Foresight for Forerunners

The birth of HST in Ontario has arrived. I doubt if anyone will be handing out cigars – on second thought, maybe Dalton McGuinty will. Compared to British Columbia, the first step in selling the HST to Ontarians has gone down like an Oceans 11 movie. The tax will probably have a longer life than any of us – sadly, taxes never die; and most of you will by now have received your “bribe cheque”, as many people are calling it. But I am wondering if a bribe today will quell the building anger over the next few months as people see the cost of living in Ontario go up yet again.

Brian Mulroney gave us GST. You may remember that he went from a majority government to holding his caucus meetings in a phone booth because of the hated tax. He never suspected that taxpayers were prepared to respond with such collective retaliation. He underestimated, or possibly misinterpreted just how strongly people felt about the issue even if they didn’t march in the street. It became a life lesson for every politician in Canada that we don’t always say everything we are thinking.

Although Wilmot Township’s taxpayers haven’t marched in the streets in a HST tax revolt (it just isn’t our style), I am convinced that the modest reaction to such a significant increase in taxes does not mean that we believe what we have been told about the tax. In fact, the most common response to questions about the tax is that people don’t believe the government about the personal impact of the HST. They are suspicious and cynical about the cost. They may have been reflecting on the Smart Meter Answer Book which Mr. McGuinty distributed across the province. We were told, as you may remember, that the new system was a way for us all to save money on our electric bill – NOT.  In reality, hydro prices for the same usage were increasing significantly. If you wanted to save money you would have to cook your meals and do your laundry between 9 pm and 7 am – a bit inconvenient for most of us to say the least. The “spin-doctors” where working overtime and what we were “sold” and what we got were very different.

With the G20 ending, some economists suggest that we have entered into a world-wide third depression which they are calling the Long Depression characterized by deflation and continued unemployment. Ontario’s manufacturing sector (our greatest strength) has been destroyed over the last 20 years by NAFTA and globalism in general. The challenges the province faces are of a grand scale and the remedies (if there are any) are multifaceted. Raising taxes seems like the easy way out again. But my conflict with Mr. McGuinty is that  we have been sold the HST with less than half truths; in particular, how higher taxes will increase employment and make all of Ontario more prosperous. If there was any truth to that, I would be the first to suggest doubling taxes. I understand the cynicism among taxpayers because what we are being sold and what we will get I think will be quite different.

Over the next few months the illusions about HST will fade and reality will become evident. If Mr. McGuinty has oversold his “product”  there will be a great deal of anger and possibly voter retaliation to a government which has “ zoomed” us yet again. Sadly, by then it will be too late for taxpayers. Rarely are bad taxes ever repealed even by the succeeding government. If nothing more, we will be reminded of the old adage: “if it sounds too good to be true, it probably is”.

- In the beginning: some scientists “think” the world is getting warmer
- An “official” panel is setup to promote the views of these scientists (The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change – IPCC)
- About 2500 scientists join their ranks
- The official platform of the IPCC becomes: we can identify the problem but science can’t solve it – we have to stop carbon emissions – we are sure of that!!
- When the “science” of global warming becomes known, 33,000 scientists and climate experts in the USA sign a petition denouncing the theory.
- No one really knows for sure if there is climate change, or if there is, what is causing it.
- A politician makes a film which makes Global Warming a household word
- There is a law suit over the “facts” and a judge calls the film “Political Propaganda” and requires it to be labeled as such in the UK
- No one says anything about the film’s misrepresentations – more scientists join the opposition
- The major media promotes the Global Warming campaign and marginalizes the opponents
- People start to believe there is a problem and activists get into the game of saving the planet.
- It becomes social leprosy to question the science of the IPCC’s climate change campaign for those in and out of science
- A war erupts between the “warmers” and the “skeptics” – the politicians have to step in.
- Politicians refuse to take testimony of global warming opponents in the US and UK – why confuse the issue?

- Politician turned filmmaker/activist starts carbon trading company to profit from a system that does not yet exist – what does he know that we don’t??
- Major stock exchanges set up trading facilities to handle Cap and Trade (carbon credit trading) businesses years before there is a carbon tax law.
- Politicians, businesses, and scientists are “sure” that only by introducing a Cap and Trade Carbon tax can they save the planet – They didn’t want to do it – they had to!

- Businesses who are given Carbon Credit Trading licenses (politician/filmmaker included) are now making boat loads of money – more than anyone could spend.
- The scientists who said there was no solution to Global Warming (but cutting carbon emissions)  - now have a solution – “we can save the planet just give us the money”
- Politicians, who supported the Global warming (scam) are now getting kickbacks from the carbon traders in the form of carbon credits which are better than money and totally unregulated. – who thought of this great idea!!!
- Governments are getting their piece of the action from the Carbon Tax, the rest goes to “offsetting” the emissions. – this is great for the economy
- The highest consuming nations (the US included) actually get rewarded for their unbridled consumption because every company who sells them products has to buy carbon credits from them. Don’t you just love it!!
- The US Government and their “friends” are getting rich in the carbon credit scam and consumption and credit income is up – thank God, we need the money!
- The IPCC now has unprecedented powers – no one dare challenge them – there is too much at stake.
- Scientists who don’t cooperate with the “IPCC” are branded as “environmental terrorist” – disgusting people, get off the planet!
- Scientists get all the money they want to “experiment” with cutting carbon emissions without cutting consumption – and they are getting rich too!
- They of course can’t solve the problem “overnight” – it’s too complex for that, but given enough time and money they will stop the sky from falling

- The average guy is getting hosed for another few thousand bucks a year  – but that’s not the worst of it.
- Carbon cops are looking up everybody’s butt in the name of saving the planet
- Democracy and freedom is redefined as “living green our way and liking it”.
- Orwell rolls in his grave.
- The rich are getting richer on the carbon trading scheme – they pay their carbon tax with glee.

- The planet is no better off – probably worse.
- The decimation of our forests and seas (a real cause of climate change, if there is change) are forgotten – didn’t we solve that problem?
- The US, and UK force nations who trade with them to get into the game and “save the planet” or be penalized.
- No one can buy or sell anything without Carbon Credits – everyone and everything has to be monitored!
- The IPCC and their “science” becomes the final authority on just about everything – uniting everyone under one great religion
- They put a mark on your forehead or your hand so they know who’s playing the game and who’s not.
- The US controls the Carbon Credit “Currency” and world-wide commerce- why shouldn’t they, it’s their “game”
- Round two of “pillaged the nations of the earth”.
- Nice thing about this “deal” is there is something in it for everyone – but the average guy.

This is one piece of news  that caught may attention because it said so much that hasn’t been said. Time Magazine names Obama “Man of The Year”. Considering that Obama will not be sworn in until 2009 it is hard to understand what it is that he has done to qualify for “Man of The Year” other than win an election.

In light of the facts I wondered if it was a propaganda “play” to give the poor American “sucker” hope in a dismal situation or they (Time) really believed he was the best choice, in spite of the fact he had done nothing, but “talk” a great leader.

When I read the The Runners Up for MOTY it gave me a better clue as to what was going on. Henry Paulson, Tresurery Secretary and the man most responsible for letting the crooks bankrupt the country was Time’s SECOND CHOICE. I couldn’t believe that they could actually be so blind and deceived as to think they could make black white. Paulson, should be indicted for treason, stupidity,and or corruption.

It says more about Time than anything else. They are pumping out the propaganda to calm the naive masses while they and their friends suck the last dime out of the people’s pockets. They won’t get far with it, though.

Somebody said, “you get the government you deserve”. The Americans are among the most materialistic people on the planet. They invented and refined consumerism and have exported this cancerous greed around the world. Now they have proven it is a dead end street and they will suffer for their folly. The problems they have started are only beginning. Their solutions are not solutions they only delay the impact. But it is coming….too bad they are going to take so many innocent by-standers with them.

Russian Corruption Skims Billions
Corruption is described as a disease in Russian society

Corrupt Russian officials are creaming off about $120bn (£61bn) a year – the equivalent of a third of the national budget, a senior prosecutor has said.
The country’s new President, Dmitry Medvedev, has pledged to tackle the problem – although correspondents say few expect things will change quickly. Reuters – Friday, 6 June 2008 18:12 UK

Comment
Corruption is prevalent in all levels of government and is seemingly not considered too serious a crime in North America. There is not much outrage when corruption is exposed. Corruption is more serious than the money that is lost from the public purse. When corruption becomes wide-spread the country becomes sick. The systems don’t work and there is a breakdown of society. Our reaction to corruption is a measure of the restraint and the level of integrity we demand. When there is corruption exposed we must (for the sake of the country) oppose it strongly, because it threatens the entire country. Rome wasn’t defeated, it collapsed from within. Corruption is a very real Trojan horse for America – let’s not repeat history, but learn from it.

Among the greatest threats to the US and Canada is not terrorism from the outside not terrorist from the inside but the threat of the breakdown of society through corruption.

Paul Weigel

The Story:
The OECD and United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization agency published its report on food prices and world hunger prior to a World Summit on Food, June 3-5, in Rome.

Report Findings:
- no relief in the high food prices in the next ten years
- cost of food has doubled in the last 2 years

Causes:
1. Biofuel use of grains
2. Speculators
3. Inflation
4. Drought

Effects: millions of people are being effected drastically – mostly in under developed countries. For example: 60 percent of income is used for food in Bangladesh, 27 percent in China, and just 10 percent in the United States or Germany

Recommended Actions:
1. Urgent and immediate need for humanitarian aid,
2. promote genetically modified seeds,
3. more research on the benefits and problems of biofuels, because the US and Europe are planning large growth in biofuel production.

The world is a very complicated place, because we are all linked together through globalization. I have seen enough of the ill effects of world markets over the last 20 years to come conclusive down on the side of abolishing them. If you are thinking that these ideas are crazy I would challenge you to think outside the box for a moment. The question is why should we let large corporations determine how and what we will and won’t do. Globalization is their idea of giving themselves special priviledge. Goods and services move freely across borders but labor movement is heavily resticted. They move production to a country where they can exploit cheap labour then suite countrires tha try to put up trade barriers to the sale of their goods. They unemploy people and claim it is because they aren’t productive enough. They want the taxes and benefits playing field leveled which really means severe cuts to both. They have set up their own government agencies such as the WTO, and the Federal Reserve, and the World Bank. All of these agencies are being used to subject people and governments to the will of the corporate elite. Why any thinking person would support globalization is really a product of fear and manipulation.

You won’t even hear someone suggest in the mass media that we should reevaluate globalization and NAFA and how other trading groups have negatively affected the people they were promoted as serving. Such thinking would be considered a threat to the control of the multi-national corporations what are close to running the world. The media is the main enablers of their agenda to control and plunder the masses. The Marist expression that religion is the opiate of the people is completely wrong. The mass media is the opiate of the people. It is the single greatest factor in the control of the masses. It guarantees compliance and detracts the masses from demanding governments act in their interest.

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The Story:
Diebold Machines Miscount New Hampshire Primary New Hampshire’s 2008 primary election used Diebold “Accu-Vote” machines to scan and count 80% of the votes. These are the same machines that were hacked by the famous Finnish hacker Harri Hursti in “Hacking Democracy”. The hand recount of New Hampshire’s paper ballots has already revealed unexplained machine miscounts (huge disparities) in Hillsborough County, NH:

Wilton district = 10.6% miscounted by machines

Nashua, Ward 5 = 4.9% miscounted by machines

New Ipswich = 7.5% miscounted by machines

Manchester, Ward 5 = 10.6% miscounted by machines

The New Hampshire statewide hand recount was begun by Democrat candidate Dennis Kucinich and Republican candidate Albert Howard amid “serious and credible reports, allegations and rumors about the integrity of Tuesday’s results”

Follow the story on Bev Harris’ BlackBoxVoting forums, and atBradBlog

The Comment:

Bruce Cockburn got it right in his song “And They Call it Democracy”.
This line says it all:

Kiss the hands, Shake hands with the fellas,
And they ‘re open for business like a cheap bordello
And They Call It Democracy.

Bruce Cockburn – And They Call It Democracy

Probably the most important film made about democracy in the USA is ‘Hacking Democracy”. If you ever wondered how far people will go, this film will reveal a new benchmark in the human tension between good and evil. I think the evidence is more than sufficient to demand an indictment verdict. The question now is, who is responsible for this treason. For more information on the film “Hacking Democracy” see another Forerunner Project (films by and for Forerunners) web site at www.theforerunnerproject.com/films

New Developments

Election Workers Sentenced for Fraud (Fox 8, Cleveland) A grand jury indicted three Cuyahoga county elections workers, and earlier this year, a jury convicted two of them – Jacqueline Maiden and Kathy Dreamer. Watch the video

Elections Workers Get 18 Months For Rigging 2004 Recount (newsnet5.com & Associated Press) Two election workers in Ohio’s most populous county were sentenced Tuesday to 18 months in prison for rigging the 2004 presidential election recount so they could avoid a more thorough review of the votes. Details & video.

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Here are three telling quotes from a Reuters news story about the Fed contemplating a rate cut from 2.25 to 2.00.

April 30, 2008 (Reuters)
The U.S. housing market has shown no sign of hitting bottom and credit markets still appear strained. At the same time elevated prices for food and fuel are causing concerns among both consumers and Fed officials………

In addition to lowering rates to spur the economy, the central bank has rolled out a series of emergency steps to pump billions of dollars of liquidity into financial markets to beat back a credit crunch. Policy-makers will debate a new liquidity tool — paying interest on bank reserves — on Wednesday…………

Policy-makers also expect the combined effects of the central bank’s rate cuts — which act with a lag — and a $152 billion fiscal stimulus package will provide a boost to the economy in months to come.

All of these so called “solutions” are inflationary. By reducing the interest rate they reduce the value of the currency and hence increase the cost of fuel and other imported items. By printing a wack of money (152 Billion they don’t have) they are further devaluating the dollar. Will the Fed give us hyper inflation?? It is a real possibility. When hedge funds run for cover in oil and commodities they are hedging against inflation. What is your hedge against inflation? What should you do about inflation eating up your equity and savings? We are going to address that in coming posts.

By-the-way, who is getting that $152B? It better not be the financial institutions that got us in this mess – although it sounds like it. We will be watching to see where it goes. Furthermore, recently the Senate said they couldn’t bail out the Banks because the people wouldn’t hear of it (based on polls). Seems like all that has changed in the last week.

Paul Weigel

The biggest story in the news today, as it has been for 5 months, is the price of oil. There has been a lot of disinformation about what is causing the rise in the price of crude. It has increased 25% in the past 4 months. Prime Minister Gordon Brown and G. W. Bush have been calling for OPEC to increase supply in a season when normal consumption is at its lowest (spring). The forecasted economic slow down is expected to further slow demand by 1.5%. As the price increases it becomes out of reach for many buyers with weaker economies and currencies, also reducing demand. OPEC continues to assert that there is adequate supply to meet demand. Saudi Arabia has even reduced supply slightly in response to the slowing demand. So why is the price of oil continuing to climb?

The daily assertions in the media about fears of disruptions in supply are misleading. The real cause of the price inflation is the weakening US dollar. Hedge funds used to take refuge in gold, silver, platinum and other metals because they offered protection against a devaluating dollar. But the large investors see oil as a better hedge against the devaluating dollar, because it is a world-wide consumable. Recently, market pundits have predicted $200. per barrel of oil, which would more than double the price in a year. That doesn’t reflect supply or demand for oil, but the lack of confidence in the US economy precipitated by the sub-prime banking scandal, massive debt and trade deficit, and a costly war.

Here is the crux of the problem. In the short term, oil provides protection from inflation (devaluation of the dollar), but in the long term the increase in the price of oil causes the cost of food and manufactured goods to increase. That is inflation. To protect against inflation investors continue to bid up the price of oil and thereby cause inflation. It becomes a destructive cycle which has the potential to bring a catastrophic world-wide economic collapse. So far there has been little leadership from governments in the west. Thailand and Indonesia have banned exports of rice in the anticipation of the coming problems. They have effectively taken themselves off the world markets. They will grow their own food and supply their own demand at prices their people can afford. Nationalism has been presented in the corporate agenda driven media as the counter-productive, small minded ideals of backward governments. However, it now will protect countries from the whims of the global investor and soften the blow of a potential world-wide financial catastrophe.

The US has been the detonator for this economic explosion but the problems in the world financial markets are equally as severe as in the US. There has been a tremendous increase in the accumulation of wealth. The imbalance this creates is like a 400 pound guy in a canoe with two 50 pound children. The markets have been destabilized by the relative size of the “players”. Greed, and fear have no conscience and the investors who “play” the markets have no moral, ethical or social responsibility. They play for today with little foresight into the implications their actions will have on tomorrow or on others.

Our relatively short experiment with globalization of world markets has put the future of the planet in the hands of people who have no intention of managing it. They neither want the job nor are capable of handling it. Their goals are incompatible with the task. Political leaders have failed to lead because their leadership has been compromised by duplicity. They know they should do something, but they are afraid to end the party. The party being, the amassing of the world’s wealth by a relative few.

The planet faces environmental, and economic problems of monumental magnitude. The resulting social upheaval could cause unimaginable human suffering and loss if there isn’t inspired leadership. The planet can not survive under the current system. It is destructive, oppressive and diabolic and if left uncontrolled will self destruct. The question is, will our leaders mitigate the suffering and loss by taking the necessary but difficult high road; or will they compromise and surrender to pressures and stand on the sidelines as the impact of their compromises ravishes the nations.

There is a new age coming, heralded and ushered in by a company of forerunners. The current pains are but the birth contractions of a new era. More on that in the coming posts.

Paul Weigel

The Senate is trying to figure out a way to avoid the collapse of the financial system. Lenders are leveraging for a bail out. But Americans are angry, as they well should be. They don’t want the perpetrators of the problem to “walk” while they take the “fall”.

“Excerpt from (LA Times, April 25, 2008)
Frank’s committee this week approved a Republican proposal to give lenders and loan servicers protection against such lawsuits. But powerful industry groups, such as the Mortgage Bankers Assn., have scorned the proposal.

“It makes me concerned [that] lenders and servicers really aren’t interested in sitting down and negotiating a resolution to these problems,” said Rep. Michael N. Castle (R-Del.), chief author of the GOP proposal.

“Maybe they figure the government will get desperate enough at some point, it’ll throw money at the problem and they can come out with no write-down of these mortgages,” he mused.

“There is no sympathy for anything that smacks of bailout,” said Allen Sinai, chief economist of Decision Economics Inc., who recently testified in favor of the Frank bill. “The outrage has shown up very quickly, and means that at this point the government can only go so far.” (End Quote)

People are aware that the problems they now face were caused by uncontrolled and blinding greed in the financial markets. They want control of their lives back. They shouldn’t have to worry about deals being made on Wall Street that will take from them everything they have worked for most of their lives. They want their Government to act on THEIR behalf.

The lack of government intervention in these areas have stolen hundreds of thousands of average American’s lifetime of work and savings. If it was done with a gun there would be a war. Freedom, is worth defending but some freedom or lack of government control takes other people’s freedom away. The media (the agents of Corporations – proport freedom of the markets) There isn’t freedom of the market. If there was there wouldn’t be a collapse. We wouldn’t pay 3.50/gallon for gas. We wouldn’t pay $150,000 for a gallbladder operation. Prices are controlled not by the market but by a handful of people who profit from their control. There is no free market where the consumer can shop and compare prices in a competitive market. Oil is priced not by the consumer supply and demand but by a handful of people in New York who profit from its rising price. The system we have is not free market – it is tyranny wrapped in idealism.

The government has allowed speculators and financial institutions to gain at the expense of the people, effectively turning the entire country into a labor camp. Housing and oil isn’t the only areas where the balance of power has been allowed to shift far in favor of company’s shareholders and market profiteers. Powerful groups control medical services in American which can transfer the wealth of an entire family into its hands simple by having one medical need in your lifetime. How many family’s have been left with nothing. How free is that?

The system is flawed and no American is immune of being robbed of their saving and financial future as long as the system continues to give certain people more freedom at the expense of others. The people with the authority to intervene didn’t – even when they knew what the outcome would be. That is a breach of trust and crime against the people. The repercussions of the collapse of the housing market has effectively syphoned off billions of dollars from the economy which are now in the hands of the greedy. If the government bails these institutions out, then it will be using your money to further rob you of everything you have worked for. This crisis could have been avoided. But that would have taken someone to stand tall and strong against the corruption. Apparently there was no one. People knew what was going on and did nothing. That is a crime against you and me. The corruption has weakened America and could destroy it if it doesn’t get leaders that will not bow to the power brokers who are destroying our freedom and stealing our wealth.