Category Archives: U.S.

Business/Economics, U.S.

What Economic Recovery? Proof that most U.S. citizens will never be able to retire

According to AARP, for the Baby Boomers that are still in the workforce, 40% of them plan to work “until they drop.”

A recent survey of U.S. workers, that included all age groups, found that 54% plan to keep working when they hit retirement age, and 39% plan to either work past age 70, or never retire at all.

A CESI Debt Solutions survey found that 56% of U.S. retirees still had outstanding debts when they retired.

The University of Michigan found that people 55 years of age, or older, now account for 20% of all bankruptcies in the United States.  In 2001, they accounted for only 12% of all bankruptcies.

Between 1991 and 2007 the number of people between the ages of 65 and 74, that filed for bankruptcy rose by 178%!!!

The American Journal of Medicine reports that medical bills are a major factor in more than 60% of personal bankruptcies in the United States.  Approximately 75% percent of the people who file bankruptcy due to medical bills have health insurance!

More than 30% of all U.S. investors, currently in their sixties, have more than 80% of their 401k retirement plans invested in the volatile stock markets.

According to the Congressional Budget Office, the Social Security system paid out more in benefits than it received in payroll taxes in 2010. That was not supposed to happen until at least 2016.

The University of Chicago, and Northwestern’s Kellogg School of Management,  calculated the combined pension liability for all 50 U.S. states. They found that  all 50 states are collectively facing $5.17 trillion in pension obligations, but they have only $1.94 trillion set aside in state pension funds. That means, collectively, the state governments are short $3.2 trillion.

The U.S. government now says Medicare will run out of money five years sooner than they were projecting just last year.


U.S.

U.S. Christian pastor accused of raping three women

A pastor in Dorchester County, South Carolina, has been charged with kidnapping and raping three women at gunpoint, two of them behind his Baptist church.  He’s also charged with kidnapping a fourth woman.

The judge considered him so dangerous that he denied bond.  The county sheriff said serial rape cases are rare in their county.  It’s alleged that the pastor would drive around late at night, picking up women, then raping them at gun point.

 

 

Business/Economics, International, U.S.

Pentagon admits Direct involment with military action in Libya, despite Obama’s claims, big loss for U.S. taxpayers

President Obama has said over and over that the United States would play a supporting role for NATO, in the attacks on Libya.

Now the Pentagon admits they’ve been directly involved with attacking Libya.

U.S. forces have launched at least three air strikes per day, for the past 12 days.  These attacks are done by UAVs.  Even though the bombings are done with UAVs that does not negate the fact that it means direct U.S. military involvement.

The total cost of U.S. involvement in the attacks on Libya, have cost taxpayers $1 billion, so far.  And don’t think the U.S. military industrial complex is making enough money off this to make up for the $1 billion in spent tax revenues, so far only $220 million in weapons and ammo have been sold to NATO members.

U.S.

United Police States of America: Cop tasers waiter, for the fun of it, official police investigation calls tasers “toys”

A former police officer from Gwinnett County, Georgia, will serve a year of probation after pleading no contest to tasering a waiter for the fun of it.

The incident happened in February 2009, and it took this long for the case to go to court.

The waiter said the Georgia cop always intimidated and harassed  restaurant employees.  It took place in front of other police officers, who did nothing.

Then one night in February 2009, while the waiter was talking with the other cops, he was tasered from behind.  Not only that, but the Georgia cop that tasered him did so for a full minute.

The cop feels not regret.  The Gwinnett County News reported that the cop stated: “Who says I did it by accident?”

The restaraunt’s security camera recorded the whole thing, but it took attorney’s several months to get the video.

The official police investigation concluded that the rogue cop liked to use his taser “like a toy.”

Two years later the now former cop gets only probation for his fun.  Apparently the other cops who were present resigned from their jobs.

 

Business/Economics, International, U.S.

Global Economic War: Iran says OPEC will not let oil prices fall

Iranian oil official, Mohammad Ali Khatibi, has just stated that OPEC will not allow oil prices to fall much further.

Iran currently holds the presidency of OPEC.  Khatibi says Iran will call an emergency OPEC meeting if oil prices fall too much.

Iran blames the United States, and Europe, for creating highly unstable markets, that do not reflect the true value of resources.

International, U.S.

Libyan embassy in Japan raises Rebel flag, Rebel flag clue that monarchy could return to Libya

The Libyan embassy in Japan has replaced the all green flag with the flag of the rebels.  Japanese media say the embassy staff reported that the government of Libya had changed.

The flag of the rebels is also the old flag of the Kingdom of Libya, which lasted from 1951-969.  The Kingdom of Libya fell because the king was so greedy that most of the oil wealth went to him (as well as European countries) while many Libyan’s suffered.  Some accounts show that Libyan’s suffered more under the king, than under Gaddafi.

During the time of the Kingdom, the United Kingdom was the main developer and controller of Libya’s oil.  The United Kingdom is currently one of the NATO members bombing the crap out of Libya.

The United States also maintained a huge air base, called Wheeler Air Base, in the Kingdom of Libya.

The rebel’s use of the flag of the old Kingdom of Libya suggests that this is just an attempt by Europe and the United States to regain control in North Africa.  After all, even the U.S. Marine Corps hymn mentions attacking Tripoli in the past.

Business/Economics, Idaho, U.S.

What Economic Recovery? S & P’s downgrades Nevada & New Jersey, Idaho gets upgrade, more to come in November

“In our opinion, the longer-term deficit reduction framework adopted as part of the Budget Control Act of 2011 (BCA) could undermine the already fragile economic recovery and complicate aspects of state and local government fiscal management.”-Gabriel Petek, S&P’s

Standard & Poor’s has already downgraded the credit rating of Nevada, New Jersey and several U.S. counties, for 2011.

Many counties and cities got super downgrades, meaning credit rankings of triple B, or less.  S&P’s says many local governments are in very bad shape fiscally.

Six states were actually upgraded. They are Idaho, Nebraska, Wyoming, Oregon, South Dakota and Louisiana.  But only Wyoming and Nebraska made the triple A rating.

In a statement issued by S&P’s on August 18, they indicate more downgrades for state and local governments are coming.  It’s all based on state budget plans, and what happens with the Federal Debt Limit Deal (Budget Control Act of 2011).

S&P’s will make more credit rating decisions in November.

 

 

International, U.S.

March 11 Tsunami picked up on Radar in California

Japanese and California scientists are now reporting they were able to track the March 11 tsunami on radar.  It was the first time a tsunami was observed on radar.

For the past ten years, scientists from California and Japan, have been using radar to track ocean currents. They discovered they could track large tsunamis as well.

The radar did not pick up the actual tsunami surge, but the changes in the ocean currents caused by the surge.  The scientists hope radar could be used as an tsunami early warning system.

 

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

Germany to ban “like” button on Facebook, because it’s a spy tool for the United States

“Whoever visits Facebook.com or uses a plug-in must expect that he or she will be tracked by the company for two years.”-Thilo Weichert, privacy commissioner

German officials, in the state of  Schleswig-Holstein, have discovered that every time the Facebook ‘like’ button is clicked, it sends your private info back to several U.S. databases.  This violates European privacy laws.

Website owners are ordered to remove ‘like’ buttons, and other similar buttons, from their websites, or face a U.S.$72,000 fine.