As I watch global events unfold, I've had to ask myself if the people in power are really as incompetent as they seem, or is there simply more to the story than we are being told. I think most people on this board would agree that there is some sort of collusion going on behind the scenes. And even aside from any conspiracies, I think the average American (or any citizen of the world) acknowledges that there is corruption in high places, and this contributes to our current economic predicament.

So this raises the question: What is really going on that the general public is not made aware of? Is corruption running the economy into the ground on a global scale? In a sense, I think this is the case, but I also think it is more complicated than this.

Some people here have argued that a potential economic collapse is intentional. The more I consider what is going on, the more this idea makes sense to me. Why would people be so opposed to Ron Paul's views about living within our economic means? What we are currently doing is creating a ticking time-bomb (a massive financial bubble) that is just waiting to go off. I don't believe the people responsible for this are oblivious to what is transpiring, but they do seem opposed to fixing it. In fact, they are ratcheting up the very efforts that have put us in this predicament.

So what is really going on? I had an idea pop into my head last night that might possibly answer this question. First, I think it is quite possible that a global economic collapse is being orchestrated. But the big question is why? People may have differing opinions on the answer to this (and I think they should all be considered), but here is the idea that I came up with.

Our biggest threat isn't a nuclear Iran or extremist Muslims. Rather, our biggest threat is an economic collapse in the United States, or even just a significantly weakened dollar. People in power realize this, but they also realize we might be beyond the point of no return. Therefore, the solution is to bring everybody else down with us. Orchestrate a global economic collapse so that everybody is weakened, and not just the United States. Given the global nature and interconnectedness of the economy, this is not too hard to do.

It is certainly possible that I'm confusing an effect for a cause, but it would make sense logically. My question to you all is what do you make of this possible scenario? Or more generally speaking, does our current economic situation seem intentional? I am open to all opinions and ideas.

You damn straight its intentional and has been done in such a way that no country can recover from it, its the domino affect, each are interconnected, so once one falls the rest shall follow.

The only way to not be caught in the vacuum is to get everyone on board in your country and become isolationists and only trade with real gold, silver, and copper currency

It is something I often ponder. Is this intentional or not?

I also ask myself do the elites know what they are doing and have everything planned? Or is this all just one giant chaotic free-for-all as the bankers and corporations grab everything they can and have a great time and when it all goes wrong run for the hills and leave everyone to pick up the pieces.

I think both are equally possible and one thing that worries me is that if this is not controlled then this could very easily lead to nuclear armageddon.

I often visit Reinhardts website to see if he's added something interesting and a couple of months ago he posted something like how economic booms are the result of industrial revolutions and that the last economic boom was the result of the information technology revolution. It was a long post and I can't remember everything he said but he basically said that the elites have screwed up numerous attempts at creating new industrial revolutions and that they are perhaps losing control.

There has been a lot of competition and connections going on in the international currency markets. When any economy falls over it does create a lot of pain. Some do plan contingencies, other try and capitalise in the chaos. Is there some grandmaster of geopolitical affairs or does the world just muddle through the best it can?

At the moment the best way I see out of this economic mess is with the SDR from the IMF. It may not work but it is providing more global review to currency value and creation. Trust is getting in short supply these days so I do value some oversight over the current situation of no oversight of important economic policy.

Corruption is also a big problem along with many complex trade connections. With some very high rates of leverage going on in the markets it does give the impression there is a lot of monopoly money around. Just how long can unresolved debt issues continue to bounce around in the system?

There does appear to be a long term trend to push for a single international currency. There is also a trend for many new currencies like frequent flyer points and bitcoins. Is there a chance we may get both?

Economic policy is an important one for social organisation and stability. It is very much exposed if attacked by an act of war or mismanaged through incompetence.

In the land down under it appears to me that everything is booming! But the thing That I cannot understand is how terrible our government is at handling it. Well I do understand but I don't understand how it's not plainly obvious to everyone else.
We are digging resources out of our ground at record rates, there are jobs galore, huge salaries... But the government is practically throwing the money away and digging the people into debt. I cannot believe they take so much tax from our wages and it seems to just disappear. All our resources are going to china and the only infrastructure that is being built is to aid that process.
All that is ever heard in the news is how bad the economy is, but from my point of view we are in a boom. I am of full belief that we are in this boom but the average joe won't hear of this boom until the elites have already raped all the profits, then they will announce the boom so average joe invests his money again, that he has been saving because he is told the economy is struggling and markets are uncertain, but that is the time the elites are cashing out on the rise to over inflated share prices.
This is my take on it anyway...

So is it a question of bringing down the entire financial system, to prevent the old
powers slipping into a possition of finacial irralivence. I very mutch doubt getting to this
point was intensional, but perhaps crashing it to get a better deal in the future may be
intensional. with china becoming the worlds largest manufacura, india and russa becoming
far more potent ecconomic powers is it perhaps in the intersts of the old powers to
re-align the system. they are my thoughts. Everything being okay in Australia, manufacuring
and retail in this countrie are shot, the only sectors which are still chugging along furiosly are
those in mining or making coffee. in melbourne housing prices are off the burner and the same in
sydney, which is an symptom of the two speeds.
perhaps in this internet sales age the playingfield need to be alot more even otherwise we are all
on a brown smelly river without a paddle

Well, the intentional thing kind of makes sense when you think about it from a basic fundamental perspective:

Distract them
Scare them
Starve them
Break them
"Protect" them
"Save" them

... Control them