Tag Archives: banks

Business/Economics, International, U.S.

The United States is a Failed State: Another 1.18 million citizens have left the U.S.! Don’t blame new tax rules! Where are they all going?

11 August 2013 (00:28 UTC-07 Tango)/04 Shawwal 1434/20 Mordad 1391/05 Geng-Shen (7th month) 4711

According to the U.S. Department of State, 6.38 million U.S. citizens are now living outside the United States!  That’s 1.18 million more than what the State Department reported in 2012!  (that does not include government or military personnel)

But wait, the 6.38 million figure is what the U.S. State Department compiled for 2011! You see, the data the State Department just released is two years old!  I could almost guarantee the actual number of U.S. citizens leaving the country is higher.

Already 1810 have renounced their U.S. citizenship, just in the first half of 2013, that’s record breaking!

Since 2008 the numbers of U.S. citizens rejecting their citizenship has only gone up.  These approximate numbers are compiled from the quarterly list of names provided by the Internal Revenue Service.

2008: 235

2009: 743

2010: 1500

2011: 1788

2012: 747

First six months of 2013: 1810

The exodus has got government leaders so riled up that they’ve passed tax laws (like FATCA & FBAR) that essentially makes anyone who leaves the United States a tax evading terrorist.

But you can’t blame the new taxes because expatriates are already required to pay U.S. taxes even though they live in another country: “The U.S. is the only developed nation in the world that taxes its citizens on income they earn abroad.“-William McGurn, Wall Street Journal

The new tax laws require foreign banks to report accounts of U.S. citizens to the U.S. government.  FACTA also require foreign banks to steal up to 30% of U.S. payments to U.S. citizen’s bank accounts! Banks in Germany and Canada are complaining that the laws are too complicated, and will cost them money to comply with.

U.S. expats living abroad, yet paying U.S. taxes with little or no representation.  Isn’t that what the U.S. Revolution of 1776 was all about?

Where are all those U.S. citizens fleeing to?  According to the recently released State Department data (from 2011) the favorite place is still the Western Hemisphere (Canada, Latin America, Caribbean).  Two million 591 thousand U.S. citizens fled north or south of the border.  By the way, this year former USN SEAL, former movie star and former governor of Minnesota, Jesse Ventura, revealed that he moved his family to Mexico.  Don’t blame U.S. taxes, in an interview with controversial Alex Jones, Ventura basically said the sheeple of the U.S. are a bunch of panty wastes who don’t have the guts to fight their repressive elitist British empire/Israeli zionist controlled government!

Europe is the next favorite escape destination, at one million 612 thousand.  But for those who move to Europe you can not blame it on trying to avoid U.S. taxes, because the tax rates in Europe are outrageous! How ’bout that waffling Republican Michele Bachmann? First she’s a U.S. citizen, then she becomes a Swiss citizen in 2012, then changes her mind!  In 2012, Grammy-nominated songwriter Denise Rich renounced U.S. citizenship after moving to United Kingdom.  Also, in January 2013 ‘merican pop music star Tina Turner renounced her U.S. citizenship and became a Swiss citizen.  Tina Turner said she can’t bring herself to call the U.S. ‘home’ anymore: “I’m very happy in Switzerland and I feel at home here. I cannot imagine a better place to live.”

Next is the Near East (aka Middle East, North Africa) at 870 thousand.  That’s right, U.S. citizens are moving to countries considered to support terrorism!

East Asia and Pacific countries have seen 864 thousand U.S. citizens move in.  In 2012 Facebook co-founder, Eduardo Saverin, renounced his U.S. citizenship and now calls Singapore his home.  In his case taxes might be the motivating factor.  Athlete Quincy Davis renounced U.S. citizenship in June 2013.  He now plays basketball for Taiwan.

212 thousand U.S. citizens moved into South Central Asian countries (Afghanistan anyone?).

And African countries saw 171 thousand U.S. citizens take up residence.

Remember, these are 2011 State Department numbers.

International, U.S.

World War 3, Asian Front-Afghanistan, 29-30 July 2013: More proof Afghanistan is U.S./U.K. hot spot for gay sex! U.S. increases airstrikes! More proof the corruption is United States!

In Parwan Province, U.S. News & World Report stated that three USAF airmen were wounded in a explosion at Bagram airbase.  The airman are part of the 755th Expeditionary Security Forces Squadron. The explosion ripped through the airmen’s outrageously expensive Mine Resistant Ambush Protected (MRAP) vehicle.

In Paktia Province, reports that three villages were bombed by U.S./NATO airstrikes.  At least 65 people killed. NATO/ISAF said they were all Mujahideen.

The Afghan National Army (ANA) claim they’ve killed 140 Mujahideen in Logar, Paktia and Nangarhar provinces.  It was part of Operation Simurgh.  The Afghan Ministry of Defense says many of those killed were Pakistani.

In Logar and Kunar provinces reports of U.S. airstrikes.  At least 80 people killed.  Afghan government sources are saying the airstrikes are being called in to stop human wave attacks by Mujahideen.

Also in Logar Province, Pul-e-Alam, a U.S. Army Specialist was killed by indirect fire.  He was part of the 6th Squadron, 8th Cavalry Regiment, 4th Infantry Brigade Combat Team, 3rd Infantry Division.  Mujahideen reported the bomb attack, but they claim five U.S. personnel were killed.

In Zabul Province, Shahjoi District, an explosion killed nine people and wounded 12 others.  The bomb was meant for the local Afghan National Police (ANP) commander, who was among those killed.

In Kandahar Province, Spin Boldak District, an explosion killed a woman and her two daughters.  In Panjwayi District, and explosion killed one woman.  Also, the sons of a police commander assassinated by Mujahideen, conducted a home invasion retaliation, killing a man and his two sons.  However, Mujahideen say the man and his sons were not involved in their assassination of the cop commander.

In Kunduz Province, Dashte Archi District, the villages of Haji Zarghoon and Haji Sarfaraz were subjected to Israeli home invasions by NATO/ANA troops.  Six people kidnapped.

In Laghman Province, four villagers were kidnapped by government officials, who’re now asking the village elders to pay a large amount of money for their freedom (25000 Afghani per kidnap victim).

An Afghan diplomat has been kidnapped in Pakistan’s Baluchistan Province.

According to U.S. military news sources, such as Marine Corps Times, Afghanistan has become the craigslist hot spot for homosexual sex!  That is a direct violation of the U.S. Uniform Code of Military Justice (UCMJ), which forbids even heterosexual sex in combat zones!  This is just another revelation in the decline and fall of the morality of the United States.  Other news sources have reported on homosexual crimes being committed upon Afghan boys by U.S./NATO personnel.  Even the Canadian military has sealed their scandalous investigation into it!

The U.S. Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction (SIGAR) confirmed that U.S. tax dollars are going to Afghan contractors known to support Mujahideen.  SIGAR blamed the U.S. Army Suspension and Debarment Office, which refused to cancel 43 contracts linked to the Mujahideen.  “I am deeply troubled that the U.S. military can pursue, attack, and even kill terrorists and their supporters, but that some in the U.S. government believe we cannot prevent these same people from receiving a government contract.”-John Sopko, SIGAR

Also, SIGAR revealed that $47 million tax dollars went down the toilet in a USAID program called Stability in Key Areas Program.  SIGAR says it was a failure because there’s still no stability in Afghanistan.  SIGAR says it’s because not one dollar went to those who were supposed to get it: “…Although USAID had disbursed approximately $47 million for the four SIKA contracts as of March 31, 2013, none of the funds had gone to grants that fund community projects….”

So who got the $47 million?  DAI of Bethesda, Maryland, and AECOM of Los Angeles, California.

The Christian Science Monitor reporting that a dam being built by the taxpayers of India could mean war with Iran and Turkmenistan.  The Salma Dam could be complete by the end of 2014 (the same time U.S./NATO is to draw down). It blocks rivers that flow into Iran and Turkmenistan.  The dam will allow local Afghan farms to increase production and will generate electricity.

The U.S. Department of Defense admits that 2241 U.S. service members have died since the start of the War on Terror in Afghan.

Business/Economics, Technology, U.S.

Martial law U.S.A.: Think your smartphone data is secure? Silent Circle erases customer data due to fear of the NSA!

10 August 2013 (15:46 UTC-07 Tango)/03 Shawwal 1434/19 Mordad 1391/04 Geng-Shen (7th month) 4711

The following was posted by Silent Circle:

To Our Customers

We designed our phone, video, and text services (Silent Phone and Silent Text) to be completely end-to-end secure with all cryptography done on the clients and our exposure to your data to be nil. The reasons are obvious — the less of your information we have, the better it is for you and for us.

Silent Mail has thus always been something of a quandary for us. Email that uses standard Internet protocols cannot have the same security guarantees that real-time communications has. There are far too many leaks of information and metadata intrinsically in the email protocols themselves. Email as we know it with SMTP, POP3, and IMAP cannot be secure.

And yet, many people wanted it. Silent Mail has similar security guarantees to other secure email systems, and with full disclosure, we thought it would be valuable.

However, we have reconsidered this position. We’ve been thinking about this for some time, whether it was a good idea at all. Today, another secure email provider, Lavabit, shut down their system lest they “be complicit in crimes against the American people.” We see the writing the wall, and we have decided that it is best for us to shut down Silent Mail now. We have not received subpoenas, warrants, security letters, or anything else by any government, and this is why we are acting now.

We’ve been debating this for weeks, and had changes planned starting next Monday. We’d considered phasing the service out, continuing service for existing customers, and a variety of other things up until today. It is always better to be safe than sorry, and with your safety we decided that the worst decision is always no decision.

Silent Phone and Silent Text, along with their cousin Silent Eyes are end-to-end secure. We don’t have the encrypted data and we don’t collect metadata about your conversations. They’re continuing as they have been. We are still working on innovative ways to do truly secure communications. Silent Mail was a good idea at the time, and that time is past.

We apologize for any inconvenience, and hope you understand that if we dithered, it could be more inconvenient.

Business/Economics, Technology, U.S.

Martial Law U.S.A.: Think your secure email is secure? Lavabit shut down for refusing to comply with NSA!

10 August 2013 (15:34 UTC-07 Tango)/03 Shawwal 1434/19 Mordad 1391/04 Geng-Shen (7th month) 4711

The following was posted by the operator of a secure email service that was bullied by the U.S. government:

My Fellow Users,

I have been forced to make a difficult decision: to become complicit in crimes against the American people or walk away from nearly ten years of hard work by shutting down Lavabit. After significant soul searching, I have decided to suspend operations. I wish that I could legally share with you the events that led to my decision. I cannot. I feel you deserve to know what’s going on–the first amendment is supposed to guarantee me the freedom to speak out in situations like this. Unfortunately, Congress has passed laws that say otherwise. As things currently stand, I cannot share my experiences over the last six weeks, even though I have twice made the appropriate requests.

What’s going to happen now? We’ve already started preparing the paperwork needed to continue to fight for the Constitution in the Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals. A favorable decision would allow me resurrect Lavabit as an American company.

This experience has taught me one very important lesson: without congressional action or a strong judicial precedent, I would _strongly_ recommend against anyone trusting their private data to a company with physical ties to the United States.

Sincerely,
Ladar Levison
Owner and Operator, Lavabit LLC

Defending the constitution is expensive! Help us by donating to the Lavabit Legal Defense Fund here.

Business/Economics, U.S.

World War 3, U.S. Economic Front: Job losses & store closings 09-10 June 2013. Bad economy kills 100 years old non-profit!

What automotive industry recovery? Georgia based lead acid battery maker, Exide, bankrupt. Company officials blame higher production costs, increased competition and a crashing market in Europe.

Texas based National Envelope (aka NE Opco) went through on their threat of bankruptcy.  They blame crashing envelope sales on electronic communications.  In Dallas, the 100 years old non-profit, Camp Fire Lone Star, shut down operations!  It’s blamed on increased competition for decreasing donations, due to the bad economy.

In Pennsylvania, the Allentown School District laid off 99 teachers, with the goal of eliminating 132 teaching positions!  It’s blamed on reduced state and federal funding.  In Philadelphia, Boeing laid off 41 employees. Company officials say it’s necessary to remain competitive.  Bethlehem’s Supermercado Mi Terra grocery store closed after 55 years of business.  It’s being replaced with a C-Town grocery store.  And the Home and Planet home decor store shut down.  The owner said he has to sell the building.

The Hummel Gift Shop closed in Ohio.  The owners retired.  Bradley Caldwell closing their distribution center in August. 81 people out-o-work.

In Minnesota, Nordic Home Interiors shut down their retail operation.  They will focus on internet sales.

Su Casa II Mexican Grill shut down in Wisconsin.  The owners blame skyrocketing increases in all costs, the final straw being a new lease.

Schwan Foods shut down their distribution centers in Oakes, North Dakota, and Faulkton, South Dakota.  The mayors of the two towns complained that the closings will greatly impact their small towns.  The door to door food service is consolidating distribution into a new $1 million USD center in Aberdeen, South Dakota.

In Washington, after failed attempts to sell it off, the owners of Junction Bakery and Café gave up.

In California, the only medical supply store in Lompoc, Valley Medical, shut down.  Management referred local news media to corporate HQ for details of the closing, but corporate officials are apparently ignoring inquiries.  Local news media say 4000 elderly will be affected by the closing.

The U.S. Department of Labor (DoL) doesn’t count the hundreds of layoffs involving less than 50 people each, in its mass layoff reports. It also doesn’t count all the little ‘mom & pop’ businesses that shut down.

Business/Economics, Idaho

Employee owned WinCo is the new business model of the 21st Century!

10 August 2013 (19:51 UTC-07 Tango 09 August 2013)/03 Shawwal 1434/19 Mordad 1391/04 Geng-Shen (7th month) 4711

“WinCo arguably may be the best retailer in the Western U.S……WinCo is really unstoppable….They’re Walmart’s worst nightmare!”-Burt Flickinger III, New York based retail analyst

The Idaho Statesman published an article showing that employee owned WinCo is being used as a prime example of what large U.S. businesses need to be like to survive and excel in the 21st century (Gregorian calendar system).

The article gives a good explanation why Idaho based employee owned WinCo is exploding in growth.

By the way, why does the main stream media always add a dash between Wal and mart? There’s no dash between Wal and mart, and mart is not capitalized. It’s Walmart.  I hates Walmart, but at least I spells it correctly.  Actually here’s the history: From 1962-64 there was no dash.  From 1964-92 there was a dash.  From 1992-2008 there was a star.  Since 2008 Walmart has gone back to no dash or star upon thars (but there’s like an astric following Walmart*).

WinCo expansion delays caused by Arizona aesthetics cops! 

International, U.S.

World War 3, Asian Front-Afghanistan, 27-28 July 2013: New Zealand uses NSA to spy on Americans, through Five Eyes alliance! Reporting corruption gets a reporter almost beat to death in public!

In Helmand, Kunar and Paktia provinces, reports that 60 people killed by U.S./NATO air strikes.

In Helmand, provincial government officials say a NATO air strike killed Mujahideen returning from a battle in Nimroz Province, however, NATO/ISAF officials deny any airstrikes were launched in Helmand.  Also in Helmand, the U.K. Red Coats have been conducting secret operations in Sangin District.  According to Ministry of Defence (MoD) officials, the secret missions are targeting Mujahideen.  MoD says the Red Coats were sent back to Sangin at the request of Afghan National Army (ANA) officials.  Afghan government forces have been unable to take control of Sangin District.

In Ghazni Province, Qara Bagh District, Mujahideen assassinated the local Afghan National Police (ANP) boss, along with his three body guards.  A suicide bomber used a motorcycle bomb.  Three civilians were also killed, and seven people wounded.  Two U.S. soldiers were killed by explosion, after their vehicle was ambushed by Mujahideen.  They were with the 10th Transportation Battalion, 7th Sustainment Brigade.

In Uruzgan Province, Khas Uruzgan District, two tribal elders were assassinated, shot while working in the farm fields.

In Baghlan Province, Tapa-i-Shahidan District, the provincial security boss survived an assassination attempt.  His convoy was crossing a bridge when a bomb went off.  A civilian was killed, one cop wounded.  In Doshi District, Mujahideen ambushed a convoy of food supply trucks, destroying two reefers.

In Samangan Province, the governor, and his bodyguards, survived an assassination attempt.  A roadside bomb exploded as his vehicle passed.  A child was wounded.

In Kabul Province, the governor of Parwan Province publicly beat a journalist after tricking the reporter to a meeting at a restaurant in Kabul city.  The reporter was also threatened with death, because he had publicized the massive corruption of the Parwan government.  Also, in Sarobi District a U.S. Special Forces Group sergeant (from the Mississippi National Guard) was shot and killed by Mujahideen.

In Farah Province, an explosion killed as many as seven children.  Local government officials said the children were collecting scrap metal, and found what turned out to be a bomb from the civil war of the 1990s.

In Badakhshan Province, Warduj District, reports that government forces are burning the wheat crops of farmers who refuse to fight the Mujahideen. Several farm tractors destroyed and some families were driven from their homes.

In the United States, an ABC News/Washington Post survey said 67% of ‘mericans think the War on Terror in Afghanistan is a wasted effort.

In New Zealand, the New Zealand Defence Force (NZDF) is denying reports that it used the U.S. NSA data mining operations (domestic spying) to spy on a reporter working for a U.S. news company in Afghanistan.  The reporter says the NZDF was collecting his phone contacts.  The reporter could have been targeted by the NZDF because he revealed the criminal treatment that Qiwi forces are dealing to prisoners in Afghanistan.  New Zealand is part of the secretive Five Eyes alliance.    The Five Eyes alliance is made up of United States, New Zealand, Australia, Canada and United Kingdom.  (obviously it’s a British empire thing)

International

Government Evil: Official reveals the lies about Japan Atomic Energy Commission! Is Japan building nuclear weapons?

09 August 2013 (15:40 UTC-07 Tango)/02 Shawwal 1434/18 Mordad 1391/03 Geng-Shen (7th month) 4711

Japan’s NHK (Nippon Housou Kyoukai/Japan Broadcasting Corporation) reporting that the head of Japan’s Atomic Energy Commission (AEC), Shunsuke Kondo, has admitted the commission is just a “formality”!

Japan’s AEC is supposed to ensure that the dozens of nuclear power plants around Japan are being used for “peaceful” purposes only.  The commission is also supposed to make sure no terrorist get their hands on radioactive materials.

Shunsuke said as far as making sure nuclear power is used for peaceful purposes, that’s just a formality.  He also stated that as far as he knows there are no standards in place to make sure terrorists can’t get their hands on radioactive material.

Japan’s Atomic Energy Commission is currently under independent review.

Fukushima

Government & Corporate evil incompetence: Confirmed; Fukushima radiation increasing in “death” rivers, pouring into Pacific Ocean!

08 August 2013 (22:12 UTC-07 Tango 07 August 2013)/01 Shawwal 1434/17 Mordad 1392/02 Geng-Shen (7th month) 4711

A new study backs claims made in January, about a Death River created by the GE designed disaster reactors at Fukushima Daiichi.

In January citizens groups reported that canal water in Fukushima City tested for as much as 515,000 becquerels per kilogram of cesium! (as I’ve said before: Holy crap retiring Popeman, the official safe limit is only 100 becquerels per kilogram!!!)

That water comes from the Abukuma River.  The mouth of the river, on the Pacific Ocean, is 70km (43 miles) north of Fukushima Daiichi!  Citizens took maters into their own hands to do radioactive testing, because the government ordered a halt to all such ‘official’ testing shortly after the March 2011 meltdowns.  (this is why the main streamer news media didn’t report any ‘official’ radiation contamination figures)

Not only is radiation from the river getting into local canals used for farming, it then pours into the Pacific.

A new study by the University of Tokyo’s Institute of Industrial Science has confirmed massive amounts of cesium build up on the bottom of the ocean floor near the nuke plant, and at the mouth of the river.

The researchers took samples as far away as 400km (249 miles) out to sea, from the nuke plant.   Of course the closer they got to the reactors the higher the levels, and they found that the cesium build up is highest in the valleys on the ocean floor.   They found that within 20km (12 miles) of Fukushima Daiichi, the cesium 137 levels in the ocean floor valleys was five times the levels on the peaks.

At the mouth of the Abukuma “death” River they found cesium levels two times higher than the surrounding ocean floor.  This is clear proof the river is being contaminated with radiation.  Remember the mouth of the river is 43 miles from Fukushima Daiichi.

Abukuma River generally flows from south to north.  It begins at Mount Asashi, flows east then turns northward until it turns eastward again, through the coastal city of Iwanuma.  Its Pacific mouth is south of the Sendai Airport, and just north of Lake Torinoumi.  If this river is contaminated then likely so is Lake Torinoumi, and the hundreds of smaller rivers that run through the area.

An older report, when compared to the newer studies, shows radiation levels are only skyrocketing.  In 2012 the National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology reported extremely low levels of cesium in the Abukuma and other rivers.  However, they warned “…..it is important to monitor its level in Fukushima Prefecture over time.”

In May 2013, the Japan Geoscience Union reported the results of their 2012 study, confirming that radiation levels in rivers are increasing, with help from rain water runoff: “Total radioactivity of Cs-134 and Cs-137 in river waters was 0.016-0.27 Bq/l at normal flow conditions on April 18 and June 19 in 2012, but it increased to 3.83 Bq/l in high flow conditions by heavy rains…..These results indicate that the pulse input of radiocesium associated with suspended particles from land to coastal ocean occurred by the heavy rain event.”

Business/Economics, U.S.

Government Evil: Obama gives bogus reasons for privatizing Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac! Obama forgets his Senate voting record!

07 August 2013 (12:20 UTC-07 Tango)/30 Ramadan 1434/16 Mordad 1391/01 Geng-Shen (7th month) 4711

“For too long, these companies were allowed to make big profits buying mortgages, knowing that if their bets went bad, taxpayers would be left holding the bag.”-Barack Obama, misleading a group of 2000 people in Arizona

What’s wrong with the above statement?  It suggests that Fannie Mae (Federal National Mortgage Association) and Freddie Mac (Federal Home Loan Mortgage Corporation) were bailed out by taxpayers because they’re pseudo-governmental agencies, and if Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac were fully privatize, taxpayers would be spared.  But wait, what about all those fully privatized banks that got bailed out by taxpayers?

Did you forget Bears Stearn?  That fully privatized company got bailed out by the government when it got into trouble with its mortgage securities, then sold to JP Morgan.

Did you forget Goldman Sachs?  That fully privatized company got ‘bailed out’ by the government’s TARP in 2008, even though the company reported big profits from mortgages in 2007!

Did you forget Citigroup?  This fully privatized company got into trouble with the subprime mortgage crisis (by the way, the crisis was created by the banks themselves) and ended up getting bailed out by the government!

Did you forget the Emergency Economic Stabilization Act of 2008, meant to bail out fully privatized banks due to the mortgage crisis?  Obama voted for it as a Senator!

Did you forget AIG?  Barack Obama, himself, voted for a taxpayer bailout of the fully privatized company as a Senator, even though he knew the company was ripping people off: “How do they justify this outrage to the taxpayers who are keeping the company afloat?” 

Did you forget Bank of America (BoA)?  This fully privatized company got $25 billion in TARP bail out money in 2008, and another $20 billion in TARP money in January 2009, then another $5.2 billion in March 2009!   The last government bail out was snuck through AIG to BoA.  In 2010, BoA agreed to pay a $137 million fine for defrauding schools, hospitals, and dozens of state and local government organizations.  In 2012, BoA was accused of running a scam called Hustle or High Speed Swim Lane.  The scam cost U.S. taxpayers more than $1 billion because BoA sold fraudulent mortgages to Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac!  Arizona‘s attorney general says BoA “repeatedly has deceived” mortgagors!   August 2013, U.S. Justice Department and the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission accuse BoA of investor fraud in the sale of $850 million of residential mortgage backed securities!

And Obama wants to sell off Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, because he thinks they’re a threat to taxpayers?!

By the way, Freddie Mac just posted a $5 billion profit for its second quarter this year!

Oh, the other bogus reason Obama gave is that the housing market has recovered.  Wrong!  He stated that home prices are going up. Correct.  Several surveys show that home prices are up because of house flippers.  That’s a cutesie phrase for home speculators.  They buy up a house with the expectation that they can sell six months to a couple of years later at a profit.  That is not a sign of a true housing recovery.  When you get a big increase in families buying homes to live in for 20+ years, that’s a sign of recovery, and that is not happening.  (in fact many families trying to buy homes are reporting being out bid by house flippers)