Category Archives: U.S.

Business/Economics, International, U.S.

No Economic Recovery for U.S.: Apple profits way up, it’s all about China, baby!

Apple Incorporated posted a huge 124% year to year profit, for the second quarter of 2011.  But most of those sales weren’t made in the United States.

Chinese consumers are going nuts for Apple products.  In fact, Apple’s 2011 sales in China are, so far, six times what they were in 2010.

Two reasons for Apple’s exploding sales in China: One is that scalpers were buying up everything in the stores, creating a shortage (and of course selling Apple products for much more).  The second reason is that Apple Inc is investing big time into China: “In the long run, Apple can likely increase its market share since it is gaining sales momentum by investing more resources into China, which it had not been doing previously.”-Kitty Fok, IDC Asia-Pacific.

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

What Economic Recovery? U.S. corporations put the brakes on investing into China, no money to invest

“Under such circumstances, both private U.S. companies and governments in different levels are not capable of investing significantly in China. Somehow they are looking for the investment from China to help them boost their own economies and low-employment rate.”-Zhang Qizuo, economist Chengdu University

The Chinese Ministry of Commerce says investments coming from the United States are way down, compared to last year.  It’s a sign of how bad the U.S. economy is, and the growing discontentment with U.S. citizens in seeing U.S. jobs go to China.

“Large-scale U.S. companies are also under domestic pressure in ‘giving jobs to Chinese’, therefore, they have to consider the feelings of approximately 14 million Americans and deliberately delay or even cut some investment plans in China.”-Zhang Shiqing, economist Nankai University

Overall U.S. investments in China dropped from January of last year, to June of this year, by a big 22.32%.  That’s a big drop, but in dollar amounts, the U.S. still invested $1.68 billion.

European countries, and other Asian countries, are still on the plus side of investing into China.

Another factor in the drop in U.S. investments is inflation in China, which includes the cost of labor.  Labor cost are going up in China, and in the U.S. labor costs are going down, no thanks to Union busting and high unemployment.

I can’t think that this is helping cut unemployment in the United States, after all there has been no change in the overall unemployment situation, even though there’s been a 22.32% drop in investments into China.  Despite what Chinese economist think, I think the real reason is that U.S. corporations, and government, have put the brakes on investing into China, is because they’re out of money to invest.

International, Opinion, U.S.

Evil Cops & Rupurt Murdoch: Scotland Yard boss quits, another arrest, was this more than just unscrupulous journalists wanting a scoop?

“I have taken this decision as a consequence of the ongoing speculation and accusations relating to the Met’s links with News International at a senior level.”-Paul Stephenson, Metropolitan Police Commissioner

The boss of the Met Police, aka Scotland Yard, announced he’s quitting.  A few days ago he acted like this thing with Rupert Murdoch’s various media outlets was minor, and involved only a few managers at various newspapers, and a handful of evil cops.  Turns out it’s much bigger.

Also, remember Rebekah Brooks?  She’s the former CEO of Murdoch’s News International, and a former editor of the News of the World.  A couple of weeks ago she acted like it was no big thing, then suddenly quit last week, but not before reportedly telling her underlings that things were going to get much worse.  Now she’s been arrested.

Brooks is the eighth person arrested in connection with the phone-hacking probe and the fourth arrested in the police bribery investigation.

What’s really troubling about this phone hacking scandal is that it might have been done with the help of the British police.  British cops were willing to take bribes to give out information to help Murdoch’s “fair and balanced” news organizations.  Why would cops be so willing to sell such information to the media, especially Murdoch owned media outlets?

Even here in the United States there is enough cause for concern that the FBI is investigating such Murdoch owned media outlets as Fox News, and the Wall Street Journal, for at least attempting to do the same thing here.  Also, the U.S. Department of Justice is now investigating.

Is the Rupert Murdoch’s media empire really just a huge covert spy agency?  Don’t think it’s not possible.  History shows that the U.S. Central Intelligence Agency (CIA), and British intelligence agencies (SS aka MI5, SIS aka MI6, etc) have set up fake corporations purely for the purpose of spying on people and governments.  Just one example; anybody remember the fake CIA transport airline “Air America”?

 

 

Idaho, Opinion, U.S.

Government Coverup? Idaho police cleared of killing man who was shot several times

On June 17, Idaho Falls police officers tried to apprehend a man wanted for failing to pay fines, and probation violation.  It ended after the man shot one cop, who lived thanks to his bullet proof vest, then the other police returned fire, shooting the suspect at least six times.

The official investigation said the police fired in self defense.  The shots fired by police hit the man in the neck, shoulders and abdomen.  The official investigation claims that the suspect shot himself in the head, after being shot multiple times by the police.  Here’s the problem: The police officers’ own official statements say they do not recall seeing the suspect shoot himself!  Mmmm

 

Business/Economics, International, U.S.

Rupert Murdoch scandal hits the stock market, Dow Jones boss quits, FBI investigating possible phone hacks in the United States

One reason why the mainstream media is so into reporting the stock market; Rupert Murdoch owns the stock reporting company Dow Jones.  Tonight, July 15 U.S. time, the CEO of the Dow Jones quit.

Les Hinton, the boss of Murdoch’s Dow Jones & Co stepped down, as the British phone hacking scandal surrounding Murdoch’s News Corp spread to the United States.  The Federal Bureau of Investigation is now looking into similar acts here in the U.S.

Already the CEO of Murdoch’s News International, Rebekah Brooks, resigned.  Brooks was also the editor of the News of the World, the newspaper implicated in the scandal.

More and more British media outlets, owned by Murdoch, are being implicated for the same thing; phone hacking and bribing police and politicians for confidential information.  Murdoch’s News Corp controls a multitude of media outlets around the world, and he controls the Dow Jones.

Why did Les Hinton, the boss of the Dow Jones, quit?  It could be because he used to be the chairman of Murdoch’s News International, when all the alleged criminal acts took place.

British media has reported that Rebekah Brooks made an unofficial statement to employees of the News of the World, that things are going to get only worse, as more information about the goings on inside Murdoch’s News Corp are revealed.

A U.S. corporate governance analysts said the same thing, only officially: “There is going to be a constant drip, drip, drip of more information coming out that is simply going to get worse and worse.”-Nell Minow, GovernanceMetrics

 

 

International, Opinion, U.S.

English Queen rips off British taxpayers

“It does highlight the fact that the Palace was trying to pull the wool over people’s eyes last week.”-Graham Smith, anti-monarchy organization know as  ‘Republic’.

Despite the belief, in the U.S., that the Royal Family in the United Kingdom are just figure heads, the Royal Family commands true Royal Power, and it’s the British taxpayers that pay for it.

The Queen of England is just a figure head when it comes to the larger Commonwealth, but in the United Kingdom she reigns supreme: She is the Governor of the Church of England and Scotland.  She is the Head of the Armed Forces.  She opens every yearly session of Parliament by dictating the agenda.  She is the one who signs new laws, not the Prime Minister.

Now the part of the British Parliament, know as the House of Commons (representing the non-lorded class of people), has just released a financial study of the taxes paid to the Royal Family in the past year.  They discovered that the Queen ripped off British taxpayers by at least 4 million pounds ($6 million).

Last week the Royal Family officially stated that they got only 32.1 million pounds, but it turns out they actually got 36.2 million pounds ($52 million).  On top of that the House of Commons investigation (conducted by the Commons Library) revealed other expenses, paid by taxpayers, that were not accounted for by the Royal Family.

Last year’s estimated cost of the Royal Family, to the British taxpayers, was about 202 million pounds ($326 million).  The Royal Family gets taxpayer money from several programs called Grants.  The biggest one is called the Sovereign Grant, and is guaranteed never to decrease.

People of the United States should realize what the Royal Family is doing now is basically what the Royal Family did to push the American colonies to declare independence in 1776, leading to the Revolutionary War.  Back then King George 3rd was ripping off the American colonies by making them pay taxes with no representation, and no return benefit  (just like our grand U.S. government is doing to us now).

 

 

 

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

What Economic Recovery? IMF says Greece needs a third bailout, and they’re still waiting for the second one

On July 13, the International Monetary Fund issued a report in which they said Greece needed to cut even more public spending, and that it needs a third bailout.  European officials are still hammering out the details of the second bailout.

The IMF says Greece needs a third bailout, consisting of at least 71 billion Euros from the European Union, and 33 billion Euros from private creditors.

Enough! Just let the dominoes start falling!

Fukushima, U.S.

Government Coverup: Department of Energy using helicopters to test for airborne radiation above Seattle!

The U.S. Department of Energy is using helicopters to take airborne radiation samples over Seattle, Washington.  Officially this is to establish a “baseline” for any future nuclear “emergency”.

The operation is being paid for by the Department of Homeland Security.

The state of Washington is home to the controversial Hanford nuclear plant.  Do a search for information on the plant and you’ll be concerned as well.  Could officials know something about the plant’s current condition?

Do Homeland Security officials have some info about a possible terrorist attack involving nukes and the city of Seattle?  Or, is the “emergency” they’re talking about one that already happened, in a place called Fukushima, Japan?

Officials claim this airborne radiation “baseline” operation was planned back in 2009.  Mmmm

Fukushima, Idaho, U.S.

Government Coverup: Radiation from Japan hitting the United States!

“Iodine level in the rain in Idaho in the United States were 130 times that standard… we are very concerned that radioactive cesium was many times above the standard as well.”–Gerry Pollet, Heart of America Northwest

When the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear reactors exploded in Japan, U.S. officials ensured the public that they would increase radiation monitoring.  I’ve reported in earlier postings that most EPA RadNet sites in the western U.S. are shut down, and that other sites can give only limited results.

Now a group based in Washington, Heart of America Northwest, has done their own investigations into contaminated drinking water in Washington, Oregon and Idaho.

In a previous posting I suggested that the people of concerned communities need to get together and have their own testing done, on plants, water and soil, even their own urine.  This is what the Japanese have been forced to do, no thanks to the incompetence of their national government.  It’s been those grass roots citizen groups in Japan that have been revealing the truth about the Fukushima nuclear disaster.

Heart of America Northwest also has some warnings about current nuclear waste programs in the Pacific Northwest, like the dumping of nuke waste in unlined pits.

Business/Economics, Opinion, U.S.

Voting for local levies and bonds only puts your local community deeper in the debt hole

“They [banks] didn’t vote for the bond issue, they didn’t support the bond issue.  They’re simply trying to underwrite some of them.”-Paul Sheldon Foote, California State University Fullerton

Professor Foote is explaining that, what he calls “…stupid idea…” bonds/levies, are forms of debt voted on by taxpayers, but funded by investment bankers.  

You don’t want local government and school district employees to lose their jobs.  You don’t want to see kids lose out on education programs that might be cut.  But voting for a levy, or bond issue, means you’re supporting those jobs and education programs purely on debt.

“Local governments draft levy bonds to sell at current market rates to raise capital for work projects.”-eHow money

Local bond levies, are forms of debt sold by your local officials to investors.  Those investors expect a return on their investment, that’s where the increases to your property tax/fees come in.  Investors pay the up front costs by buying local bonds, and you the taxpayer pay back the investor.
“The voters typically saddle the cost of funding such projects through increased tax levies.”-eHow money

If your local officials were truly conservative in their fiscal and monetary policies, there would be no need for most of the bond levies that you’re tricked into voting for.

In fact, it becomes a downward spiral, many bond levies are actually being used to pay off previous bond issues.  It has to stop, before there’s no one left who’s willing to invest in the next bond/levy issue.

In fact the debt crisis in California is due in part to investors not wanting to back up any more bond issues: “The state treasurer can not possibly issue every single one of them [bond issues] because, fortunately, the ratings agencies and investors see through it and would not possibly finance every single stupid idea that comes out of politicians!”–-Paul Sheldon Foote, California State University Fullerton

So what’s the answer?  An economics professor in the United Kingdom likes what North Dakota has done with its own State Bank: “The answer is, is to use the state bank mechanism for all your capital projects… And [North] Dakota is in fact, in practice, in a way a public bank giving a lead in that respect.”-Rodney Shakespeare

Shakespeare says the public bank in North Dakota charges interest on loans, but the revenue from that interest stays in North Dakota, and does not go out of state to corporate controlled banks.