Tag Archives: wall street

Business/Economics, U.S.

What Economic Recovery, Corporate Lies & Proof Class War being waged against Working Class: Sears laysoff 100 employees, after taking $150 million tax break, more layoffs to come

February 16, 2012, Sears announced layoffs of 100 of its employees at its Illinois headquarters.  Some Illinois politicians say the state was blackmailed into giving Sears a $150 million tax break, and that even more Sears layoffs are in the works.

Sears told Illinois lawmakers that if it didn’t get the tax break it would move its headquarters out of state.  The implication was that if Illinois didn’t want a lot more unemployed people they better do what Sears wants.  Well, Illinois is getting more unemployed anyway!

And here’s how even more people will be laid off.  The tax break requires Sears to maintain 4,250 employees at its headquarters (aka Hoffman Estates).  Yet, even with the 100 announced layoffs, Sears has more than 6,100 employees at the site.  That means close to 2,000 people could still lose their jobs as part of the $150 million tax break!

 

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

Ron Paul says the United States becoming the Italo-Fascist state of the 21st Century, would make Mussolini proud. Paul gains yet another victory.

“We’ve slipped away from a true republic. Now we’re slipping into a fascist system where it’s a combination of government, big business and authoritarian rule, and the suppression of the individual rights of each and every American citizen.”-Ron Paul, congressman from Texas

While speaking in Kansas City, Missouri, Ron Paul renewed a warning issued by President Dwight Eisenhower, who said “This conjunction of an immense military establishment and a large arms industry is new in the American experience. The total influence — economic, political, even spiritual — is felt in every city, every State house, every office of the Federal government. We recognize the imperative need for this development. Yet we must not fail to comprehend its grave implications. Our toil, resources and livelihood are all involved; so is the very structure of our society. ”  Eisenhower’s 1961 speech warned about Italo-style Fascism taking over all aspects of U.S. civilization (you should read the prophetic speech).

Also, while attending a rally in Boise, Idaho, on February 18, Ron Paul won a county caucus, in Maine.  Washington County, Maine, selected Paul over Mitt Romney and Rick Santorum.  The caucus had been delayed by weather.

But Ron Paul is actually winning big despite being ignored by the main stream media.  Paul has gained more delegates than Romney or Santorum: “The bottom line is who is going to get the delegates and we think we’re doing pretty good, and it seems like our momentum is picking up. I’m actually shocked at the tremendous turnouts that we’ve had. We’ve been out on the road and we’ve had eight functions here in the last three days. We’ve had 14,000 people turn out. And the enthusiasm seems to be growing.”-Ron Paul on State of the Union with Candy Crowley.

Business/Economics, International, U.S.

World War 3: Iran cuts off oil supplies for two European countries, oil already more than $120 per barrel

February 19, 2012, Iran has officially shut off oil supplies to oil companies from United Kingdom and France!

“We have our own oil customers and replacements for these companies have already been chosen, and we will sell the crude oil to new customers instead of the British and French companies.”-Alireza Nikzad-Rahbar, Iranian Oil Ministry

However, Britain and France are not major European buyers of Iranian oil (Italy is).  About 3% of oil bought by France comes from Iran, and only 1% makes up Britain’s oil use.

Iran’s move to block oil shipments to Europe came after Europe joined the U.S. in imposing an oil embargo.  Iranian officials have repeatedly said that it’s Western countries that will be hurt most from a loss of Iranian oil.

In some countries the price of a barrel of oil has already gone over $120.00.

Business/Economics, Idaho, U.S.

U.S. Media & Politicians mislead when they call unemployment help “benefits”! Congress reduces unemployment help. It’s a joke anyway ’cause each state handles unemployment their own way! Employers using tricks to get out of unemployment pay outs!

First off, having had to deal with so called unemployment “benefits” myself, I can say without a doubt that they are no “benefit”.  You get piddly squat compared to what you were making when you had a job, and, as in the state of Idaho, they impose unrealistic “qualifications” and “standards” for you to continue getting them!!!

Now the Republican dominated U.S. Congress has agreed to reduce what people lucky enough, or who can put up with the qualification game, will get.

Congress had extended unemployment help to a maximum of 99 weeks (and by the way many states did not adopt that policy), now beginning September 2012 that help will be cut back to 73 weeks.

Idaho Department of Labor office, Pocatello, Southeastern region of Idaho

By the way, in the state of Idaho employers pay into the unemployment fund, not employees and not individual taxpayers.  But, Idaho kicks back a refund to employers for having little or no unemployment claims made against them.  The employees who handle unemployment claims are actually paid by the employers who pay into the fund.  A now retired Idaho Job Service (aka Idaho Department of Labor) employee, who worked the Pocatello office handling veterans affairs, and the accounting for kicking back money to employers, once confessed to me (in 2000) that it was in their interest to deny as many claims as possible, since their true employer was not the state but big businesses operating in Idaho!!!

Here’s a trick employers in Idaho use to get out of paying unemployment (it’s happened to me and several other people I know).  Employers will tell you there is no work today, or that work is being cut back and they will call you when they need you.  Of course, after weeks of no work you start looking for new work.  When you apply for unemployment the company you were working for claims you are still employed, but that you hadn’t shown up and they assumed you quit!

In another case I heard about, an guy was working for a national chain home improvement store, and he was told that work schedules were being changed and not to come in until they called with his new schedule.  A week went by, he called and they told him the same thing.  Several weeks went by and he was told the same thing again.  Turns out there wasn’t any actual work schedule change, but if he tried to apply for unemployment the company could legitimately say that the guy “just stopped coming to work”, it would be his word against theirs.

And since the Idaho unemployment system is actually run by employers, guess who wins (unless your wealthy enough to hire a lawyer, which most people aren’t).

International, U.S.

NATO leader says Syria too complicated for military action by NATO. NATO’s stated reasons are an example of Orwellian Doublespeak

“We have no intention whatsoever to intervene in Syria.”-Anders Fogh Rasmussen, NATO Secretary General

On February 17, 2012, NATO boss, Anders Fogh Rasmussen, told reporters in Turkey that NATO would not get involved in Syria.  One reporter asked if that included a UN resolution calling for war: “No, I don’t think so because Syria is also a different society, it is much more complicated ethnically, politically, religiously. That’s why I do believe that a regional solution should be found.” -Anders Fogh Rasmussen, NATO Secretary General

I think what he really meant was there are still too many Syrian’s who support their government.  After all, Libya is just as complicated with all its different tribal and religious divisions.  Libya’s “complicated” divisions made it easier for the U.S. and Europe to instigate civil war, only because there were enough Libyans who could be bought off.

So in reality Syria is not anymore complicated than Libya, except that most Syrians can not be bought off, and are more united with their government, against a foreign backed civil war.  And that’s what Anders Fogh Rasmussen really means when he says Syria “is much more complicated”.

International, U.S.

Opium production in Afghanistan hits record levels, again! Blame the United States and United Kingdom

In 2001, liar, and former Prime Minister of U.K., Tony Blair said: “The arms the Taliban are buying today are paid for by the lives of young British people buying their drugs on British streets. This is another part of their regime we should seek to destroy.”

According to the United Nations, right now 90% of the drugs on the streets of Britain come from Afghanistan.  In 2001, 185 tons of opium was shipped out of Afghanistan, in 2011 it hit 5,800 tons!!!

In the last few years Russia and Iran have openly blamed the United States for increased drug trafficking out of Afghanistan.

Since the United States is the boss in Afghanistan, then shouldn’t they have a handle on the opium trade?  The latest numbers from the UN proves the United States must be complicit in drug dealing, in order for such a huge record setting increase in opium production to take place.  Either that, or the United States actually has no control over anything that goes on in Afghanistan!

Some idiot warmongers are using the increasing opium numbers to justify keeping U.S. and European forces in Afghanistan, yet those drug numbers are up precisely because the U.S. and Europeans are there!

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

What Economic Recovery? 4,000 people stranded when Australian airline is suddenly deleveraged by too big too fail creditors

The latest corporation to become a victim of global deleveraging, is Air Australia.

Deleveraging is when the too big too fail banks take away your line of credit, and demand full, and instant payment of all debts.  Here in Idaho Wells Fargo Bank deleveraged several businesses in the past few years, including a Pontiac dealer in Idaho Falls, and several Sportsman Warehouse stores (owners of both businesses say they were not in financial trouble).

On February 17 (Australia time), 2012, the executives of Air Australia were suddenly told their line of credit had been suspended.  The result was that Air Australia could not buy fuel for use on flights where passengers were about to board, or planes were waiting to take off.  That has left at least 4,000 people stranded!  Another 10,000, who bought tickets for future flights, will not get their money back.

Air Australia has been losing money, especially after it lost a 90 million Australian dollars contract with the Australian Department of Defense.

It looks like the Australian airline industry is run the way the U.S. airline industry is, and that has some people calling for an investigation: “It does say something about…the fact the aviation industry should be properly investigated in this country.”-Tony Sheldon, Transport Workers Union

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

Mazda builds clean burning Diesel powered CX-5 Crossover, better MPG than Hybrid SUVs. Don’t expect it for sale in NAZI environmentalist U.S.A.

Mazda has introduced a new clean burning diesel powered Crossover Utility Vehicle.  It’s powered by a 2.2 liter diesel, and gets 46 miles per gallon on the highway.  That’s better than current hybrid SUVs.

The new Mazda diesel CUV is smaller than most SUVs. It’s based on the Minagi concept crossover, and is also known as the CX-5.

Don’t look for it in the United States though, Mazda plans on selling it in Japan and Europe only (due to the unfriendly attitude towards diesel powered cars under U.S. emission laws, and the stigma many people in the U.S. still have about diesels).

Business/Economics, International, U.S.

Israel demands that Japan stop buying Iranian oil, Japan tells Israel to back off!

Israel’s Defense Minister, Ehud Barak, demanded, on Japanese TV, that Japan cut back on oil imports from Iran.  He’s in Japan on a five day visit.

Japanese officials fired backed, basically telling Israel to back off.  Japan’s Foreign Minister, Koichiro Gemba, told Ehud Barak that Israel needed to handle Iran’s nuclear issue calmly.

Gemba also told Barak that military options could lead to Arab countries finally uniting against the Zionist state.

Japan’s Prime Minister, Yoshihiko Noda, made similar statements.