WHEN IS A CONSPIRACY NOT A THEORY?

Please take a moment and read the following information that was reported in the Huffington Post. It is all rather disturbing as it hints much larger issues. Is there a conspiracy? Or is it just a theory?

“U.S. CORPORATIONS POST RECORD PROFITS - When corporate America sits down at its Thanksgiving table this Thursday to remember when the pilgrims received their IPO from the native population and then used their start-up money to do away with indigenous redundancies over the proceeding centuries, it'll have 1.66 trillion reasons to be thankful -- that's the record profits that big business pulled down at an annualized rate over the past three months. In the early days of the Obama administration, the Dow hit a low of 6,626. It's now over 11,000. Yet we keep being told that this is THE MOST ANTI-BUSINESS WHITE HOUSE EVER!!! (What would pro-business look like? Three trillion in profits?)

BUSINESS FURIOUS AT WHITE HOUSE FOR DOUBLING ITS WEALTH - Major corporations are dug in against the White House, furious at the size of their profit statements and bonus checks and angry that the Dow has nearly doubled on Obama's watch. Politico tells us that Obama had better start being nicer to big business: "After business leaders sank millions into the midterms to defeat Democrats, a chastened Obama administration is seeking reconciliation with the corporate community. But after two years of building frustration, the executives say they won't be won over by another round of private lunches and photo opportunities at the White House. If President Barack Obama has any hope for a truce with corporate America in time for his 2012 reelection campaign, he needs to drop the name-calling, try to see their point of view better and step up with some specific proposals. 'No amount of relationship-building is a substitute for policy,' said Johanna Schneider, executive director for external affairs at the Business Roundtable, which was once one of the administration's most enduring corporate allies. 'We have to see some concrete policies that will help grow business because everyone's goal is to grow jobs. This isn't hocus-pocus. There are concrete steps to take for job growth,' she added." No, job growth is not, actually, the goal of big business. Their goal is to post big, fat profits and grow their share price. Which is exactly what they've been doing. If they want to create jobs, they can spend the more than trillion dollars they have sitting on the sidelines and, you know, start hiring people.” [HuffPost's Peter Goodman]

When thinking about this information it is easy to be reminded of the hundreds of billions of dollars in bail out money that went to banks and large corporations. It is easy to remember that the “Fed” just printed off $600 billion to give to banks so that ‘they can make loans.’ It is easy to remember the $100 billion to bail out Greece; the $150 billion for Ireland and who knows how much for Portugal and maybe Spain. The point is that well over $1 TRILLION has been given to banks and large corporations and that is showing up as corporate profit.
To pay for this, what is happening? Governments and politicians are calling for extending retirement ages, decreasing benefits, reducing social net programs, cutting jobs, keeping tax cuts for the rich, increasing employee contributions to health care, freezing wages and a variety of other attacks on the lower and middle class pocketbooks.  And yet, large corporations are making trillions in profit!
Is it just possible that governments and big business are creating a massive climate of fear? Is it possible that these same people are creating a situation that would make all of the ‘doomsday’ prophecies concerning 2012 self-fulfilling?  Form follows thought and quantum physics is now telling us that thoughts create our physical reality. By creating near panic economic situations, will this new sense of fear and despair not manifest as disaster and chaos? Further, with no real action concerning climate change, are the cards being stacked against all but the rich? Is there a conspiracy to create situations in which many will die; the lower class close to being eliminated; and, the middle class being relegated to fill their shoes? We have a dumbing down of our educational systems; major increases in odd diseases; the fattening of our youth and adults; and, foods and products filled with chemicals that can only cause even more disease and reliance upon…well, reliance upon who?
Keep this in mind: This is all about paper. Money is merely paper. We are not talking about gold, silver, land, diamonds, rubies or even goats. We are talking about pieces of paper, the value of which is based upon common consensus. When I was a teenager, a gallon of gas cost 35 cents. That same gallon of close is around $3.00 today. It is the same gas and the cost to produce it has not risen that much.  The markets are fond of saying that the price of gas has risen or fallen because of demand. In other words, if we want it more, we have been willing to pay more. If we drive less, the price goes down. All a matter of consensus by someone as to value. Paper money has no intrinsic value; it is really backed by nothing. There has been much talk about deficits and all of the supposed problems they incur. But really, if the 'Fed' can print $600 billion and pump it into the banks, why can't they print the same and free itself or the consumer from debt? Right, I can hear the scream of economists now. But economics is really a fantasy and not a science. No one gets stuck dead by the god of money if they keep prices low if demand rises. All it would take is for all nations to agree that they will print the money to pay off their debts and agree that the money will retain its value. Everyone wins and the debt is gone.
So much more could be said here but the bottom line is that there are really no 'laws' of economics. Is it worth ruining the lives of countless millions over the supposed value of a piece of paper? Is it worth letting the world be run by the few people making trillions and the expense of the many? Is it right that a few unknown investors rate the value of a county's money and make or break that nation? Since when have we, the people, said that our lives would be dictated by so called 'market forces,' which is really just another name for the rich?
Many of the 2012 prophecies pointed to a time when choices had to be made. It appears that Big Business and the many governments they control have made their choice. They have opted for a massive global population reduction and an increased reliance not on government, but rather, the Company Store. However, their choice does not have to be final. The sheer numbers of people, choosing a more rational and sane world can alter events. How the masses respond to these disturbing events will determine events that may well culminate in a few short years. Something to really think about. Please, think about it. It is the only way out.
How to deal with all this will be the subject of future posts.

CUBA, EMBARGOES AND ECONOMICS

The United States has had an embargo against Cuba since 1962. In 1992 this embargo became codified as the as The Cuban Democracy Act. This has been the longest economic and travel restriction embargo in U.S. history. It is time to end these trade restrictions and open the doors of commerce and travel to the people of Cuba. The question is not whether the embargo was ever justified, but rather is there any sane reason to keep it?

On February 19th, Fidel Castro announced that he was stepping down as president of Cuba. At 81 years old and with failing health, the long reign of this dictator has all but come to an end. While the mantle of power has been handed over to his brother Raul, at the age of 76, even his position as head of state cannot be too long lived. The Heritage Foundation argues that, “The United States should keep existing policies in place until Cuba makes real progress on political reforms and human rights issues.” This is shear ignorance.

Embargoes have never been an effective tool to change the internal policies of another government. The U.S. embargo of North Korea has been a sham. Our embargo of Iran has been ineffective. All embargoes seem to do is to entrench anti-American sentiments while black marketers, frequently American controlled, make huge sums of money providing the very resources that are the target of such embargoes. Such actions further drive the recipient of these ineffectual embargoes into the hands of those we distrust,
such as Russia or China. History has shown that the best way to deal with those we distrust is to keep the channels of trade and communication open. Look at China. While it is certainly far from a bastion of democracy, a large percentage of goods consumed by Americans are “Made in China.” They have only made minor strides in human rights and democratic reform and yet, they are one of our largest trading partners.

We are all familiar with America’s “cultural imperialism.” Those who trade extensively with the U.S. frequently succumb to the American way of life. Coke and McDonalds is no stranger to China and while travel is somewhat restricted, Americans can go to China and share our way of life and thinking. Change may be slow, but there is change. At the other end of the spectrum is North Korea. By keeping North Korea from participating with the rest of the world community, we have kept that country in the dark ages.

With economic and cultural contact we see many countries that have at least taken initial steps towards improved human and political rights. If we open the door to the Cuban people and increase our economic and cultural ties, we will see change in a more positive direction. If we continue to treat the Cuban government as our arch enemy, then the new leaders that wait in the wings will have little choice but to continue to work against American interests. To demand change before we allow contact and trade is hypocritical. One has to merely look at some of our trading partners to see that this has not been the cardinal rule of American foreign policy.

By ending the embargo now, we will help raise a new generation of Cuban leaders that are more friendly towards our interests. The people of Cuba have suffered long enough. End the embargo now and perhaps we will even get a boost for our ailing economy.