STANDING UP FOR CIVIL RIGHTS: Virginia sued over Second Amendment rally gun ban.

via washingtonexaminer Two gun rights groups planning to host a rally of 130,000 supporters Monday at the Virginia state Capitol have sued to repeal Democratic Gov. Ralph Northam’s ban on guns, even for those with permits. “Governor Northam is behaving like the royal governors who long preceded him. He has arrogantly and brazenly tried to restrict the … Read more

Government debt as share of GDP.

Japan: 253% Greece: 178% Lebanon: 148% US: 105% Egypt: 101% Spain: 98% France: 97% Canada: 89% UK: 85% Brazil: 74% Germany: 64% Israel: 60% Argentina: 57% China: 47% Saudi Arabia: 17% Russia: 12% Brunei: 3% Government debt as share of GDP. Japan: 253%Greece: 178%Lebanon: 148%US: 105%Egypt: 101%Spain: 98%France: 97%Canada: 89%UK: 85%Brazil: 74%Germany: 64%Israel: 60%Argentina: 57%China: … Read more

Stubborn German Slowdown Ominous for European Economy

From the WSJ: Stubborn German Slowdown Ominous for European Economy GDP growth in Germany was a paltry 0.6% last year! Manufacturing contracted 3.6%. Additionally the gas automotive industry represents about a quarter of Germany’s economy. That’s a big issue considering electric cars don’t need all the gas automotive parts Germany produces and the current leader–Tesla–is a primary competitor … Read more

Pension Crisis: Union Pension Collapse

via tricountysentry Our nation’s pension systems are in trouble.  Underfunded with outsized promises to beneficiaries who are living longer, the death rattles of the defined benefit pension system, which promises a fixed amount of money per month for retirees, are now audible. There are many facets of this problem and I will focus upon the four … Read more

90 million under winter storm alert

https://www.msn.com/en-us/weather/topsto…ar-BBZ3P5f Very Nasty here in Iowa Snow, then freezing rain before the Friday Commute Prayers to those that have to drive tonight. Tomorrow isn’t any better, 40 mph winds blowing around the snow

Railroad Pain: CSX Revenues Fall Below 2014. Workforce -7%. But Hey, $3.4 Billion in Share Buybacks

“Give Me a Growing Environment, It’s Easier to Run the Railroad”: CSX CEO. By Wolf Richter for WOLF STREET. CSX reported fourth-quarter and annual results Thursday evening: revenues for the quarter fell 8% to 2.88 billion, in line with the freight recession where overall shipments by all modes of transportation in December fell 7.9%, the steepest year-over-year decline since November 2009. … Read more

If Promoting Wealth Inequality and Social Breakdown Is Evil, The Fed Is Evil

by Charles Hugh-Smith The Fed will destroy the nation by widening the wealth/income inequality that is breaking down the nation’s social order. President Reagan was widely mocked in America when he declared the Soviet Union an evil empire, but this calling things by their real name had a profound impact in the Eastern Bloc. The mockery stemmed from the … Read more

More Evidence Continues To Come Out Pointing To The Fact That Jeffrey Epstein Did Not Kill Himself But Was In Fact Murdered In His Prison Cell

by Geoffrey Grider Dr. Michael Baden, a former New York City medical examiner, alleged Thursday that autopsy photos of Jeffrey Epstein show he had burst capillaries in his eyes, which is a more common occurrence with strangulation than with hanging. With each passing month, more and more evidence as to how Jeffrey Epstein actually died keeps disappearing, and … Read more

Fund Manager: The Fed Is Going All-In To Keep The System From Collapsing

by Dave Kranzler of Investment Research Dynamics Gresham’s Law in action: The diminishing availability of physical gold from the market (per several different accounts in London) corresponds to the proliferation of fiat currency printing and paper gold derivatives. Since September the Fed has increased the size of its balance sheet by $414 billion or 11% in less than … Read more

HALF of Manhattan’s new luxury skyscraper condos sit unsold and empty after foreign oligarchs appear to lose interest in the New York property market.

Data shows half of Manhattan condos built since 2015 have never been sold The luxury condo market has cooled even as the economy continues to soar Experts point to the soaring cost of new units compared to resale units Developers have been marketing extreme high-end units at foreign oligarchs But for foreign billionaires seem to … Read more

Trump’s “Greatest Trade Deal Ever”? — Or A Pause Before Conflict With China?

“Trade Deals” are government-managed trade. Government-managed trade is political, which means politically-connected industries benefit. Free Trade is the only “trade deal” that benefits everyone. NO government interference with the economic lives and transactions of Americans. But instead of Free Trade, we have a crony system that many Americans despise — the marriage of corporations and … Read more

Rentable Facial Recognition Robots Coming To A Conference Near You

by mapi Conference goers now have to be wary that robots will identify them everywhere they go. Corporations can now rent Chinese-made CloudMinds robots that can identify everyone on the conference floor. (To learn more about CloudMinds and China click here & here.) CloudMinds mission is to “make helpful robot services possible and to make them safe, secure and affordable.” While their … Read more

BLUE STATE UPDATE: Massachusetts state pensions, debt at crisis levels.

Massachusetts has the highest per capita public debt burden in the nation — and it’s a bill millennials will be saddled with as state pensions continue to climb, fiscal watchdogs say. The latest pension report provided to the Herald from the state comptroller’s office shows six-figure payouts to retirees are not easing up. Two pensioners topped $300,000 … Read more

Stock Market Algorithm to Infinity with Bix Weir

from Financial Survival Network According to Bix Weir, the computerized market rigging has been going on for 50 years. Every morning they get their marching orders from treasury secretary Mnuchin, complete with instructions on the day’s price targets. The DOW, Comex, gold and silver prices are all pre-determined at that time. As long as the music keeps … Read more