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Iraq and Saudi Arabia sign new Security MOU 21st February 2023 in Politics, Security By John Lee...Iraq-Business News The Iraqi Minister of Interior, Abdul Amir Al-Shammari, and its Saudi counterpart have signed a security memorandum of understanding, which is the first of its kind since 1983. The agreement includes various forms of security cooperation, exchange of ideas, and joint security efforts to enhance security for both countries. The signing was attended by several high-ranking officials from both countries, and the Iraqi Minister of Interior expressed gratitude towards his Saudi counterpart for the warm welcome. (Source: Ministry of Interior) https://www.iraq-businessnews.com/2023/02/21/iraq-and-saudi-arabia-sign-new-security-mou/

Mega projects do little to calm Iraq's housing crisis Despite several mega housing projects launched in Iraq, most notably the Al-Rafeel City project and Bismayah New City in Baghdad, Iraq still needs millions of houses to end the housing crisis. A picture taken on Jan. 29, 2018, shows a man walking on the Iraqi capital's Rasheed Street, one of the oldest streets of the city. - AHMAD AL-RUBAYE/AFP via Getty Images Haider Ibrahim Independent, trusted coverage of the Middle East July 19, 2022 The lack of affordable housing is one of Iraq’s deepest crises, with a severe shortage of housing units estimated to be 3.5 million, according to Iraq's Ministry of Construction, Housing, Municipalities and Public Works. Population growth, rural-to-urban migration, lack of financial and natural resources, crises and conflicts that have dragged for more than four decades, the repercussions of the Islamic State’s (IS) occupation of the country, and the destruction of homes, infrastructure and public facilities have all exacerbated the housing crisis and increased homelessness and slums in the cities and their outskirts. According to the Ministry of Planning’s estimates, Iraq had about 3,700 informal settlements or slums inhabited by an estimated 3 million people in 2019. The slums vary based on the various parts. Houses are built of mud in some districts and of cement in others on state-owned lands. Some citizens have even turned military bases, facilities and buildings that belonged to the former Iraqi army and security services prior to the US invasion into homes. The largest number of slums — about 1,000 — is found in Baghdad, followed by Basra with 700. According to the United Nations Human Settlements Program, “Iraq's cities accommodate more than 70% of the population and are growing rapidly. A large number of people, particularly the poor, live in substandard housing and informal settlements and suffer from lack of basic services and the side effects of polluted water sources, poor air quality and climate change.” At the same time, Iraq has been affected by political crises and conflicts that have dragged on for more than 40 years. The country continues to suffer from the fallout of the IS occupation and the destruction of homes, infrastructure and public facilities. The Iraqi government is trying to address the crisis by launching several residential projects. National Investment Authority president Suha al-Najjar told Al-Monitor that 130 licenses for housing investment projects were granted in 2021 and work has resumed on many stalled projects. Iraq’s mega housing projects include Bismayah New City, which was implemented by a South Korean company in Baghdad and includes 100,000 housing units. In July 2021, the Iraqi government launched the DARI housing initiative, which targets social welfare segments, martyrs’ families and citizens who were not previously included in the land bonds distribution. Applications for 550,000 residential plots in all governorates, except for the Kurdistan region, were made online. However, Hammam al-Tamimi, a member of the Parliamentary Services and Reconstruction Committee, accused the government of failing to implement the DARI initiative on the ground. In response to the accusation, the adviser to the prime minister for construction and investment affairs, Sabah Abdul Latif, said that the distribution of land bonds as part of the DARI housing initiative will be soon made official in the presence of the prime minister, in addition to the distribution of 330,000 plots as part of other projects. This initiative is the second largest housing initiative since 2003, following Bismayah New City. Other projects that the government announced in a bid to address the housing crisis include the Al-Rafael City project, to which an area of 106,000 dunams surrounding Baghdad International Airport was allocated, intended for investment opportunities. Najjar told the official Al-Sabah newspaper that the city will be built in four phases. The first will include the construction of about 75,000 homes for up to 300,000 people, in addition to shops, offices, hospitals, schools and recreational facilities. She said that this project will have a positive impact on the economy, particularly since it will provide houses for about 1 million people and open more than 100,000 jobs. Other mega projects in the housing sector include the AlKadhemiya New City, which started on May 1, 2021. The project is one of the strategic investment projects in Iraq and is located near Kadhimiya district in the capital. In a promotional video, the Baghdad Investment Commission indicated that the project will provide 5,000 housing units, schools, kindergartens, a private university, a hospital, green spaces, sports fields, in addition to shops and recreational centers. Baghdad saw the launch of the Jawharat Baghdad residential project in al-Dora district as one of the most prominent investment housing projects, over an area exceeding 8 million square meters and including more than 16,000 housing units. Moreover, the Iraqi government announced in June 2021 an initiative to buy and build houses via interest-free loans. Cabinet spokesman Hassan Nazim said that the Central Bank of Iraq made the initiative of financing the Real Estate Bank and the Housing Fund with more than 1.8 trillion dinars (about $1.2 billion). He added, “The initiative will provide interest-free loans to citizens to buy or build units. Citizens will pay off the loan over 20 years and would motivate them to buy units.” Iraq’s housing crisis has been exacerbated by the constant rise in residential property prices. Observers believe that many of these properties are more expensive than real estate in cities in stable neighboring countries, including Istanbul, Tehran and Amman. Link: https://www.al-monitor.com/originals/2022/07/mega-projects-do-little-calm-iraqs-housing-crisis

New Iranian Ambassador signals 'Changed Approach to Iraq' 14th April 2022 - Iraq Business News From Amwaj Media. Any opinions expressed are those of the author(s), and do not necessarily reflect the views of Iraq Business News. New Iranian ambassador signals 'changed approach to Iraq' Iran has appointed Mohammad Kazem Aal-e Sadeq as its new ambassador to Baghdad, ending the 5-year tenure of Iraj Masjedi. Speaking on condition of anonymity, a senior Iranian source has told Amwaj.media that the change is not only routine but bureaucratically overdue, revealing that Masjedi's tenure was meant to finish last year. He added that Tehran had firmly stood behind Masjedi amid pressure for a shift following a series of controversies involving the envoy. However, informed sources in Baghdad have contested this narrative of events, indicating to Amwaj.media that the change is meant to signal "a changed approach to Iraq." Link: https://www.iraq-businessnews.com/2022/04/14/new-iranian-ambassador-signals-changed-approach-to-iraq/

Umbertino, You seem to spend a great deal of time making posts that are critical of America, and the Government. I realize that like many other countries, the US has it's short comings. For the sake of conversation though let's turn the topic of conversation to Italy.....I see you state a residency in Trento, Italy. I am sure you have some opinions on your own country, and perhaps a few issues involving Italy because you have posted as much.....even just today.... Youth are leaving Italy............which should be a red flag imo How is Italy doing ? I hope we can share some information here. I think Italy has a great deal of History and Beauty......however I think Italy has a few problems of it's own..... So for starters.........who is this guy? ....from what I read he may become the Italian Trump......and his background is a comedian? I look forward to your response and then hope to move on to economic issues. You know your own country better than any of us......CL21

http://www.zerohedge.com/news/2015-04-13/politicians-manipulated-crowd Politicians & The Manipulated Crowd 04/13/2015 23:00 -0400 inShare Submitted by Bob Livinston via PersonalLiberty.com, Life and happiness in this life under any political system directly depend upon how much our individuality (versus the crowd) is retained and to what extent we throw off manipulated illusions. The more we are immersed into the mass mind (the crowd), the more we are manipulated and the more dependent on authority (government) we become. Every thrust of this nebulous thing called society is calculated to drive us into the dependent, mindless herd with automatic response to authority. Often, we ponder why we get closer and closer to total authoritarianism, regardless of whom we vote for. The simple, but unrecognizable, answer is that we are unconsciously manipulated. We are born into a system that prescribes our thought processes, beginning with the first words we learn. As we grow into adults, we reach a state of existence and mental evolvement where we are shackled with a subtle and invisible system of myth and counter-myth. We can be and are incarcerated with our minds. We imagine happiness as we exist within the confines of our prescribed mental parameters. In fact, we live out our physical lives and never come close to freedom of choice. It is impossible to make choices when all options are prescribed by the system — options that channel us into the service of the state. Not one American in a million discovers that he lives under deception and illusion and that he is victimized by the power of repeated words and phrases. Our lives and property are plundered simply because we don’t know that we don’t know. Our thought system enslaves us far more than would a conquering army. I have wondered for years why only a few people have escaped the net, while millions never do. There is apparently some gene or filter that allows a few people to see truths and overcome their conditioning. It grants them the courage to stand up to the crowd and to resist the ridicule and oppression that comes with opposing conventional wisdom. The creation of the mass mind and/or mass consciousness is the secret weapon of the ruling elite. The more one’s mind is immersed into the crowd, of course, the more one loses his individuality and independence of thought. The more we become a part of the crowd, the more dependent we become on authority. And the more dependent we become, the more defensive we are when presented with new information contrary to “conventional wisdom.” Simply stated, the crowd syndrome inoculates us against reality. Yes, I believe that the psychological phenomenon of group consciousness is a created strategy for population control. It certainly appears to be an ironclad protection system for the elite, who by all definitions are the natural enemies of the people. What exactly is group consciousness? Group consciousness is all the teachings of “brotherhood” in all of its forms and expressions. When our dominant thoughts center on the group rather than our own ego or individuality, we have been psychologically integrated into the mass mind. Therefore, we are necessarily dependent on the system. This is a subtle and sophisticated people-control strategy that allows unseen authority to manipulate the masses at will. It is, on the other hand, hyper-individualism that escapes the mental system along with authoritarian control. Why are the elite natural enemies of the people? The elite are a parasite class ruling through manipulation propaganda. They are nonproducers, and they pay nothing for what they get. They create imaginary money (numbers), and use it to make pretend payment for goods and services. They camouflage their fraud with “income taxes” and double speak about national debt and balanced budgets. Police power is in the hands of the elite so that modern governments can be defined as one word: force. By virtue of the fact that the elite (government and the banksters) has the power to create money, all wealth flows away from the producers to the nonproducers. Modern money (nonsubstance) expropriates wealth. Translated, this simply means that one class of people perpetually steals from the other class. This makes them natural enemies. If you “buy” my labor and my goods and services with money that you create (get for nothing), you are stealing from me. This system is the cause of all political and social evil in America, but it is hidden with political oratory and hypocritical welfare benevolence. Common sense tells any sober mind that the political establishment cannot give you anything except that which it steals from you. This is clearly a fact of reality, but the mesmerized crowd has no sense of cause and effect. This can be explained only by the fact that the crowd (the people) are in a state of hypnosis and, therefore, do not possess conscious control of their minds. Mass hypnosis is not just a state of stupor, but a well-defined system of behavior modification and absolute control. People in an altered state of consciousness will act against their best interests and dissipate their mental and physical energy on political myths and counter-myths. While in a state of hypnosis or learned behavior, obvious stupidity and self-denial becomes “politically correct.” To the conscious mind, this is madness and confounds communication between the hypnotized and the conscious person. Most of you have experienced this breakdown in trying to communicate with people around you. What is obvious to you is invisible to those under hypnosis. Fewer and fewer people have any cognitive imperative to question the system because hypnosis and learned behavior are transferred from one generation to another. False beliefs are self-perpetuating and feed upon one another. The more generations accepting myths, the more reinforcing they become. Religion in the generic sense is a very classic example of this. Religion is a manipulative psychic system (phenomenon). Just as magnetism and electricity have a positive and a negative, amorality needs morality. Amorality is dependent upon morality. Politicians and governments are amoral. They could not exist without the self-sacrificing morality of the people. In other words, crooks and politicians do not feed upon each other. They feed upon honest people or people with morality. For example, when you go into a “court of law” and swear to tell the truth, the system is using your morality to convict you and entangle you. That explains why there are laws against lying to government agents investigating crimes real and perceived. All of this is a reminder that the next political election will bring no benefits to the people — regardless of which party holds power — any more than the past political election or political elections have for several generations past.

Good Morning, Memphis is one of those serious Free Thinkers -- He reads & studies a lot - he use to post at KTFA; and so did a lot of others - Well we know what eventually happens when someone thinks there's too many chiefs & not enough indians lol - Memphis now sends out his summaries, thoughts, opinions, etc to a mailing list and gets circulated to DinarLand - His writings are most of the time a little over my head but I feel sure many here will digest it easily -- whether they agree totally or not -- lol -- Maybe some here will share their perspective and understanding for all to benefit -- UNEEK "The problem ain't what people know. It's what people know that ain't so that's the problem." ~ Will Rogers I love that quote. It has come to mind often thruout this dinar journey. After typing thousands of pages of material in the past 3 yrs I look back and see that a good portion of it was simply pointing. Pointing to things, both global and domestic changes, that I saw clearly would have a lasting effect on us all. As Will Rogers astutely observed, we each have misconceptions of our world and my assumption is always that I am not alone in attempting to root them out. To minimize them and REPLACE them with reality. PICK A SIDE - ACTIVE OR PASSIVE Last time I made the statement: "Confidence may seem an elusive thing right now but it will come. Our obvious best friend towards this end is knowledge and as we grow in THAT, our confidence will soar." Most of my emails last year were not premeditated (be nice). As "real world" examples popped up, I pointed. I get extremely excited when I "see" something that has value KNOWING that few others will see it from the same perspective and thus risk missing a great opportunity to see more clearly how our world truly spins. To add knowledge. Tonight I am again excited to release this blog. What a shame if we have a real world practical example simply pass us by because we were looking elsewhere! In preparing for the challenges that lie ahead AFTER the re-pricing of the IQD we each have a hurdle to overcome, a new language to learn. The language of finance. These terms can largely remain abstract to us if not seen in the real world. Today's blog will illuminate one such term. For all but the seasoned investor, our financial future depends upon entrusting the right persons which first implies that we know enough to seek him/her out of a crowd! This then requires that we roll up our sleeves and "go to school". This school for me began a few years ago when I gave up my day job of paraphrasing Iraqi news articles and I can proudly report that I have just now scratched the surface! For most readers the majority of your investment choices will become "passive" in nature as the knowledge needed to invest "actively" is not for the faint of heart. Trust me on this. Talk is cheap but try making that REAL decision with REAL money? O well, I have never tried to convince folks on anything as it never works. We have to see it for ourselves and (I believe) soon we will. For others tho, those with a mind to actively manage their wealth, you'll need a rounded macro view of the entire globe as your world will quickly become about managing risk. Risk however is not a one dimensional problem but has many potential points that must each be recognized, analyzed and quantified. If the word passive is not part of your makeup then today's blog is tailored to you. It contains a practical "real world" example that will illuminate the discussion of "political risk", an important aspect of risk for any active investor that IMO receives too little attention. THE PERFECT GOVERNMENT? Before we look at Greece in our example of political risk can you imagine what the perfect gov't might look like? One that would present to us (as investors) a political risk as close to zero as possible? Many of you naturally would answer America here but as a contrarian I would suggest no. Never has a republic stood up against the eventual corruption from within (it's politicians) and without (those who would control the game). That form of gov't most likely to stand and resist such erosions is a pure democracy where the people decide all. This then makes Switzerland the poster child of possibility and (as investors) a nation that should be studied and watched in the years ahead. If I were to ask you to name one politician from Switzerland I doubt if any hands would be raised. Why is that? It is largely because the PEOPLE are center stage. To my point here, their politicians do not have great power and hold sway over all matters. It is by the vote that matters of importance are settled. Before arousing a political debate here (NOT my desire) let's shift to what may arguably be the opposite extreme. So,what does Greece have to do with our discussion on risk? Plenty. But only if we have ALL the information! If our "opinion" (our reality) is based on what we have seen on TV then we have SOME of the facts. These facts tell us that Greece may soon default on it's debt and exit the European Union. And they may, but is there more? If the above were the full story, and Greece DID default, then Greece would be a GREAT source of opportunity for capital as their economy would surely begin to heal very quickly. Confidence would soar and (not unlike Switzerland) capital would start pouring in to this tiny nation or at least that is my position. Confidence is everything and what we are witnessing, and about to witness to an even greater degree in the years ahead, is a great shifting in confidence. Imagine a loose cannon on the deck in a tempest tossed sea and you'll get the idea. This is where our little discussed aspect of risk comes into play. Fresh on the heels of the Greek election what do we know about the new controlling Syriza party? Is there anything of importance? Are they truly JUST the "anti-austerity" party as mainstream media is telling us? In defining risk, using a global mindset, we must always consider political risk. This is one of those terms that we must add to our new language but given the volume of new terms that surely are hard for us to quantify and give value to, I am today pointing to Greece and suggesting that (as investors) this is a perfect real world example of the supreme importance of defining ALL risks. Please don't fail to appreciate that there can be various risk categories applied but for today's purposes? One of the biggies that I see often ignored (seldom talked about) is political. After reading the article linked below you will forever remember the need to take into account political risk. Is Greece soon to be a hot spot for the value investor or is it more likely to be a turbulent home for only the sharpest of crisis investors? I think the latter but regardless THIS is a PERFECT example of the changes taking place in our world. It is then up to us to go seize the opportunity that is afforded. LIVING ON THE EDGE An important thought in closing. I have a habit that has been with me from my earliest memories. It has never seemed odd to me and until recent years I assumed that most folks shared my habit. That turned out however not to be the case. It appears that I am rather odd in that I take EVERYTHING to the extreme. Immediately after being presented with new information it is taken to it's possible extremes. It's my way of chewing on it. Both "worst case" and "best case" scenarios are imagined based on all probabilities at hand and then I attempt to find balance. In time an equilibrium forms and that is then where I become "settled" on the matter. Here's why I share this... Despite what we hear and read in alternate media SELDOM do we witness the extreme possibility become reality. This is important to ponder for what we now see manifesting in the world is exceptional. I won't go into the many factors driving things globally (other than to mention the extreme of sovereign debts) but allow me today to simply point out that we are witnessing the extreme in Greece. Extraordinary circumstances in that nation have brought about a radical shift in their government and this will have a ripple effect in the region, of that you can be certain. Is this to be an isolated example? I think not. What we once considered extreme is changing and I think this trend will continue. It goes with the word "volatility" like Robin goes with Batman and if we think back just 3 weeks another example pops up... The SNB made a surprising move in the middle of the day when they unpegged the Franc to the Euro. The result? An unprecedented move in their currency. This was an extreme event folks and extreme events? They change how people think, how they react and THIS is the secret to understanding how and why capital moves. Exciting times indeed!! Memphis Thinking as an investor of YOUR wealth, IMAGINE NOT KNOWING WHAT YOU ARE ABOUT TO KNOW: on Greece's new gov't: http://www.mauldineconomics.com/the-10th-man/socialism-is-like-a-nude-beachsounds-like-a-great-idea-until-you-get-there

Okay, so why am I posting this? I watched an interview with Doug Casey & Peter Schiff concerning Peter's father Irwin that is serving a very stiff 13 yr prison sentence - That interview led me by interest to watch a video of Doug Casey concerning "HIS" views on voting - I was absolutely in agreement with so much that he said but pushed it aside until I read Ezrapounds thread earlier this morning - We are cursed if we do and cursed if we don't -- It reminds me of an old wise tale "If you get up I'm going to beat you with this stick. If you keep sitting there I"m going to beat you with this stick" ----- so what do you do? I have my answer do you have yours? Doug Casey's Top Five Reasons Not To Vote Submitted by Tyler Durden on 10/22/2012 23:42 -0400 Submitted by Doug Casey of Casey Research, L: Doug, we've spoken about presidents. We have a presidential election coming up in the US – an election that could have significant consequences on our investments. But given the views you've already expressed on the Tea Party movement and anarchy, I'm sure you have different ideas. What do you make of the impending circus, and what should a rational man do? Doug: Well, a rational man, which is to say, an ethical man, would almost certainly not vote in this election, or in any other – at least above a local level, where you personally know most of both your neighbors and the candidates. L: Why? Might not an ethical person want to vote the bums out? Doug: He might feel that way, but he'd better get his emotions under control. I've thought about this. So let me give you at least five reasons why no one should vote. The first reason is that voting is an unethical act, in and of itself. That's because the state is pure, institutionalized coercion. If you believe that coercion is an improper way for people to relate to one another, then you shouldn't engage in a process that formalizes and guarantees the use of coercion. L: It's probably worth defining coercion in this context. I know you agree with me that force is ethical in self-defense. A murderer I shoot might feel coerced into accepting a certain amount of hot lead that he did not consent to, but he intended the same, or worse, for me, so the scales are balanced. What you are talking about is forcing innocent, non-consenting others to do things against their wills, like paying taxes that go to pay for military adventures they believe are wrong, etc. Doug: Right. The modern state not only routinely coerces people into doing all sorts of things they don't want to do – often very clearly against their own interests – but it necessarily does so, by its nature. People who want to know more about that should read our conversation on anarchy. This distinction is very important in a society with a government that is no longer limited by a constitution that restrains it from violating individual rights. And when you vote, you participate in, and endorse, this unethical system. L: It's probably also worth clarifying that you're not talking about all voting here. When you are a member of a golfing club and vote on how to use the fees, you and everyone else have consented to the process, so it's not unethical. It's participating in the management of the coercive machinery of the state you object to, not voting in and of itself. Doug: Exactly. As Mao correctly said, "The power of the State comes out of the barrel of a gun." It's not like voting for the leadership of a social club. Unlike a golfing club or something of that nature, the state won't let you opt out. L: Even if you're not harming anyone and just want to be left alone. Doug: Which relates to the second reason: privacy. It compromises your privacy to vote. It gets your name added to a list government busybodies can make use of, like court clerks putting together lists of conscripts for jury duty. Unfortunately, this is not as important a reason as it used to be, because of the great proliferation of lists people are on anyway. Still, while it's true there's less privacy in our world today, in general, the less any government knows about you, the better off you are. This is, of course, why I've successfully refused to complete a census form for the last 40 years. L: [Chuckles] We've talked about the census. Good for you . Doug: It's wise to be a nonperson, as far as the state is concerned, as far as possible. L: Not to digress too much, but some people might react by saying that juries are important. Doug: They are, but it would be a waste of my time to sign up for jury duty, because I would certainly be kicked off any jury. No attorney would ever let me stay on the jury once we got to voir dire, because I would not agree to being a robot that simply voted on the facts and the law as instructed by the judge – I'd want to vote on the morality of the law in question too. I'd be interested in justice, and very few laws today, except for the basic ones on things like murder and theft, have anything to do with justice. If the case related to drug laws, or tax laws, I would almost certainly automatically vote to acquit, regardless of the facts of the case. L: I've thought about it too, because it is important, and I might be willing to serve on a jury. And of course I'd vote my conscience too. But I'd want to be asked, not ordered to do it. I'm not a slave. Doug: My feelings exactly. L: But we should probably get to your third reason for not voting. Doug: That would be because it's a degrading experience. The reason I say that is because registering to vote, and voting itself, usually involves taking productive time out of your day to go stand around in lines in government offices. You have to fill out forms and deal with petty bureaucrats. I know I can find much more enjoyable and productive things to do with my time, and I'm sure anyone reading this can as well. L: And the pettier the bureaucrat, the more unpleasant the interaction tends to be. Doug: I have increasing evidence of that every time I fly. The TSA goons are really coming into their own now, as our own home-grown Gestapo wannabes. L: It's a sad thing… Reason number four? Doug: As P.J. O'Rourke says in a recent book, and as I've always said, voting just encourages them. I'm convinced that most people don't vote for candidates they believe in, but against candidates they fear. But that's not how the guy who wins sees it; the more votes he gets, the more he thinks he's got a mandate to rule – even if all his votes are really just votes against his opponent. Some people justify this, saying it minimizes harm to vote for the lesser of two evils. That's nonsense, because it still leaves you voting for evil. The lesser of two evils is still evil. Incidentally, I got as far as this point in 1980, when I was on the Phil Donahue show. I had the whole hour on national TV all to myself, and I felt in top form. It was actually the day before the national election, when Jimmy Carter was the incumbent, running against Ronald Reagan. After I made some economic observations, Donahue accused me of intending to vote for Reagan. I said that I was not, and as sharp as Donahue was, he said, "Well, you're not voting for Carter, so you must be voting Libertarian…" I said no, and had to explain why not. I believed then just as I do now. And it was at about this point when the audience, which had been getting restive, started getting really upset with me. I never made it to point five. Perhaps I shouldn't have been surprised. That same audience, when I pointed out that their taxes were high and were being wasted, contained an individual who asked, "Why do we have to pay for things with our taxes? Why doesn't the government pay for it?" I swear that's what he said; it's on tape. If you could go back and watch the show, you'd see that the audience clapped after that brilliant question. Which was when I first realized that while the situation is actually hopeless, it's also quite comic… L: [Laughs] Doug: And things have only gotten worse since then, with decades more public education behind us. L: I bet that guy works in the Obama administration now, where they seem to think exactly as he did; the government will just pay for everything everyone wants with money it doesn't have. Doug: [Chuckles] Maybe so. He'd now be of an age where he's collecting Social Security and Medicare, plus food stamps, and likely gaming the system for a bunch of other freebies. Maybe he's so discontent with his miserable life that he goes to both Tea Party and Green Party rallies to kill time. I do believe we're getting close to the endgame. The system is on the verge of falling apart. And the closer we get to the edge, the more catastrophic the collapse it appears we're going to have. Which leads me to point number five: Your vote doesn't count. If I'd gotten to say that to the Donahue audience, they probably would have stoned me. People really like to believe that their individual votes count. Politicians like to say that every vote counts, because it gets everyone into busybody mode, makes voters complicit in their crimes. But statistically, any person's vote makes no more difference than a single grain of sand on a beach. Thinking their vote counts seems to give people who need it an inflated sense of self-worth. That's completely apart from the fact – as voters in Chicago in 1960 and Florida in 2000 can tell you – when it actually does get close, things can be, and often are, rigged. As Stalin famously said, it's not who votes that counts, it's who counts the votes. Anyway, officials manifestly do what they want, not what you want them to do, once they are in office. They neither know, nor care, what you want. You're just another mark, a mooch, a source of funds. L: The idea of political representation is a myth, and a logical absurdity. One person can only represent his own opinions – if he's even thought them out. If someone dedicated his life to studying another person, he might be able to represent that individual reasonably accurately. But given that no two people are completely – or even mostly – alike, it's completely impossible to represent the interests of any group of people. Doug: The whole constellation of concepts is ridiculous. This leads us to the subject of democracy. People say that if you live in a democracy, you should vote. But that begs the question of whether democracy itself is any good. And I would say that, no, it's not. Especially a democracy unconstrained by a constitution. That, sadly, is the case in the US, where the Constitution is 100% a dead letter. Democracy is nothing more than mob rule dressed up in a suit and tie. It's no way for a civilized society to be run. At this point, it's a democracy consisting of two wolves and a sheep, voting about what to eat for dinner. L: Okay, but in our firmly United State of America today, we don't live in your ideal society. It is what it is, and if you don't vote the bums out, they remain in office. What do you say to the people who say that if you don't vote, if you don't raise a hand, then you have no right to complain about the results of the political process? Doug: But I do raise a hand, constantly. I try to change things by influencing the way people think. I'd just rather not waste my time or degrade myself on unethical and futile efforts like voting. Anyway, that argument is more than fallacious, it's ridiculous and spurious. Actually, only the non-voter does have a right to complain – it's the opposite of what they say. Voters are assenting to whatever the government does; a nonvoter can best be compared to someone who refuses to join a mob. Only he really has the right to complain about what they do. L: Okay then, if the ethical man shouldn't vote in the national elections coming up, what should he do? Doug: I think it's like they said during the war with Viet Nam: Suppose they gave a war, and nobody came? I also like to say: Suppose they levied a tax, and nobody paid? And at this time of year: Suppose they gave an election, and nobody voted? The only way to truly delegitimize a corrupt system is by not voting. When tin-plated dictators around the world have their rigged elections, and people stay home in droves, even today's "we love governments of all sorts" international community won't recognize the results of the election. L: Delegitimizing evil… and without coercion, or even force. That's a beautiful thing, Doug. I'd love to see the whole crooked, festering, parasitical mass in Washington – and similar places – get a total vote of no-confidence. Doug: Indeed. Now, I realize that my not voting won't make that happen. My not voting doesn't matter any more than some naïve person's voting does. But at least I'll know that what I did was ethical. You have to live with yourself. That's only possible if you try to do the right thing. L: At least you won't have blood on your hands. Doug: That's exactly the point. L: A friendly amendment: you do staunchly support voting with your feet. Doug: Ah, that's true. Unfortunately, the idea of the state has spread over the face of the earth like an ugly skin disease. All of the governments of the world are, at this point, growing in extent and power – and rights violations – like cancers. But still, that is one way I am dealing with the problem; I'm voting with my feet. When the going gets tough, the tough get going. It's idiotic to sit around like a peasant and wait to see what they do to you. To me, it makes much more sense to live as a perpetual tourist, staying no more than six months of the year in any one place. Tourists are courted and valued, whereas residents and citizens are viewed as milk cows. And before this crisis is over, they may wind up looking more like beef cows. Entirely apart from that, it keeps you from getting into the habit of thinking like a medieval serf. And I like being warm in the winter, and cool in the summer. L: And, as people say: "What if everyone did that?" Well, you'd see people migrating towards the least predatory states where they could enjoy the most freedom, and create the most wealth for themselves and their posterity. That sort of voting with your feet could force governments to compete for citizens, which would lead to more places where people can live as they want. It could become a worldwide revolution fought and won without guns. Doug: That sounds pretty idealistic, but I do believe this whole sick notion of the nation-state will come to an end within the next couple generations. It makes me empathize with Lenin when he said, "The worse it gets, the better it gets." Between jet travel, the Internet, and the bankruptcy of governments around the world, the nation-state is a dead duck. As we've discussed before, people will organize into voluntary communities we call phyles. L: That's the name given to such communities by science fiction author Neal Stephenson in his book The Diamond Age, which we discussed in our conversation on Speculator's Fiction. Well, we've talked quite a bit – what about investment implications? Doug: First, don't expect anything that results from this US election to do any real, lasting good. And if, by some miracle, it did, the short-term implications would be very hard economic times. What to do in either case is what we write about in our big-picture newsletter, The Casey Report. More important, however, is to have a healthy and useful psychological attitude. For that, you need to stop thinking politically, stop wasting time on elections, entitlements, and such nonsense. You've got to use all of your time and brain power to think economically. That's to say, thinking about how to allocate your various intellectual, personal, and capital assets, to survive the storm – and even thrive, if you play your cards right. L: Very good. I like that: think economically, not politically. Thanks, Doug! Doug: My pleasure. Irrespective of whether one agrees with Doug's politics, his investing record speaks for itself. And just like him, the analysts and editors at Casey Research dig deep in their respective fields and are blunt in their assessments. One thing many agree that the US will have to face, no matter the outcome of the presidential election, is its growing debt crisis. http://www.caseyresearch.com/cdd/doug-casey-voting-redux

Sent to me in an E-Mail Make of it what you will. Wake up time America By Wayne Allyn Root (Las Vegas Review-Journal, April, 3 2013) Barack Hussein Obama is no fool. He is not incompetent. On the contrary, he is brilliant. He knows exactly what he's doing. He is purposely overwhelming the U.S. economy to create systemic failure, economic crisis and social chaos thereby destroying capitalism and our country from within. Barack Hussein Obama was my college classmate.(Columbia University, class of '83) He is a devout Muslim; do not be fooled. Look at his czars... Anti-business anti-American. As Glenn Beck correctly predicted from day one, Barack Hussein Obama is following the plan of Cloward & Piven, two professors at Columbia University... they outlined a plan to socialize America by overwhelming the system with government spending and entitlement demands. Add up the clues below. Taken individually they're alarming. Taken as a whole, it is a brilliant, Machiavellian game plan to turn the United States into a Socialist/Marxist state with a permanent majority that desperately needs government for survival... And can be counted on to always vote for even bigger government. Why not? They have no responsibility to pay for it. Universal Health Care: The Health Care bill has very little to do with healthcare. It has everything to do with unionizing millions of hospital and healthcare workers, as well as adding 15,000 to 20,000 new IRS agents (who will join government employee unions). Obama doesn't care that giving free healthcare to 30 million Americans will add trillions to the national debt. What he does care about is that it cements the dependence of those 30 million voters to Democrats and big government. Who but a socialist revolutionary would pass this reckless spending bill in the middle of a depression? Cap and Trade: Like healthcare legislation having nothing to do with healthcare, Cap and Trade has nothing to do with global warming. It has everything to do with redistribution of income, government control of the economy and a criminal payoff to Obamas biggest contributors. Those powerful and wealthy unions and contributors (like GE, which owns NBC, MSNBC and CNBC) can then be counted on to support everything Obama wants. They will kick-back hundreds of millions of dollars in contributions to Obama and the Democratic Party to keep them in power. The bonus is that all the new taxes on Americans with bigger cars, bigger homes and businesses helps Obama spread the wealth around. Making Puerto Rico a state: Who's asking for a 51st state? Who's asking for millions of new welfare recipients and government entitlement addicts in the middle of a depression? Certainly not American taxpayers! But this has been Barack Hussein Obamas plan all along. His goal is to add two new Democrat senators, five Democrat congressmen and a million loyal Democratic voters who are dependent on big government. (This will tip the balance of those living off the government to more than those who must pay for it; and we're done for.) Legalize 12 million illegal Mexican immigrants: Just giving these 12 million potential new citizens free healthcare alone could overwhelm the system and bankrupt America. But it adds 12 million reliable new Democrat voters who can be counted on to support big government. Add another few trillion dollars in welfare, aid to dependent children, food stamps, free medical, education, tax credits for the poor, and eventually Social Security. (see note above re: Puerto Rico) Stimulus and bailouts. Where did all that money go? It went to Democrat contributors, organizations (ACORN), and unions -- including billions of dollars to save or create jobs of government employees across the country. It went to save GM and Chrysler so that their employees could keep paying union dues. It went to AIG so that Goldman Sachs could be bailed out (after giving Obama almost $1 million in contributions). A staggering $125 billion went to teachers (thereby protecting their union dues). All those public employees will vote loyally Democrat to protect their bloated salaries and pensions that are bankrupting America. The country goes broke, future generations face a bleak future, but Obama, the Democrat Party, government, and the unions grow more powerful. The ends justify the means. Raise taxes on small business owners, high-income earners, and job creators. Put the entire burden on only the top 20 percent of taxpayers, redistribute the income, punish success, and reward those who did nothing to deserve it (except vote for Obama). Reagan wanted to dramatically cut taxes in order to starve the government. Barack Obama wants to dramatically raise taxes to starve his political opposition. With the acts outlined above, Barack Hussein Obama and his regime have created a vast and rapidly expanding constituency of voters dependent on big government; a vast privileged class of public employees who work for big government; and a government dedicated to destroying capitalism and installing themselves as socialist rulers by overwhelming the system. Add it up and you've got the perfect Marxist scheme all devised by my Columbia University college classmate Barack Hussein Obama using the Cloward-Piven Strategy. Last point: think about what this designed rule of the rabble will do to anyone successful and everyone receiving this is. What will your lives be like under Communism? The time to fight this abomination is now.

this was sent to me in an email with no links. i cannot verefy its accuracy. if it is true all i can say is WOW! The State of Illinois. Think about this. Some interesting data on the 'state' of Illinois... There are more people on welfare in Illinois than there are people working. Chicago pays the highest wages to teachers than anywhere else in the U.S. averaging $110,000/year. Their pensions average 80-90% of their income. Wow, are Illinois and Chicago great or what? Be sure to read till the end. I've never heard it explained better. Perhaps the U.S. should pull out of Chicago? Body count: In the last six months, 292 killed (murdered) in Chicago. 221 killed in Iraq; AND Chicago has one of the strictest gun laws in the entire US. Here's the Chicago chain of command: President: Barack Hussein Obama · Senator: **** Durbin · House Representative: Jesse Jackson Jr. · Governor: Pat Quinn · House leader: Mike Madigan · Atty. Gen.: Lisa Madigan (daughter of Mike) · Mayor: Rohm Emanuel · The leadership in Illinois - all Democrats. · Thank you for the combat zone in Chicago. · Of course, they're all blaming each other. · Can't blame Republicans; there aren't any! · Chicago school system rated one of the worst in the country. Can't blame Republicans; there aren't any! State pension fund $78 Billion in debt, worst in country. Can't blame Republicans; there aren't any! Cook County (Chicago) sales tax 10.25% highest in country. Can't blame Republicans; there aren't any! This is the political culture that Obama comes from in Illinois. And he is going to 'fix' Washington politics for us? George Ryan is no longer Governor, he is in the prison. He was replaced by Rob Blajegovitch who is that's right, also in the prison. And Representative Jesse Jackson Jr. resigned a couple of weeks ago, because he is fighting to not be sent to...that's right, prison. The Land of Lincoln, where our governors make our license plates. But you know what? As long as they keep providing entitlements to the population of Chicago, nothing is going to change, except the state will go broke before the country does. "Anybody who thinks he can be happy and prosperous by letting the Government take care of him; better take a closer look at the American Indian." Don¹t forget Detroit another good example. Some of you might find these data interesting. ALL SHOULD. There are actually two messages here. The first is very interesting, but the second is absolutely astounding -- and explains a lot! A recent "Investor's Business Daily" article provided very interesting statistics from a survey by the United Nations International Health Organization. Percentage of men and women who survived a cancer five years after diagnosis: U.S. 65% England 46% Canada 42% Percentage of patients diagnosed with diabetes who received treatment within six months: U.S. 93% England 15% Canada 43% Percentage of seniors needing hip replacement who received it within six months: U.S. 90% England 15% Canada 43% Percentage referred to a medical specialist who see one within one month: U.S. 77% England 40% Canada 43% Number of MRI scanners (a prime diagnostic tool) per million people: U.S. 71 England 14 Canada 18 Percentage of seniors (65+), with low income, who say they are in "excellent health": U.S. 12% England 2% Canada 6% And now for the last statistic: National Health Insurance? U.S. NO England YES Canada YES And check this last set of statistics!! The percentage of each past president's cabinet who had worked in the private business sector prior to their appointment to the cabinet..... You know what the private business sector is. A real-life business, not a Government job. Here are the percentages: T. Roosevelt................... 38% Taft.................................40% Wilson ........................... 52% Harding.......................... 49% Coolidge........................ 48% Hoover ...........................42% F. Roosevelt................... 50% Truman...........................50% Eisenhower.................... 57% Kennedy......................... 30% Johnson..........................47% Nixon..............................53% Ford................................42% Carter.............................32% Reagan...........................56% GH Bush.........................51% Clinton ..........................39% GW Bush........................55% Obama............................. 8% This helps to explain the incompetence of this administration: only 8% of them have ever worked in private business! That's right! Only eight percent -- the least, by far, of the last 19 presidents! And these people are trying to tell our big Corporations how to run their business? How can the president of a major nation and society, the one with the most unsuccessful economic system in world history, stand and talk about business when he's never worked for one? Or about jobs when he has never really had one? And when it's the same for 92% of his senior staff and closest advisers? They've spent most of their time in academia, Government and/or non-profit jobs or as "community organizers." They should have been in an employment line. Pass this on because we'll NEVER see these facts in the mainstream media. "One of the penalties of not participating in politics is that you will be governed by your inferiors." - Plato****

A Tourist walked into a Chinese curio shop in San Francisco . While looking around at the exotic merchandise, he noticed a very lifelike, life-sized, bronze statue of a rat. It had no price tag, but was so incredibly striking the tourist decided he must have it. He took it to the old shop owner and asked, "How much for the bronze rat ?" "Ahhh, you have chosen wisely! It is $12 for the rat and $100 for the story," said the wise old Chinaman. The tourist quickly pulled out twelve dollars. "I'll just take the rat, you can keep the story". As he walked down the street carrying his bronze rat, the tourist noticed that a few real rats had crawled out of the alleys and sewers and had begun following him down the street. This was a bit disconcerting so he began walking faster. A couple blocks later he looked behind him and saw to his horror the herd of rats behind him had grown to hundreds, and they began squealing. Sweating now, the tourist began to trot toward San Francisco Bay. Again, after a couple blocks, he looked around only to discover that the rats now numbered in the MILLIONS, and were squealing and coming toward him faster and faster. Terrified, he ran to the edge of the Bay and threw the bronze rat as far as he could into the Bay. Amazingly, the millions of rats all jumped into the Bay after the bronze rat and were all drowned. The man walked back to the curio shop in Chinatown. "Ahhh," said the owner, "You come back for story?" "No sir," said the man, "I came back to see if you have a bronze Democrat."