Economic Chaos and How They're Lying

I'm posting this in the Global Meltdown forum, but Mods feel free to move if you feel necessary.

This thread is in reference to an article I read on King World News (I hadn't heard of it until today, but the article is great).

Here is the link Life Inside the Matrix

Basically, this article describes how statistics and numbers like the unemployment rate, inflation, the prices of precious metals, and the U.S. dollar index are all manipulated. It also explains U.S. foreign policy tactics and how all of these things play off of each other.

Some key points from the article:


UNEMPLOYMENT RATE:

On January 9, the US government told Americans that the unemployment rate had fallen to a comforting 5.6 percent, an indication that the Federal Reserve’s policy of Quantitative Easing was successful in restoring the US economy...

...the 5.6 percent unemployment rate (U.3) does not include unemployed people who have not looked for a job in the previous four weeks. These unemployed are called “discouraged workers.” If they have been discouraged for less than one year, they are counted in a seldom-reported measure of unemployment (U.6). This rate stands at 11.2 percent

The story worsens. The 11.2 percent rate does not include the millions of unemployed long-term discouraged workers (those discouraged for more than one year). Prior to 1994, the US Bureau of Labor Statistics counted the long-term discouraged as unemployed, and the government of Canada still does. John Williams (shadowstats.com) continues to include the long-term discouraged. When the long- term discouraged are added to the U.6 measure, the rate of unemployment again doubles, to 23 percent.

INFLATION:

The government engages in similar deception with the inflation rate. If the price of an item in the index rises, a lower-priced item is substituted, thus eliminating inflation by substitution. Inflation also is eliminated by redefining a price rise as a quality improvement.

PRECIOUS METALS:

To protect the dollar from declining in value due to its overproduction, the Federal Reserve’s bullion bank agents drive down the price of gold and silver by dumping uncovered shorts in the futures market. Since 2011, we have had the extraordinary situation in which the prices of gold and silver have been driven down despite strong demand and constraints on supply — a result that can be achieved only by manipulation in the futures market.

FOREIGN COLLABORATION - EU and JAPAN

The dollar’s value also is manipulated by foreign central banks in cooperation with Washington. The Japanese and European central banks print yen and euros to protect the dollar’s exchange value. If all major currencies also are being printed, the dollar cannot decline.

FOREIGN POLICY, CHARLIE HEBDO, DOUBLE STANDARDS:

There were no weapons of mass destruction in Iraq. Assad did not use chemical weapons in Syria. Gaddafi did not issue Viagra to his troops to assist in the rape of Libyan women. Iran does not have a nuclear- weapons program.

The most extraordinary aspect of the Charlie Hebdo event is that the French cartoonists are being championed in the name of free speech. Yet the Anglo-American world does not have free speech. Free speech, if it involves criticism or exposure of the government, is being redefined as “domestic extremism.” Criticism of Washington now implies that the critic is hostile to the public, a possible extremist who must be deterred before he inflicts harm on innocents. As Glenn Greenwald noted, try satirizing Israelis in the manner that Charlie Hebdo satirized Muslims, and you will find out how little free speech there is.

The article goes on to describe agitprop and what has been going on with the US-Russia-China relationships as a result of all this manipulation and foreign policy philosophy/actions.


I thought this was a great article that described some key issues with the U.S. and the global economy so I wanted to share it with the ATS community. I look forward to hearing others' thoughts about this Thanks for reading.

Wow, from your title, I thought this would be another weirdo, we are really in a computer simulation world. (note: OP has since changed the title from referring to us living in a Matrix)

But your OP is insightful, intelligent and very well thought out.

Bravo, I'd give you moderator applause if I was a Mod.

The final line in the article "We are our own worst enemy."
is so very true
humans globally have allowed a handful of
power hungry sociopathic/psychopathic narcissists
to tell us what to think
rather than think for ourselves and act on it
and we ended up
in the worldwide mess we are in today.

The people of the world would rather
stick their heads in the sand, tend to themselves and their own,
and let the real sickos run the world.
In the end, we have a sicko world.

a reply to: grandmakdw Haha, that's funny you say that because I just changed the title (you must have been one of the few people who clicked it when I had the Matrix title up).

I am big on following the markets and economic trends but a lot of the time it's so hard to understand, or you have to plow through pages of articles/reports to pull out any useful or easy to understand information. This article laid it all out plain and simple so I thought it was perfect to turn into a thread.

Really paints a clear picture of how they drive the USD index so high amidst the chaos that's going on. But to be frank, I do think time is running out and that we are overdue for a huge economic implosion in the near future. I hope I'm wrong but by continuing to drive debt higher we are simply taking more and more from our future.

Sickos are indeed running the world, but I believe there are good and caring people pulling strings on top as well (and I'm in no way an optimist).

One can only control what they do though... so I've learned not to lose too much sleep over things like impending economic doom lol

they have been cooking the books for a long time, some of the most basic necessities aren`t included in their inflation calculations, like gasoline and electricity.
If we can`t trust the government to tell us the truth about things like inflation and unemployment then we certainly can`t trust them to tell us the truth about bigger more controversial things.
the government is a pathological liar, they will lie even if it would be easier to just tell the truth.

a reply to: FamCore

If you want to read some more about it, these two articles I have just read are excellent about the American press and one very good complete summarize about was goes on with the Ukraine and why.

The Cowardly and Despicable American Presstitutes

The Fallujah Option for East Ukraine (The Real Reason Washington Feels Threatened by Moscow)

a reply to: BornAgainAlien Both are great articles, thank you for sharing this with me. It baffles me how the general public seems to buy right into much of the stories about why this or that is happening. At the end of the day its about the MONEY and the POWER and the u.s. is notorious for being an aggressor. *sigh when will folks wake up

Permanent war economy

Moreover, when the state fails to invest in key resources, this creates opportunity costs with respect to "socially necessary" or world competitive infrastructure investments. These costs are evident in depleted infrastructure, reduced spending on education, failure to develop massive investments in alternative energy and transit systems, and outbreaks of violence (such as riots) caused by uneven development

The Permanent War Economy: American Capitalism in Decline

It is only sustainable as long as you have perpetual war, however America has now ran out of enemies, sure it can keep inventing them in the Middle East but its not enough and the only alternative is war with Russia/China, complete insanity of course, but thats Americans for you.

a reply to: FamCore

All true OP

Star and flag
All true

a reply to: Dabrazzo

With the way things are looking, we may just be able to have a not "profitable" war, right around the corner. Profitable for a very limited number of people of course...

The rest of us are here to put in the blood, sweat, and tears required to "create" THEIR profits. Sickening... appalling.

Long-term discouraged represent!

I'll keep my happy butt outta the labor force for as long as I possibly can.

Let's see when was my last job... Yup been about 2 years.

a reply to: FamCore

You are right on the money OP. It is all lies wrapped up in lies with a side of apathy. We are reaching inflationary boundaries and the lower wage earners will not be able to survive anymore because of this. Unemployment numbers and the cost of living numbers are the biggest lie of all. Well maybe the stock market is a bigger lie.......It is all lies.



A family of 4 needs to make 100,000 a year to really make it today. Ya you can scrap by with less but I am talking a comfortable living and retirement. Wages are holding steady as those wages erode over time because of inflation.

originally posted by: FamCore
a reply to: Dabrazzo

With the way things are looking, we may just be able to have a not "profitable" war, right around the corner. Profitable for a very limited number of people of course...

The rest of us are here to put in the blood, sweat, and tears required to "create" THEIR profits. Sickening... appalling.

The military industrial complex needs enemies to keep rolling. War is an industry just like fast food or grocery stores. This is why Russia is a the new enemy. Cold war 2.0 and truth be told it is pretty darn smart.....EVIL but smart.