transaction.”-Mark Luscombe, Wolters Kluwer Tax & Accounting

Each payment processor will be forced to create its own way of reporting the transactions, and even create a way to identify the type of transaction, to the IRS. Government officials, like Janet Yellen, say this is all about catching tax evaders and if your transaction is legitimate then you have nothing to worry about, yet it is 100% on you to prove to the IRS that the transaction is a legitimate non-taxable transaction or you could be taxed on it!

“When Congress passed the American Rescue Plan Act in March, it made a little-noticed change in the tax reporting rules that will make it almost impossible for independent contractors and other businesses to hide their income from the IRS by receiving electronic payments.”-Bradford Tax Institute, explaining the justification of the ARPA, yet failing to point out that ARPA does not differentiate from a contractor and somebody paying their rent. Bradford says that Congress allowed that rent payments can be excluded, but as I wrote above, the burden of making that determination is on the payment processor.

“The American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 (the Act) significantly modifies the reporting threshold …..from $20,000 in aggregate payments and 200 transactions to solely a threshold of $600 in aggregate payments (with no minimum transaction requirement).”-PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC), the second-largest global professional services network.

All my adult children use electronic payment processors, they do not use banks, this means every time they pay their outrageous monthly rents (they live in an area that has lead the U.S. in skyrocketing housing costs) the IRS might be notified, and then they’ll have to explain to the IRS what it was for!

Pandēmus Totalitarian, 03NOV2021: TENS OF THOUSANDS OF U.S. MILITARY, POLICE, FIRE FIGHTERS, NURSES REBEL AGAINST BIDEN’S MANDATE!

Pandemic Perfidy: MILITARY MEDICAL TEAMS DEPLOY TO FEMA REGIONS 4, 6, 8 & 10! BLAME PRE-PANDEMIC NURSING SHORTAGE THAT WILL LAST UNTIL 2025!

Exceptional Failed State, January 2014: JEWS CONTROL UNITED STATES BANKING SYSTEM! OBAMA KISSES THEIR ASSES! MEIN KAMPF BECOMES A BEST SELLER, AGAIN!

“I am a most unhappy man. I have unwittingly ruined my country. A great industrial nation is controlled by its system of credit. Our system of credit is concentrated. The growth of the nation, therefore, and all our activities are in the hands of a few men. We have come to be one of the worst ruled, one of the most completely controlled and dominated Governments in the civilized world no longer a Government by free opinion, no longer a Government by conviction and the vote of the majority, but a Government by the opinion and duress of a small group of dominant men.” -Quote attributed to Woodrow Wilson, U.S. President who signed Federal Reserve Act in 1913

Business/Economics, International, U.S.

World War 3: U.S. Army’s ‘new’ Counter Threat Finance operations! No more Special Forces?

November 3, 2021 Hutchins AAron

03 November 2021 (04:21-UTC-07 Tango 06) 12 Aban 1400/27 Rabi ‘al-Awwal 1443/29 Ji-Hai (9th month) 4719

“Money always moves with a purpose. It’s fun to be able to be this close and be able to determine what that purpose is and to be able to influence it, to be able to disrupt, or inform to prevent or disrupt, an adversary’s ability to raise, use, move, or store money.”-Major Jon P. Evans, U.S. Army’s 266th Finance Support Center (based in Germany), 03NOV2021

That’s correct, the U.S. Army has launched what it calls CTF (Counter Threat Finance) operations, in Kuwait. The CTF operation is being conducted by what is called a Finance Support Center (FiSC), a typical finance unit that is normally the ‘bean counter’ of a larger Army unit.

“First is what we call fiscal preparation of the environment. We’ll go in and do an economic analysis of a country or a region and see who the key trading partners are, how much U.S. spending goes in there, look at their banking network, and just look at some other macroeconomic indicators like unemployment, inflation, levels of corruption. We use that fiscal preparation of the environment, the FPE, to develop a finance support package, and then that FSP will go into a targeting process to look at individuals or companies to either prevent them from doing business with the government or to produce other effects.”-Major Jon P. Evans, 266th Finance Support Center

CTFs are not new, but this is the first time a non-Special Operations Forces unit is conducting the counter finance op. For a few years now, U.S. Army Special Operations Forces have been running CTFs on the African continent, and elsewhere, in the hopes of financially starving-out groups considered to be terrorist threats against U.S. interests. Obviously this isn’t working in Africa (and didn’t work in Afghanistan) as earlier this year Joe Biden issued an executive order telling the military to prepare to evacuate African ‘friendlies’ as part of the greater Operation Allies Refuge.

The U.S. Army’s CTFs are part of the larger Counter Threat Finance and Sanctions (TFS, don’t know why they drop the C in the acronym) run by the U.S. Department of State.

For years under the George W. Bush administration military run CTFs were debated, finally, in 2008 a directive was issued for the Department of Defense (DoD) to create a CTF policy. However, a 2010 CTF directive, under Barack H. Obama, states (in its References) that the 2008 Bush directive was “hereby canceled”.

An FBI agent conducts the first CTF course for National Guard personnel, 09DEC2011. Air National Guard photo by Technical Sergeant Betty Squatrito-Martin.

At the end of 2011, the DoD ordered the U.S. National Guard Bureau (NGB) to begin training for CTFs under the guise of counter-drug training. The 26 new counter threat finance personnel attended a three week training course at Joint Base Anacostia Bolling, November 29th-December 16, 2011: “This is a start to a whole new effort for the Guard. This effort that the Guardsmen are a part of helps build a skill base that I predict is going to be a growing part of what we do in the future.”-William F. Wechsler, Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Counternarcotics and Global Threats

In March 2012, the Army War College suggested that the DoD shift to from counter-drug to “CTF targeting against terrorists and those supporting terrorist activities”.

In April 2012, the NGB made it official and added CTFs to its Counterdrug Program.

In May of 2014, National Guard Counterdrug CTF Program Manager, Captain Mesha Cichon, stated “The Counter Threat Finance career field is in its infancy, so any training our Soldiers and Airman can get to improve their skill set, is imperative.” Also, the boss of CTF at Joint Interagency Task Force South, Tammy Bowers, stated “CTF analysis is so new, we have to reach out to each other… In a few short years, we’ve developed an impressive cadre….”

Also in 2014, the DoD ordered that “a common lexicon for CTF, target nomination procedures, and guidance in defining measures of performance for CTF activities” be created regarding CTF operations globally.

2015, Brookings Institute: Counter Threat Finance-Not a Silver Bullet

Criminal Analysts Open Source Techniques training, May 2017. Air National Guard photo by Master Sergeant Betty Squatrito-Martin.

In May 2017, National Guard personnel attended counter-drug/CTF training (officially called Criminal Analysts Open Source Techniques) in Indiana, which focused on Social Media: “The online tools, techniques and methods we use to support law enforcement efforts are constantly evolving. We must continue to advance and train our Counterdrug members to meet this demand.”-First Sergeant Donald Cooley, criminal analyst

In May of this year, a DoD review of CTF operations by USAFRICOM, USCENTCOM, USEUCOM, and USINDOPACOM, revealed that they “did not establish and maintain formalized command procedures” because “personnel relied primarily upon their own experience and knowledge to conduct CTF activities.” In other words, military CTF operations were failing because each military unit was ‘doing its own thing’, the DoD again re-issued the 2014 order to develop a common/standardized CTF plan of action.

Apparently the new use of regular military finance units is part of the attempt to standardize CTF operations.

U.S. Army Counter Threat Finance Analyst: “conduct financial profiles, suspicious activity report reviews, commodity flow analysis and financial document exploitation. These duties will complement analysts existing skills in cell phone forensics, link analysis, open source intelligence and report writing. Their job will be to counter financing used by illicit networks that traffic narcotics, precursor chemicals, launder illicit proceeds and related activities that support drug trafficking organizations, narcoterrorism, and transnational criminal organizations.”

World War Three: BIDEN IS A BRITISH EMPIRE RED COAT? NEW ALLIANCE FOR FUTURE WAR WITH CHINA!

USAF PREPS TO USE C-130s ON U.S. HIGHWAYS! RED DAWN FOR REALS?

Money of all Money Pits: $500-MILLION PLUS FOR IRAQ IN FISCAL 2021, MORE PROOF U.S. TAXES ARE FUNDING BIG OIL COMPANIES!

Business/Economics, Influenza, International, U.S.

U.S. Pandemic Logistics Perfidy: Yes, California’s Trucking & Employment Laws partially to blame for Supply problems!

Video October 21, 2021 Hutchins AAron

21 October 2021 (00:32-UTC-07 Tango 06) 29 Mehr 1400/14 Rabi ‘al-Awwal 1443/16 Wu-Xu (9th month) 4719

Here’s a big coincidence, California’s Trucking and Bus Regulation went into effect on 01JAN2020, right at the beginning of the pandemic, and the shortages that soon resulted were blamed on the pandemic: “On January 1, 2020 heavy-duty diesel vehicles that are not in compliance with the Truck & Bus regulation will be unable to register their vehicle with DMV.”

The Trucking and Bus Regulation is supposedly about the environmental impact of semi-trucks and busses, but there is another law known as AB5 (aka Gig Worker Law), it is the law that caused so much problems with home delivery service operations, such as Uber and Door Dash. On 05OCT2021, the Supreme Court of the United States refused to hear a challenge brought by a shipping company to California’s Assembly Bill 5 (AB5). The shipping company relies on what federal law calls ‘owner-operator’ truck drivers. There is another pending lawsuit by a different shipping company waiting to be heard by the U.S. Supreme Court.

The Center Square: California Trucking Association petitions U.S. Supreme Court.

12OCT2021: XPO Logistics settles yet another failure to pay drivers at California port lawsuit, this time for a record $30-million!

On 18OCT2021, DTN/Progressive Farmer published an article which reveals that California’s laws are affecting shipping companies outside The Golden State, and that the whole pandemic logistics problem is because corporations (not just shipping companies but retailers such as Walmart as well) have been intentionally operating with fewer employees and work hours, revealed when they agreed to shift to 24/7 operations (gee, I remember when 24/7 was the norm). Analysts blame the pandemic for making the truck driver shortage worse, but how could there be a driver shortage when it turns out that trucking/shipping operations had been drastically cut back (also blamed on the pandemic)? To prove that it was just labor cost saving shenanigans, all it apparently took was a phone call from Joe Biden and now the entire supply chain industry says ‘oh, no problem, we’ll just go to 24/7 operations and hire more people’!

14OCT2021, there is no truck driver shortage, video shows trucks backed up at California port:

But I can’t blame California totally; New York state imposes new trucking laws, as well as New Jersey considers adopting California trucking laws.

CDLLife: Six Eastern states join forces to conduct Interstate 70 crackdown, greatly slowing down truck traffic under the guise of educating “motorists on safe driving habits”!

19OCT2021, Mid-West truck driver posts video showing huge warehouse with plenty of open loading docks while at the same time truckers are being told they have to wait to unload, the result creates domino effect causing truckers to miss or cancel their next pick-ups, also, trucks are being refused entry for piddly paperwork reasons. Pay attention to the amount of open/not in use loading docks at this massive warehouse/distribution center:

Federal Department of Transportation (DoT) rules governing the trucking industry basically apply to truck drivers who cross state lines (interstate commerce), truck drivers who do not only have to comply with state laws.

Forbes: Unclogging The Ports Will Not Fix The Supply Chain’s Even Bigger Trucking Crisis.

FreightWaves: California’s new law hits warehouse operations in Southern California!

California’s new law targets Amazon.

National Law Review: California’s new law concerning ‘owner-operators’ could increase the cost of shipping.

“California’s meal and rest rules not only pose a safety risk but also lead to a loss in productivity and, ultimately, hurt American consumers.”-Ray Martinez, Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration

Get ready for more in 2022, Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM) reveals new California laws that go into effect January 2022; a new law that affects warehouse/distribution operations, a new law that concerns pandemic infections in the workplace, and even a new law concerning protective equipment for migrant farm workers during wildfires!

September 2019: California’s contractor law has steep implications for trucking.

Pandemic Perfidy: AUSTRALIA, CANADA, NEW ZEALAND, UNITED KINGDOM

U.S. Pandemic Logistics Perfidy: DEBT CEILING vs ARMORED S-U-V! Tax robbing officials say it’s about avoiding supply chain problems caused by the pandemic!

Pandemic Terminator: Pandemic labor shortages in the U.S. actually caused by A-I hiring programs which are blocking 27-million people from employment!

Pandemic Logistics Shenanigans, June 2021: “A SUPPLY/DEMAND MISMATCH” “NEW NORMAL”

Operation CoViD-19, April 2020: Arizona National Guard using taxpayer funded trucks to transport produce to civilian owned grocery stores!

U.S. INDUSTRIAL/LOGISTICS/MINING LAYOFFS, DECEMBER 2018: “THE YOUNGER GENERATION…THEY DON’T UNDERSTAND”

U.S. HI-TECH/COMMUNICATIONS BREAKDOWN, NOVEMBER 2018: ‘ROUTINE TESTS’ & ‘LOGISTICS HELL’

Business/Economics, Idaho, Influenza, International, U.S.

My Immigrant Idaho: Mexican Drug War targets Southeast Idaho, more than 200% increase! Connection to Pandemic?

Video October 16, 2021 Hutchins AAron

On 14OCT2021, the gov’na of Idaho, along with the State Police, admitted to something most of us living in Eastern/Southeastern Idaho already knew; crime is indeed up because of illegal drugs trafficked by illegal immigrants!

In fact, Gov’na Brad Little went so far as to say little ol’ city of Pocatello was the ‘Gate City’ for the illegal drugs coming from Mexico, saying there’s “an arrow going right to Pocatello”, and “Of the drug trafficking organizations investigated last year, 96% identified Mexico as the source country for drugs trafficked into the region.” (Gate City is the unofficial name for Pocatello, I say unofficial because several decades ago the residents voted on adopting the nickname and they voted against it, yet the local news media keeps using it)

During the press conference, State Police trooper Sergeant Curt Sproat said “Since 2018, the Idaho State Police forensic lab has seen a more than a 200% increase in the amount of fentanyl…” :

Since 1999, Oregon and Idaho are considered high intensity drug trafficking areas, including Bannock County in Southeastern Idaho, the city of Pocatello is the capitol (county seat) of Bannock County.

05OCT2021, Sheriff of Canyon County, in Western Idaho, says the state and the Biden regime are not doing enough to stop drugs from Mexico:

02OCT2021, Fox News reports on Mexican drugs invading Idaho:

28SEP2021, Idaho state health officials say there is a direct connection between CoViD pandemic policies and illegal drug deaths:

24SEP2021, a North Idaho millionaire, and heir to the DHL logistics company, pleads guilty to trafficking drugs to Guam and Palau:

24SEP2021: Gov’na Little demands audience with Joe Biden over border crisis!

Blind Bat News has been following the illegal drugs/illegal immigrant debacle in The Gem State of Idaho, and the rest of the world, for the past decade:

Biden’s Borderland, 2021: Paradox; as The Gem State’s gov’na was in Texas to support an independent effort to control the border with Mexico, Idaho’s lieutenant gov’na orders the Idaho National Guard to the Texas border, now she is in trouble!

My Immigrant Idaho, 2021: CHOBANI TO HIRE AFGHAN REFUGEES, PAR FOR THE COURSE FOR BIDEN, AND A TURKISH OWNED COMPANY!

2020: “THIS IS NOT A REQUEST, IT’S A DEMAND!” Idaho counties making money housing illegals!

2019: POPULATION DEATH SPIRAL, RATS LEAVING A SINKING SHIP!

2018: THE “SPANISH SECTION” KEEPING IDAHO FARMS STRONG!

2016: FEDERALES SAY IDAHO DOMINATED BY POOR IMMIGRANTS!

ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS PROTECTED IN IDAHO?

2015: IDAHO LOSES JOBS, RECORD NUMBER OF PEOPLE IN WORKFORCE, YET UNEMPLOYMENT RATE REMAINS THE SAME? BLAME IMMIGRANTS!

IDAHO BURDENED BY $187-MILLION WORTH OF ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS!

World War 3 Drug War North America, 2021: NEW YEAR, NEW U.S. PRESIDENT, SAME U.S. WAR ON DRUGS & ILLEGALS!

2018: DRUGS, THE AMERICAN WAY

OHIO NEW OPIOID GROUND ZERO, BLAME BITCOIN?

114 ILLEGALS ARRESTED IN SAN DIEGO FOR DRUGS!

2015: UNITED STATES ‘THE’ DRUG LORD IN MEXICO’S DRUG WAR?

2013: TENS OF THOUSAND OF MOSTLY CHRISTIANS KILLED IN THE NAME OF U.S. INSTIGATED FALSE FLAG DRUG WAR IN MEXICO! MORE DEATHS IN MEXICO THAN IN SYRIA?

MEXICO KICKS OUT U.S. ‘LAW ENFORCEMENT’ AGENCIES, BLAMES THEM FOR DRUG WAR!

World War 3 Asian Front-Afghanistan, 2013:U.S. ADMITS DRUG WAR A FAILURE!

2012: DRUG WAR DESIGNED TO RAISE THE PRICE OF OPIUM.

Drug War, 2014: MORMON BANK CAUGHT VIOLATING U.S. SANCTIONS AGAINST IRAN! MONEY LAUNDERING OR DRUG RUNNING BY BANK OF UTAH, MAYBE CIA OPS?

2012: DRUG LORD GETS NEW LIFE IN SPAIN THANKS TO THE U.S. TAXPAYER!

U.S. SUPPORTED MEXICAN GENERALS CONNECTED TO DRUG VIOLENCE IN SO CALLED DRUG WAR. MORE THAN 3,000 U.S. SUPPORTED MEXICAN MILITARY PERSONNEL COURT MARTIALED BECAUSE OF CORRUPTION!

2011: DRUG WAR SPILLS INTO GUATEMALA, STATE OF SIEGE DECLARED, ONCE AGAIN MIGRANT WORKERS THE TARGETS, DRUG GANGS ARE ACTUALLY MEXICAN NAZIS

WANT TO KNOW WHAT’S REALLY GOING ON IN MEXICO’S DRUG WAR? ANOTHER FRONT IN THE GLOBAL CONTROL THROUGH CHAOS WAR!

In a 1998 book (called The Next War), co-authored by former U.S. Secretary of Defense under Ronald Reagan, Caspar Weinberger listed which countries the United States was going to go to war with (one being Iraq), and that includes Mexico! Weinberger’s scenarios are based on actual Department of Defense invasion plans.

Business/Economics, International

Mother of all Money Pits: $500-million plus for fiscal 2021, more proof your taxes are funding big oil companies!

October 6, 2021 Hutchins AAron

On 06OCT2021, Dana Gas (a United Arab Emirates natural gas company) credited huge increases in Iraqi Kurdistan petroleum production for its huge 1st Quarter profits. Dana Gas is involved with the massive Khor Mor gas expansion project, which is being operated by an ‘umbrella’ corporation called Pearl Petroleum and is funded by the U.S. government’s International Development Finance Corporation (aka DFC).

05OCT2021, Kurdistan24’s interview of politician with British Empire’s United Kingdom explains (poorly, full of typical diplomatic rhetoric) why Kurdistan is suddenly now important (do your research to learn that after World War One the British Empire threw the Kurds under the bus when it, along with France, created the modern day Middle East):

On 05OCT2021, Kurdistan24 reported that U.S. taxpayers gave the Peshmerga another 50 military vehicles, in Erbil-Kurdistan.

04OCT2021: NATO Turkey captures Peshmerga base in Iraq!

04OCT2021, Iraqi real estate investment company called HappyLand For Investment releases video promoting massive development programs in Erbil-Kurdistan, apparently as a result of massive oil industry investments funded by foreign governments:

U.S. Army photo by Specialist Clara Soria-Hernandez.

04-06OCT2021, on Al Asad Air Base yet another U.S. taxpayer funded giveaway of weapons, ammo, and other equipment, to the Iraqi Qwat al-Khasah (Special Forces).

USA photo by Specialist Clara Soria-Hernandez.

The U.S. Department of Defense admits that for fiscal year 2021 (October 2020 to September 2021) more than $500-million worth of military stuff has been given to Iraqi military and Peshmerga! Don’t forget, these ‘divestments’ have been going on for more than a decade!

30SEP2021, Rudaw English interviews China’s envoy to Kurdistan (Erbil) as to why China is now heavily involved with Kurdistan:

08SEP2021: UAE’s Dana Gas gets largest ever U.S. taxpayer backed loan for oil operations inside Iraq!

Mother of all Money Pits: DEBT CEILING vs MILLION $ GIVEAWAYS!

Pandemic Logistics Perfidy: DEBT CEILING vs ARMORED SUBURBAN!

Business/Economics, Technology

Pandemic Logistics Perfidy: Debt Ceiling vs. Armored Suburban!

October 6, 2021 Hutchins AAron

06 October 2021 (09:53-UTC-07 Tango 06) 14 Mehr 1400/28 Safar 1443/01 Wu-Xu (9th month) 4719

“We’re excited to be developing a fully-integrated, purpose-built HD Suburban in partnership with the U.S. Department of State.”-Steve duMont, GM Defense

While Joe Biden and his team cry about the self-imposed debt limit of the United States government being too low, his Department of State just went and paid General Motors Defense (GM Defense) $36.4-million for ten prototype armored Suburbans, and if the State Department is happy with those ten, they’ll (you’ll) pay for “a fleet of 200 HD Suburbans per year for nine years”!

All you happy taxpayers need to pay attention to news releases about government contracts, notice that they are officially described as ‘awards’, meaning the corporate world considers your future enslaving tax funded contracts (government debt financing) as prizes in some kind of contest you didn’t even authorize!

GM Defense says their ten ‘development’ up-armored Suburbans will use existing parts (“off the self”) and be completed by May 2023, after that GM Defense expects the State Department to ‘award’ a nine years long production contract for 2-hundred of these up-armored fuel wasters per year!

Taxpayers need to ask the question; why does the State Department need so many new armor-ized silly-vilian vehicles when it already has hundreds? Yes, the U.S. Department of State already operates hundreds of up-armored Suburbans! And don’t forget about all those armored Suburbans operated by other federal government agencies!

It turns out the Chevrolet Suburban is the most used base vehicle for conversion to a civilian armored car, and those conversions are already done, or sold, by several different companies: Alpine Armoring (which already has 2021 model year armored Chevy Suburbans available)

INKAS Armored Vehicle Manufacturing

The Armored Group

ARMORMAX

Troy Armoring Company

So why now, when the U.S. government is about to run out of debt financing, is the State Department/Secret Service issuing “first-of-their-kind contracts” specifically for development of a Suburban armored car?

According to a 16SEP2021 press release, the first ever contracts with GM Defense, and Ford, are intended “to ensure a viable and robust AV supply chain.”

The Department of State/Secret Service press release goes on to say that buying armored silly-vilian vehicles from third party conversion companies takes too long, and that they are not “adaptable to growing global threats.”

Mother of all Money Pits: DEBT CEILING vs. MILLION $ GIVEAWAYS!

Pandemic Perfidy: “ALL OF OUR METRICS ARE FLAWED.” COVID CAMP ‘EVACUATED’! MORE PROOF FULLY VACCINATED ARE SPREADING DELTA!

Pandemic Logistics Shenanigans: GLOBAL CAR SALES CRASH? WHY IS ELECTRIC CAR PRODUCTION/SALES UP? DON’T BLAME THE PANDEMIC, BLAME GOVT. MANDATES!

Business/Economics, Technology

Pandemic-Terminator: A-I hiring programs create labor ‘shortage’ by banning 27-million U.S. citizens from employment!

October 1, 2021 Hutchins AAron

01 October 2021 (11:58-UTC-07 Tango 06) 09 Mehr 1400/23 Safar 1443/25 Wu-Xu 4719

A recently published study blames the so called labor shortage on the dominance of artificial intelligence operated hiring systems now used by 99% of ‘Fortune 500’ corporations; these systems are deleting applications for the most mediocre reasons, partly because of incorrect job data inputs by the Human Resource personnel responsible for programing them!

The main-stream news media has been quick and persistent in blaming the pandemic fear-mongering response (which they had a major part in stoking), but the truth is that this has been coming for awhile. In 2018, during the fifth interview with the same HR manager with the same company over a 16 month period of applying for a job that was never filled, I asked the HR manager what was up with them not filling the position since they’ve been advertising it for more than a year and conducted dozens of testing and interviews for it. She explained that “about five years ago” the company switched to a third party hiring contractor that is using computers to make the hiring decisions. Prior to that she had the authority to do the testing, interviews and make the decision as to who gets hired, but now she just handles the testing and interviews, the hiring was now in the hands of a computer system operated by a contractor, and that computerized system would only hire people who met criteria that put them in a top ten list, which apparently the computerized system was not finding any of the applicants (despite their years of experience or qualifications) worthy of making the top ten! The computer’s criteria included other things besides years of experience and technical qualifications, things like criminal history, age, sex, ethnicity, education, test results, etc. (Interesting, because under U.S. employment law it is illegal to use a person’s age, sex, ethnicity and other ‘demographics’ to determine employment!)

On 15SEP2021, the Harvard Gazette published an article talking about 27-million ‘hidden workers’ and how A-I systems, coupled with demographic changes, are effectively excluding qualified applicants from employment!

Joseph B. Fuller ’79, M.B.A. ’81, co-chair of the Managing the Future of Work project at Harvard Business School, stated that most studies about unemployment/job seekers (supply side) do not look at the employers (demand side) as the potential cause of people not getting hired. And government data only looks at numbers, not cause and effect.

Fuller explained that today’s hiring systems first throw out applicants with criminal records, and people with no college education. Military veterans are thrown out because of an age old problem of translating military skills to silly-vilian (civilian) job skills. Next to be thrown out are people who have large gaps in employment history (my problem apparently). Fuller also explained that there are a lot of people who fit several of those categories, such as being a veteran, and long term unemployed, and no college education.

Another problem is how job descriptions are being inputted into the computer system: “…as the report points out, is that the creation of job descriptions and their curation over time is very haphazard. Most job descriptions are not updated that often; they’re updated by recruiters with [little] input from the [relevant] supervisors…”-Joseph B. Fuller, Harvard Gazette interview

The study is called Hidden Workers: Untapped Talent, and it postulates that qualified U.S. workers are systematically filtered out by the hiring process.

On 04SEP2021, The Wall Street Journal published and article called Companies Need More Workers. Why Do They Reject Millions of Résumés? The article is not just about automated hiring systems that are rejecting millions of applications, but how existing employees are being blocked from having any say in how their jobs are done or how the company is operated. It sounds like these A-I systems that corporations are using are looking to employ robots, not humans.

29SEP2021: The small city of Yuma, Arizona, lost the 8th most workers in the U.S., to 2020 pandemic fear mongering!