Forum Post: Paul Craig Roberts ; Murder of The Constitution in Full Public View & The Dismal Economic Outlook For The New Year.
Posted 12 years ago on Jan. 8, 2012, 11:28 a.m. EST by shadz66
(19985)
This content is user submitted and not an official statement
During the Reagan Administration, Paul Craig Roberts ( http://www.paulcraigroberts.org/ ) was Assistant Secretary of the Treasury for Economic Policy. He has been associate editor of The Wall Street Journal and he has been a columnist for Business Week, Scripps Howard News Service and Creators Syndicate. He has also had numerous university appointments and his Internet columns have attracted a worldwide following.
As such please allow a few minutes for what he has to say : "Murder of The Constitution in Full Public View" (Video) and "The Dismal Economic Outlook For The New Year" (Article), both on :
Lux et Veritas.
I didn't see this and started my own post. I'll repost my "fair use" quotes here:
"Jobs offshoring, financial deregulation, and ten years of wars have severely damaged the US economy and the economic prospects of 90% of the American population. The signs are everywhere in front of our eyes. . . .
"The New Economy was a hoax, like Saddam Hussein’s “weapons of mass destruction” and the “war on terror.” Americans were deceived by “their” corrupt government, by greed-driven corporations, and by corporate shills among economists and the pundit class into believing that they were trading middle class “dirty fingernail” jobs in manufacturing for better middle class “clean fingernail” high-tech service jobs. . . .
"As the US government is controlled by financial and armaments interests and not by the people, the government responded to the financial crisis by shoveling more debt and more hardships on the American people in order that financial interests did not have to pay for their own mistakes and crimes. . . .
"An important part of the bill is the huge number of new dollars being created in order to keep “banks too big to fail” afloat and in order to finance the federal government’s enormous budget deficit from its illegal wars. . . .
"The process of moving American jobs offshore left cities, counties, and states with shrunken tax base.The resulting state and local budget deficits are being used to dismantle public sector unions and to cut social services. Public assets, such as water companies, and future income streams from parking meters, toll roads and bridges, are being sold off to foreign buyers in order to insure another year of local and state government solvency. . . .
"The economic “recovery” that Washington and the financial press hype is all talk and no reality. . . .
"I cannot predict how long policymakers can hold economic armageddon at bay with spin, money creation, currency swaps, intervention in gold and silver markets, and outright lies. The onset could be sudden and take place this year, but we shouldn’t underestimate the power of spin over a gullible public that trusts “their” government and fervently believes that Muslim terrorists are out to get them and that the demise of the Constitution, the product of a eight hundred year struggle that produced Anglo-American civil liberty, is worth the price of “safety.”
"There is no safety in a police state and a debauched currency. The comfortable world that Americans have known is falling apart at the seams. "
http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article30168.htm
Thanx 'nomdeg'. Further to the above, please also see :
a) "Congress is Repealing the Constitution" (Video) : http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article29874.htm ;
b) "Western Democracy: A Farce And A Sham" : http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article29606.htm ;
c) "Bankers Have Seized Europe, Goldman Sachs Has Taken Over" : http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article29823.htm ;
d) "Americans - Awash In Spin" : http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article29548.htm &
e) "Is The War On Terror A Hoax ?" : http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article29273.htm .
All by PCR.
How did we get to this point? Were things just too good for too long. Are we collectively naive enough to think America as we knew it would stay great forever without our participation? Have we always been so dumb that we accept things that don’t make sense? Why do we believe things that are based on fairy tale logic from a pseudo authority source like FOX and MSNBC and the other opinion shaping media?
It’s time to wake up and get active. Protect or lose it!
I think your first answer is it...things were too good for too long, and even though there were warnings of the ultimate result, we were too damn lazy to think about anything but our own lives. This includes me. I didn't vote for years because I didn't see any difference in the candidates. I finally started to pay attention at W's second election because I saw no reason for the War. I am 67 years old, and was in that group who allowed this to happen, and for that, I apologize to everyone who is suffering the consequence of our collective selfishness. I believe what we are seeing on Fox and MSNBC now (I didn't even know they existed until a couple years ago, to be honest) consolidates all of the erroneous conventional wisdom that my generation took as truth when, in fact, most of it was wrong. Such things as status -- or dare I say caste -- system, in which "someone" decided that it was "better" to be a secretary or a clerk than it was to be a mechanic or construction worker. Or that white is superior to any skin that has a tint to it. Or that a college education makes one better than someone without it. The list goes on. All of these accepted beliefs went unchecked until now. They were accepted...that is, never questioned -- and we often did not even know they were beliefs that we held. Now they are being challenged -- and hopefully they are losing. They are divisive, and the OWS movement is learning how to live in community once again. All of this is good.
That was a great post! I have had a similar awakening. Bush being elected the second time was the biggest "what the hell is wrong with people moment" I had in my life time. From that point on I started paying attention to the misconceptions that we are being fed daily.
I support OWS 100% and will be attending events in my town and the bigger cities this spring.
Thanks for sharing your personal story. Mine is very similar
Thank you for a positive response. When a response shows up, I find myself opening it with trepidation, after having been lambasted by some rather unpleasant readers who, as a rule, misunderstood my point(s). 2012 should be an exciting, and perhaps, transformational year!
If you post something OWS friendly, it seems you normally get some kind of debate or negative response trying to discourage you. It seems there are more enemies than friendlies on this site.
Yeah I hope the protests get big and force some change. We need it!
[Removed]
Alas 'FT', other than the Usual (Corporate Owned) Suspects, WHAT are "the other opinion shaping media" which can speak to most Americans ?!
Some useful links :
a) http://topdocumentaryfilms.com/category/economics/ ;
b) http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/ ;
c) http://rt.com/programs/keiser-report/ ;
d) http://www.democracynow.org/ &
e) http://www.opensecrets.org/ .
Agitate ; Educate ; Organise !!
per ardua ad astra !!!
As I see the corporate media is the main culprit. After that come the believers. They typically truly believe what they have been told despite the facts otherwise. They then go around preaching the false doctrine as if it were a religion. Then the third tier believe them and trust them because they are politically “up to speed” “they know what they are talking about” ”They are well informed”. And the guy that say’s this doesn’t make sense. He becomes the new idiot.
Great post, shadz66.
Gott beschüsse dich!
@T : Dankeschon unt "Gott Mit Uns", ich hoffe ~{:-)
Hoffentlich!!!
Ergo, dum spiro ... spero !!! ommm~{:-)
That's right....Paul Craig Roberts is right on target...Don't let the MSM BS you with their "Things are getting better" lies. We are truly at the precipice..
We never left the precipice.
Bush, brought us here and his (R)epublican cohorts are keeping us here.
Democrats aren't hollering as loud as they should be.
That's why I'm have no problem with those who say, the first order of business is,................get the money out!
Then, there will at least be a chance that we will at long last learn the truth.
Until that happens?
We're all in here just bullshitin'.
Because none of us..................really knows all of it.
"December Payroll Jobs Report", by Paul Craig Roberts January 08, 2012 "Information Clearing House"( http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/ ) The following report is based on the work of statistician John Williams of http://www.shadowstats.com/ .
Today’s (Friday, January 6) payroll jobs report of 200,000 new jobs in December is overstated by at least 82,000 jobs. As approximately 130,000 new jobs are needed each month to stay even with population growth, the December job figures actually indicate that the US economy fell another 12,000 jobs behind.
Forty-two thousand of the reported jobs are the result of a glitch in the BLS seasonal adjustment model that produces a false jump in December “couriers and messengers” jobs.
Forty thousand of the jobs result from the “birth/death” model that BLS uses to estimate the net effect of unreported jobs lost from business closures and jobs gained from new start-ups. The model is structured to represent normal times. During the bottom bouncing of this protracted downturn, the model over-estimates new jobs from start-ups and under-estimates job losses from business failures.
The official unemployment rates (U3 and U6) no longer measure all of the unemployed. The Clinton administration ceased counting as unemployed workers who had given up looking for a job for one year or longer. No discouraged workers are included in the widely reported U3 measure.
The U6 measure includes workers who have been discouraged for less than one year.
In other words, the longer an economy is in the doldrums, the less the official unemployment rates are reliable measures of the extent of unemployment. The unemployment rate in December as measured by U3 is 8.5%; as measured by U6 which includes short-term discouraged workers (less than one year) is 15.2%. John Williams’ measure which includes the long-term unemployed is 22.4%.
In other words, the real unemployment rate is 2.6 times the widely reported U3 rate, which is the rate emphasized by policymakers and the financial press.
{The above is copied verbatim from http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article30186.htm }.
fiat justitia ...
I've always wondered, instead of going through all those complicated formulae, why don't they just use the IRS?. I also find it odd, when employment is measured by reports from ManPower.
I guess it just shows that labor really has been commoditized.
2.6 *8.5 = 22.1% Very good sir and that correlates well with SGS numbers..
http://www.shadowstats.com/alternate_data/unemployment-charts
All is well....
I have yet to find anyone here who sees 20% of their neighbors out of work. That's sure not the case in my neighborhood or any of the neighborhoods in which my three adult children reside. Where are all these people ? I'm just sayin'
Go to small and midsize towns away from major centers. For example: Newburgh, NY; Middletown, NY; Port Jervis, NY; Sussex, NJ; Poughkeepsie, NY; the whole state of Michigan, etc.
There's a whole thrift/consignment shop economy out there.
I go to smallish towns all the time. Lately I've been seeing young women hanging out at gas stations, seemingly meaninglessly. Then I realized they were prostitutes looking to turn tricks.
Crap. I was hoping the numbers were wrong. Not because of any desire to make a point, but because that would mean there are fewer people suffering. Not only do I appear to be blessed, my neighbors appear blessed as well.
There is just zero reason why we should have an economy so driven by production and consumption of non-essentials while others lack the basics. I'm going to sound old-fashioned here, but it's certainly not what Jesus would do.
Q : "Where are all these people ? I'm just sayin' "
A : Laying low and pretending to be gainfully employed because of the social stigma attached to 'unemployment' ! but I'm just guessin' !!
The 20%+ figure for The True Unemployment Rate will Not be evenly distributed around The U$A and the real point is maybe that the true unemployment rate is Waay Higher than the 8.5% "Official, Headline" rate.
lux et veritas ...
Could be, but they still seem to go off to work everyday. Maybe they're going to the casino.
The ABCNNBCBS-FUX SNEWzzz, MSM 'Mind Management Propaganda Machine' would have The 99% Citizenry of The U$A believe that an "official" unemployment rate of 8.5% (1:12) is somehow an indication of evidence of some sort of an Economic Upturn !
Even assuming that these figure are accurate, they do NOT take into account the massive levels of under-employment or the real level of forced part-time employment nor the numbers of people working more than one job and neither there is any accounting for those 'involuntarily economically inactive but not claiming benefits' nor the numbers NOT on any systems !!
High Finance "Hoover-Up" Kaputalism is a Busted Flush and has Got To Go and The USA PATRIOT Act & The NDAA are totalitarian in design, intent and practice !!!
ad iudicium ...
It's frightening to see a man speak to obvious truth and have it fall on deaf ears. Thanks for posting this. Notice that he pointed out the Ron Paul is the only visible candidate talking about the destruction of the Constitution.
They are all telling truths about one another and we need a "none of the above" option on the election ballots.
Ron Paul has my vote. I will give Huntsman more consideration than the rest, simply because he advocates peace in the ME.
I like some of Ron Paul's ideas but it's a little scary to think what he might do with power behind him. Sorry i can't trust him.
Compared to war advocates such as Chicken Hawk Romney?
I'm for none of the candidates on either side of the aisle.
Ron Paul is the only Republican candidate who is even addressing real issues in a substantive way. I disagree with some of his positions, but at least he has positions with which I can meaningfully disagree.
In all honesty I wonder if it isn't rigged even before the elections because I can guarantee Romney will be the candidate.
As Eric Blair (cf George Orwell !) said : "To see what is in front of one's nose requires a constant struggle." & "Speaking the Truth in times of universal deceit is a revolutionary act." !
The man did have a way with words as well as a prescient "eYe" !!
respice ; adspice ; prospice !!!
I just don't get how the MSM can maintain this illusion in the face of so much evidence to the contrary available through alternative channels.
By Misdirection, Smoke & Mirrors ... and the myriad mysterious methods of "Manufacturing Consent" :
a) http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Manufacturing_Consent:_The_Political_Economy_of_the_Mass_Media ,
b) http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Manufacturing_Consent:_Noam_Chomsky_and_the_Media &
c) http://video.google.co.uk/videoplay?docid=-5631882395226827730 !!!
fiat lux ...
Hi shadz, Thank you for excellent link. Everyone should see this. Best Regards, Nevada
Hi 'Nev1', thanx for your kind words and in the spirit of "excellent links", to follow - please find 5 more :
a) http://topdocumentaryfilms.com/category/economics/ ;
b) http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/ ;
c) http://rt.com/programs/keiser-report/ ;
d) http://www.opensecrets.org/ &
e) http://ni4d.us/ .
pax, amor et lux .
The Midas Formula: Trillion Dollar Bet
http://topdocumentaryfilms.com/the-midas-formula-trillion-dollar-bet/
Your post is one of the most valuable I have seen here.
We are looking for people such as you at http://waronyou.com/forums/
Fiat Illiminatus.
Excellent.
In my opinion, if we had followed the Constitution for the last century, we wouldn't be in the mess we are in today.
Blame those that failed to honor their oath to obey and protect the Constitution and the damned oligarchy of banksters and big corporate monopolists that own your representatives through special interest bribery.
The best antidote to this poison is to elect patriots like Ron Paul and YOU start instilling constitutional practices in your local government. Lead by example! Freedom will permeate up through city, county then state. That is our ONLY sane approach to regain and secure our inalienable rights, freedoms and property..
http://www.ratifyconstitution.com
Roberts is an idiot. Period.
Agreed. Anyone basing any conclusions on the debunked Williams crap is either an idiot or a scoundrel. Roberts conflates more things than a balloon artist making a dog.
'Periodically' and like us all, maybe PCR is an idiot ; you however would appear to be "an idiot" somewhat more frequently and indeed probably, permanently !!
ad absurdum(b) ...
Riiiiight....sure fella.
Whatever.
" Dear Americans, We Are Surrounded " Approximately a year ago, while flying out of a west coast airport a man stepped next to me and flashed a badge. He asked if he could talk to me. Totally off guard, I said "Yes." As he directed me to the side, I noticed another agent at about a 90 degree angle to me. The first agent said they were doing random stops. He asked me where I was flying to and where I stayed in during my trip. He asked what I was doing in the city.He asked some very strange questions. He asked me who had paid for my hotel room. I did and told him so. He asked to see my airline ticket. Then he asked to see my ID. The partner called in my ID. He asked to look in my briefcase. We were obviously way over the line in my mind of "reasonable search." I had a pair of jeans on a button down shirt and a blue blazer. But, I wondered what would have happened if I had said no to the briefcase search. Would they have held me on other grounds, since the Constitution didn't seem like it meant anything to these two. I had nothing to hide, so I let them look. I had a flight to catch.
http://lewrockwell.com/wenzel/wenzel154.html