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Martin Armstrong's Latest On "Real Dark Pools"

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Mon, 07/20/2009 - 14:47 | 10411 lizzy36
lizzy36's picture

U must have exceeded your 1 day max on the red pills today?

Mon, 07/20/2009 - 16:44 | 10504 Project Mayhem
Project Mayhem's picture

Is this the same Martin Armstrong who is languishing in prison because he refused to give the CIA his computer models?

Mon, 07/20/2009 - 16:51 | 10513 Project Mayhem
Project Mayhem's picture

indeed it is.

 

"

For those who have never heard of him, Armstrong is possibly the most knowledgeable man on the planet regarding the subject of cycles as they apply to social behaviour. He developed a complex forecasting model - based on fractal natural cycles (cycles within cycles within cycles) - which was so accurate according to Armstrong that it came to the attention of the CIA who sought to acquire ownership of and control over it. As Armstrong tells it, when he turned the CIA down they contrived to ensure that he was sidelined and they took his computer anyway, which led to his source code self-destructing when it was tampered with."

 

http://www.gold-eagle.com/editorials_08/bloom122908.html

Mon, 07/20/2009 - 18:41 | 10583 EQ
EQ's picture

Martin is a very smart person.  But, he's probably also a megalomaniac. Some fo that shines through in this brief.  But, if you read between the lines (where the facts in his analysis are contained) he validates a point I made on here over the weekend.  And the neophyte conspiracy theorists and monetary boobs criticized me for.  That is, we could easily devise a Federal Reserve system that isn't prone to bubbles and that the real scourge of mankind is private banking.  And those who worship at the ideology of Mish are ideologues putting their faith in someone who knows what he knows but that isn't really as much as people think. 

He's an agent for change and for that I respect him.  But, he really doesn't understand the topics of economics or monetary economics beyond what is discussed in Rothbard's book on the Great Depression.  In other words, the market will turn against him at some point because his knowledge is limited to the fact that we have a debt bubble. And there are actually some solutions to much of this crisis.  Or ways to mitigate some of the outcomes.

Of course, it sounds better when Martin says it.  Because people are into sycophantic worship rather than listening to someone posting anonymously on a blog.  I am Martin Armstrong.  lol

Mon, 07/20/2009 - 20:14 | 10632 Anonymous
Anonymous's picture

Wait, are you saying that EQ=Martin Armstrong, or am I missing something?

Mon, 07/20/2009 - 20:29 | 10648 Anonymous
Anonymous's picture

Your fustian commentaries are painful....instead of making useless statements such as "we could easily devise a Federal Reserve system that isn't prone to bubbles", please describe the system to which you refer or, in the alternative, provide an outline of some of the "solutions" to much of this crisis. Anything less and your commentaries are hollow.

Mon, 07/20/2009 - 22:25 | 10759 dnarby
dnarby's picture

I'll stick up for him...  A bit.

 

It might be possible to design a system that is prone to *smaller* bubbles.  One part of this could be a partial backing by metals, say 60-70% (as the Swiss used to do).  That's all I got - But it's a start.

Tue, 07/21/2009 - 00:05 | 10838 Anonymous
Anonymous's picture

you're on the right track but won't reach the
station with that solution......federal reserve
systems with open market operations MUST result
in economic implosion through inflation....
currency based upon debt MUST result in implosion
based upon deflation consequent to credit
contraction.....

the original federal reserve legislation was
gutted through criminal defiance of its provisions
against fomc ops....benjamin strong was the crook
who lead the way....died before he saw the
results of his handiwork....congress retroactively
legalized omo....

debt based currency is just like british consoles
which were a total disaster and eventually
eliminated early in the 20th C.

no, the federal reserve is beyond redemption and
must go....the only honest and viable solution
to our economic and monetary problems are a
return to the gold standard and aboliton of the
federal reserve.

Sun, 11/01/2009 - 08:08 | 116529 PrDtR
PrDtR's picture

I'll stick it TO him.. hehe.. :-\

Mon, 07/20/2009 - 14:58 | 10420 Anonymous
Anonymous's picture

Is this a draft ? I see spelling and grammar mistakes.

Mon, 07/20/2009 - 16:47 | 10508 Project Mayhem
Project Mayhem's picture

Martin is a genius who is writing this from a Federal prison.  Cut him some slack

Mon, 07/20/2009 - 17:23 | 10531 Anonymous
Anonymous's picture

he is a genius writing this from prison? cut him some slack? gads, why is he in prison? the man is a thief . i ask you. if he had done what he did in china or singapore, what do you think they would have done to him? he is lucky he is not in a japanese prison. he would already be dead...instead of writing nonsense like this, he should stick to things he knows about.

damn , have to get out my calculator again......shucks...:)

Mon, 07/20/2009 - 18:00 | 10550 Project Mayhem
Project Mayhem's picture

 

Martin Armstrong was held without trial for seven years on contempt (I think the longest in U.S. history). . .  it is still a subject of debate among his supporters and detractors whether there was actually any wrongdoing.

 

Incidently, I find it interesting how criminals such as Paulson, Lewis, and Geithner remain free and in office, while the government selectively prosecutes those it finds to be a nuisance or politically expedient.

Mon, 07/20/2009 - 22:48 | 10780 Anonymous
Anonymous's picture

And I believe he received an additional 5 year sentence for conspiracy to commit fraud. The government sure likes to charge people with conspiracy, but would NEVER EVER commit it themselves. Right?

He refused to turn over $14M in gold that he allegedly had, that frustrated the judge so the judge locked him up and pretty much threw away the key. I believe on his third appeal they finally kicked the existing judge off the case. Not because the judge was going to let him out of jail. How's that for a speedy trial.

It turned out the Japanese ended up getting all of their money back, so I am not even sure why he is in jail. What a system.

He is in prison and probably doesn't get any white out to use with his typewriter. Just a guess.

Thu, 12/10/2009 - 20:55 | 159656 Anonymous
Anonymous's picture

He doesn't have access to a computer...only a type writer. Which when he was in prison they placed him with a murderer who beat him with it...sounds funny, but I don't think a white collar crime deserves to be paired up with a murderer.

Seems like the nice government men have something against him...

Mon, 07/20/2009 - 15:00 | 10422 Anonymous
Anonymous's picture

He's writing this from prison.

Mon, 07/20/2009 - 15:05 | 10426 Anonymous
Anonymous's picture

Hmm... WTF

Isn't there a decent person in finance anymore ?

Mon, 07/20/2009 - 16:33 | 10494 braintrust
braintrust's picture

Dylan Ratigan?

Mon, 07/20/2009 - 17:24 | 10533 Anonymous
Anonymous's picture

they stuck ratigan in the corner and he has become superfluous.

Mon, 07/20/2009 - 15:56 | 10465 Anal_yst
Anal_yst's picture

Seriously who is this guy, typewritten ala 1968 and from the army base at Fort Dix?

 

And that is to say nothing of the nightmarish writing skillz, like an ESL student in SoCal!

Mon, 07/20/2009 - 17:40 | 10540 Anonymous
Anonymous's picture

As part of his incarceration, M.A. is denied access to a computer and thus the web as well. He is allowed to use a typewriter.

Mon, 07/20/2009 - 15:11 | 10433 Anonymous
Anonymous's picture

Its all about the spread... created by the "Goldman Collar."

Wepollock

Mon, 07/20/2009 - 15:13 | 10435 Anonymous
Anonymous's picture

OT: In honor of Apollo 11, we have lift off. What a total shock.

Mon, 07/20/2009 - 15:14 | 10437 Anonymous
Anonymous's picture

Apocalypse now-

You can get the full history of his writings by going to: http://www.economicedge.blogspot.com/

Scroll down bottom right.

If you have an interest in philosophy, cycles, history, and interesting insights to current events, his writings will provoke thought.

Mon, 07/20/2009 - 20:38 | 10661 Narcolepzzzzzz
Narcolepzzzzzz's picture

All of his recent writings are also available on scribd:

http://www.scribd.com/people/documents/10432015-kris?page=1

"It's just time" is a fascinating read.

Mon, 07/20/2009 - 15:19 | 10441 Anonymous
Anonymous's picture

Can someone just name all the members of the "club" this guy talks about? Would make his conspiracy theory more interesting.

Mon, 07/20/2009 - 15:35 | 10453 Anonymous
Anonymous's picture

TD, Cornelius, Marla...

Mon, 07/20/2009 - 15:19 | 10442 Anonymous
Anonymous's picture

This market is certainly weird...
normally market falls faster than it goes up.... now it goes up faster than it falls!!

Mon, 07/20/2009 - 15:46 | 10459 Anonymous
Anonymous's picture

That's bear market rallies. Too many shorts having to cover, stumbling over each other.

Mon, 07/20/2009 - 15:28 | 10447 Anonymous
Anonymous's picture

Anyone noticing the china syndrome building itself out in the backgroung...
If China can't sell their bills (along with every other sovereign nation trying to sell massive amounts) they will need to dip into those hefty US Treasury reserves and sell.
SELL UST, THEN SELL US $ TO BUY YUAN.
GET THE DRIFT?

BLOOMBERG-
China Fails to Complete 20 Bln Yuan of Bill Sales, Traders Say

Mon, 07/20/2009 - 16:00 | 10470 Anonymous
Anonymous's picture

Yep, they've had three failed auctions recently.

Mon, 07/20/2009 - 15:29 | 10448 Anonymous
Anonymous's picture

Here is a conspiracy on top of a conspiracy for all of you:

If you read Martin Armstrong's "Behind the Curtain" dtd April 9, 2009 you hear a very clear message about a coordinated scam for the toobigtofail banks and IB's gone bank holding co's.

Then take a look at a number of other publications he has published since that time.

If you compare the other letters written since the "Behind the Curtain", one thing that jumps off the page to me, is his endorsement of a one world currency-- there is a complete disconnect, and this is an inconsistency that I can't reconciled. But, here is the conspiracy on a conspiracy, maybe Martin Armstrong is now working as controlled opposition for the bankster interests, or, maybe some of these papers are counterfeit?

Mon, 07/20/2009 - 15:46 | 10460 Anonymous
Anonymous's picture

what exactly is the contradiction you're referring to? I don't get it.

Mon, 07/20/2009 - 16:46 | 10507 Anonymous
Anonymous's picture

on the one hand, he outlines the complete scam that was accomplished by letting lehman fail, paying of debts of aig without taking it into receivership, to the whole tarp fiasco---

What seems to contradict the "behind the curtain paper" is that subsequent papers he wrote all about the new world order that is needed and that it must include a one world currency. And even in the paper posted today, he goes to great length to convince the reader that all fed conspiracy ideas are just not so, and that there is no way that central banks ever coordinate--i just don't think that all this fits with the tone of the first paper in that the first paper almost foreshadows a paper that would confirm fed conspiracy theories.

Mon, 07/20/2009 - 16:58 | 10514 Project Mayhem
Project Mayhem's picture

interesting.  thanks for bringing this to my attention.  reading the papers now.

 

 

Mon, 07/20/2009 - 17:10 | 10521 Project Mayhem
Project Mayhem's picture

I'll have to say I strongly disagree with Martin's position.  This financial collapse was obviously planned -- most likely with a main goal of consolidating the banking system under the control of several 'mega-banks' who will swallow up the regionals and locals.

 

also  I love how in his brief history of the Fed and how it 'smooths over' the economic cycle, he completely skips over the Great Depression.  lol.  fail.

Mon, 07/20/2009 - 17:32 | 10537 Anonymous
Anonymous's picture

did you read "behind the curtain"--it is a different story....what do you think?

Mon, 07/20/2009 - 16:59 | 10516 Anonymous
Anonymous's picture

"complete scam that was accomplished by letting lehman fail, paying of debts of aig without taking it into receivership, to the whole tarp fiasco"- how is any of this related to a grander scheme involving multiple central banks?

How does suggesting a 2-tier currency system, or "one world-currency", in any way invalidate "Behind the Curtain"? I'm not really following your argument. MA is seemingly just trying to plug his book.

Mon, 07/20/2009 - 17:16 | 10523 Anonymous
Anonymous's picture

"Behind the Curtain" is, in my opinion, very valid--it is the other articles released subsequent to "Behind the Curtain" which support the "new world" with one world currency... Again, i think that the information conveyed in "Behind the Curtain" does not match with the same mind of the person writing the other essays....PERIOD.

The info in "Behind the Curtain" was obvious to anyone paying attention last fall. There is no way, in my opinion, that the same person who wrote that, could be advocating that the conspiracy theories about the fed, and central bank coordination are just groundless...and when the term conspiracy is used, it is unfortunate, because it is not like people sit around in some room trying to determine the fate of the world, it is just that the privately held federal reserve company is serving itself and all it's agents instead of the public good. In the paper today, he outlined the stupid mistakes of central banks as proof of no coordinated efforts, and that, is just it, but it doesn't prove anything except stupidity.

Mon, 07/20/2009 - 15:31 | 10449 Anonymous
Anonymous's picture

Is it just me, or is there really this little volume driving the market up.

Mon, 07/20/2009 - 15:34 | 10450 Anonymous
Anonymous's picture

TD, you never fail to give me that warm feeling in my tummy.
Where do you get this shit?
Does Bloomberg have a function for "demented shit" GO or do you have psychos contacting you 24/7?

Mon, 07/20/2009 - 15:40 | 10456 Marla Singer
Marla Singer's picture

You should see our inbox.

Mon, 07/20/2009 - 16:20 | 10483 andy55
andy55's picture

lol

Mon, 07/20/2009 - 15:43 | 10458 Anonymous
Anonymous's picture

He's absolutely correct about the Goldman troops needing to cover margin calls.

The troops were playing the market with their own assets right along with the firm.

Mon, 07/20/2009 - 15:50 | 10462 Anonymous
Anonymous's picture

TARP manager Neil Barofsky used to work for the law firm that currently represents Hank Greenberg vs AIG. Of all the law firms, of all the attorneys in america, the Summers chooses the guy involved in the AIG litigation. America is clearly the most corrupt government in the world.

Mon, 07/20/2009 - 15:58 | 10466 Anonymous
Anonymous's picture

Yeah, warren spoke about working on dark pools not too long ago.

Mon, 07/20/2009 - 16:00 | 10471 Anonymous
Anonymous's picture

I doub't there is much of conspiracy going on. However it is obvious that there is plenty of corruption. Now I don't get why "thought provoking" should be taken for TD ideas, opinions & views.

Mon, 07/20/2009 - 16:07 | 10473 Hondo
Hondo's picture

The fed's liquidity is in the process of creating the next taxpayer bailout.  Think about what people were saying in the mid '90's and then look at where the market is now.  What did people miss.........nothing.  Are things fundamentally better or worse than in the mid '90's.  I think I'll watch this from the sidelines....

Mon, 07/20/2009 - 18:33 | 10495 braintrust
braintrust's picture

Things are fundamentally worse. That should be fairly obvious.good finance articles this market is insane. period.

Mon, 07/20/2009 - 16:09 | 10474 Anonymous
Anonymous's picture

Also all of the CNBC interns & Co', prior to labeling this site as Cuckoo land, I would suggest for you to read ZH manifesto and ask yourself a question: "Isn't it something that I as a free citizen and media/finance professional should be doing?"
And by "should be doing" I mean guarding the integrity of your character and profession, fighting against corruption and stupidity.
There is much more in here than your regular conspiracy material.

Mon, 07/20/2009 - 16:41 | 10500 Screwball
Screwball's picture

Agreed.  Please ZH, continue exposing CNBC for what they are.  And well said #10474

Mon, 07/20/2009 - 16:14 | 10476 Anonymous
Anonymous's picture

GS's tactics, as reported by Armstrong, are the same tactics used by the wealthy families who ran Rome. Nothing is new under the sun. Keep your technology right at the cutting edge, keep spies and agents at key government posts, and control the courts. With such an organization, you can steal from everyone who is too busy or poor to play at this level, and hopefully also from any competing families who make any mistakes. Those competing families are, of course, at the same time trying to do the same thing to you. All is vanity.

Mon, 07/20/2009 - 16:16 | 10478 Anonymous
Anonymous's picture

Doesn't this qualify as Organized Crime against the People of the United States of America ?

Mon, 07/20/2009 - 16:31 | 10491 Anonymous
Anonymous's picture

I would have thought that answer to be obvious at this point in the game. Mature Capitalism devolving into Fascism/Communism.

Mon, 07/20/2009 - 17:17 | 10525 Project Mayhem
Project Mayhem's picture

indeed

Mon, 07/20/2009 - 16:50 | 10511 Anonymous
Anonymous's picture

My thought exactly but for some reason, i haven't heard of any lawyers trying to devote themselves to this cause...there must be some way for US citizens to sue their government for wrongdoing--i feel damned that i am not a lawyer during this time in our history!

Tue, 07/21/2009 - 03:03 | 10910 chumbawamba
chumbawamba's picture

Yeah, it's called "buy a gun".  No lawyers required, but bullets are.

I am Chumbawamba.

Mon, 07/20/2009 - 16:17 | 10479 Anonymous
Anonymous's picture

He has the writing proficiency of a Nigirian scammer.

Mon, 07/20/2009 - 18:14 | 10568 KidDynamite
KidDynamite's picture

does a nigirian scammer deal in counterfeit sushi?

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cdQzX9SR_gk

 

self lol

Tue, 07/21/2009 - 09:52 | 10993 Anonymous
Anonymous's picture

Hah, good catch!

Mon, 07/20/2009 - 16:40 | 10499 pros
pros's picture

 

This guy has one valid point, but it took him too long to say:
"Wall Street is only interested in profits, and it makes profits by access to proprietary information."

Mon, 07/20/2009 - 16:43 | 10503 Anonymous
Anonymous's picture

I was initially taken aback by his thoughts, his grammar and his failure to embrace word processing in 1999, but Armstrong always makes you think. SO glad I stumbled onto his stuff again in 2008, saved me a lot of money.

"Good spelling honors good content", but I give the guy a pass since he is writing from prison - or so the story goes.

Dark Trader

Mon, 07/20/2009 - 22:33 | 10766 dnarby
dnarby's picture

You don't get a word processor in prison.  If you're really lucky, you get a typewriter.

Mon, 07/20/2009 - 16:48 | 10509 Anonymous
Anonymous's picture

"DARK POOLS AND OTHER TRIPE"
GOLDMAN'S COLLAR
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K6wjsArAlX8

Mon, 07/20/2009 - 16:58 | 10515 Bubby BankenStein
Bubby BankenStein's picture

This guy Armstrong is a convicted felon incarcerated in federal prison.  He is washed up and essentially finished with very little to lose.  I suspect he got there not by being much worse than than many others, but by pissing the wrong people off.

The Justice System is a joke.  The mode of operation is to crush the ones who fall out of favor for any particular reason, and to overlook the crimes of others who are in favor.

Consider the massive financial fraud perpetrated by the hundreds at the top, and thousands at the grunt level.  Yes you know who you are.  How many of these felons have been prosecuted and put where they belong?

Then We have Martha Stewart, convicted of some (in relative terms) chicken shit trading scandal.  WTF!

Back to the article, the story of the felon in prison is more interesting to me than the bull shit spawn of the felons at large, or the raw sewage emanating from from the Tele-Void.

These CAPCHA questions are, you get the idea.

Mon, 07/20/2009 - 17:01 | 10517 Assetman
Assetman's picture

While Martin says some thought-provoking things from time to time, I'm left interpreting this piece as "my conspiracy theory is better than your conspiracy theory".

As long as Goldman keeps its political influence, it's in the game and churning those prop trades.

Mon, 07/20/2009 - 17:08 | 10519 cougar_w
cougar_w's picture

I like reading crazy sh*t, once in a while... but you gotta keep your TFH on tight so some of the loopy bits won't get INTO your brain. And then -- somwhere between CNBC/FED/UST propaganda and the crazy sh*t, maybe you get a fuzzy picture of reality.

Nobody really has a good handle on our reality. It's too big and too fast for one person to encompass in 4 pounds of gray matter. Some come closer than others to doing this, and no those people are not always raking in the money. Usually, the con artists make all the money in selling narrow slices of something like reality to suckers / investors. Don't need 4 pounds of gray matter to con greedy people, don't even need 4 ounces. Moron computers can do it with 800,000 lines of high-performance Erlang and a low-latency switch connection at the co-lo. Then, it's like printing money.

Keep the mind open. That's the trick. And through hard work and instincts learn behind which mirror they hid the rear door exit in the funhouse. Because you *will* want out once the circus music dies. When the music stops, you *must* get out.

Cougar

Mon, 07/20/2009 - 17:19 | 10526 Anonymous
Anonymous's picture

Apocalypse Now-

Apocalypse Now-

I must agree, Armstrong is probably being used and has changed his tone since behind the curtain.

He is correct, that the first tactic is to attack the messenger and the second tactic is to label anyone with insight as a conspiracy nut job.

But, I must disagree with his assessment that there is no organized group working towards a one world government and reduction of country and individual rights. Only the ignorant at this stage believe that and have never researched it or the CFR. Also, what freedom is there other than economic freedom, that and property rights are the basis of personal liberty. There are two ways to become rich, earn more yourself or destroy the wealth of everyone else (last man standing). Once they have all the wealth, they will move to all the political power. There are two ways to become powerful, increase your influence or destroy the political power and individual rights of everyone else. Beware the slippery slope, this is a plot over a long period of time chipping away at individual liberties. Most can't see the forest for the trees.

[] For a real thought provoking video, watch Aaron Russo talk about his conversations with Nick Rockefeller:

http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=1263677258215075609

Mon, 07/20/2009 - 18:09 | 10559 Project Mayhem
Project Mayhem's picture

Agreed -- Armstrong's commentary has changed somewhat.  The last article I read before this one was "Is it time to turn out the lights?"

I don't have the answer as to why, but you guys are definitely right.  Especially the mysterious references to the one world currency as being "inevitable".  What's with the smug proclamations, Martin?

 

The only was I see these bastards pulling off the 'one world' finance agenda is via the IMF SDRs , reweighted of course, to favor China and Russia at the expense of the United States. Remember the coins Medvedev showed last week at the press conference? I don't see how this could happen without a large war.

 

Mon, 07/20/2009 - 19:29 | 10598 Anonymous
Anonymous's picture

Cap & Trade is another tool to redistribute wealth and is a platform for control. As Al Gore stated, this is the first step towards Global Governance (the new buzz word for world government, since that received bad press).

Many well meaning individuals think the NWO is required to avoid MAD and control those weapons, and this requires bringing the US down to size. So, this is why many of the intellectuals jump on board and appear to be involved in activities that will weaken the US - previously traitorous.

I believe absolute power corrupts absolutely within any of the forms that power takes. Few know the US is the military arm of the NWO with bases in most countries, the Vatican is the leader of the religious one world ecumenical movement with a solid heirarchy, and much of the world's finance power is concentrated in London City (significant US corporation and large bank shareholders can also be traced back here). I would prefer to have a distribution of power including state rights to avoid absolute power corrupting absolutely in the form of a dictatorship.

The Declaration of Independence was actually written to become independent from 1. the Bank of England private bankers that were charging England interest on debt and therefore they "highly" taxed the colonies (passed it along) and 2. the global church "Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof".

Most people have never had power and don't know how it is exercised.

Mon, 07/20/2009 - 18:08 | 10561 Anonymous
Anonymous's picture

If you want real thought provocation, consider that Aaron Russo is dead from cancer after his conversation with senor rock-a-fella...

"There are two ways to become rich, earn more yourself or destroy the wealth of everyone else (last man standing)."
Spot on there. This is what happens when dramatizing psychotics get lots of money.

Mon, 07/20/2009 - 18:38 | 10581 cougar_w
cougar_w's picture

[economic freedom and property rights are the basis of personal liberty] It is meaningful that you left off "individual responsibility" from the short list. The current situation is the result of a lot of people exercising their supposed individual rights to economic gain and the pursuit of property while NOT being held to any particular (or even minimal, or even notional) standard of adult behavior and personal responsibility.

 

Sorry. I get tired of hearing "defending my right to profit!" after a while. You ain't got no such right, and even if'n you did, we still s'pect ya to behave like an adult regarding how you go 'bout it.

 

cougar

 

 

Mon, 07/20/2009 - 19:10 | 10595 Anonymous
Anonymous's picture

I would characterize it as a process, see the quote below regarding moving to selfishness, complacency, apathy, dependency, and then back to bondage through a dictator. If you are considering the morals and phased breakdown being encompassed in "individual responsibility", I whole-heartedly agree with you. But this applies to individuals as well as corporations without hiding behind the veil of the corporate structure.

Remember, the bottom 50% of all income earners contribute only 3.4% of the taxes collected! So I also do not accept a standard blame the rich class warfare approach, which is just justifying envy. Proper capitalism ensures regulation to ensure horse thiefs are hung - this is an effective counterweight to selfishness. (could not see which way you were going).

"A democracy cannot exist as a permanent form of government. It can only exist until the voters discover that they can vote themselves largess of the public treasury. From that time on the majority always votes for the candidates promising the most benefits from the public treasury, with the results that a democracy always collapses over loose fiscal policy, always followed by a dictatorship. The average age of the world's great civilizations has been 200 years. These nations have progressed through this sequence: from bondage to spiritual faith; from spiritual faith to great courage;from courage to liberty; from liberty to abundance; from abundance to selfishness; from selfishness to complacency; from complacency to apathy; from apathy to dependency;from dependency back again to bondage."
Sir Alex Fraser Tytler (1742-1813) Scottish jurist and historian

Where are we on this historical path?

Mon, 07/20/2009 - 19:57 | 10613 cougar_w
cougar_w's picture

"Individual responsibility" in the context of my (short) comment has to do with the same ethic that inspired most of the founders of the country. Which is that while the country as an organizational framework is configured to protect your liberties you cannot exercise your liberties to the destruction of a neighbor, for doing so would threaten the country. It's a virtuous feedback; just and rational people will find that their freedoms are protected by justice and the rule of law, and will accept these and actually formulate such responses spontaniously. They will even lay down their lives to defend justice and the rule of law on behalf of future generations, and people living under tyrannts in other countries. I do believe that has been the experience of this country up to now.

 

Where we are now: I detect that we rolled over "from selfishness to complacency" around 1995 when it was clear that there was vast money to be made in financial gambling whatever the cost, and are on the cusp of "complacency into apathy" right now as we begin to understand the degree to which we have lost control of both our economy and our instituions of governance. Note that the only defense against apathy is the understanding that individuals are in a position -- through individual choice and the example so set -- to move us as a nation away from the cliff that is the irreversable slide into bondage which lay beyond apathy.

 

Individual responsibility has no age or epoc of its own. It is present at the beginning of the state, is present every time the state calls on just and law-abiding citizens to place their lives on the line to defend an ideal, and at the bitter end as the state fails and crumbles into the dust bin of history. Because even at the end, someone has be stand up in the ruins and say "I am starting over, who is with me?"

 

cougar

Mon, 07/20/2009 - 20:39 | 10663 Anonymous
Anonymous's picture

I appreciate your comments and idealism.

At some point, I do find myself thinking like the productive members in Ayn Rand's classic, what other country could we go to and start over with people of similar ideology. This is a fight or flight instinct to avoid the bondage stage.

It is clear that the system is not rewarding individual responsibility, and in fact is rewarding willfully poor behavior and political influence.

I hope and trust we are only at the cusp and we can change.

Mon, 07/20/2009 - 17:37 | 10539 Anonymous
Anonymous's picture

Is Deadhead around? Sounds like Rahm Emanuel was suppose to speak at JPM's first ever board meeting in Washington DC, but he canceled when the NY Times reported on it. Do you have a transcript of the phone call where he canceled?

http://www.nytimes.com/glogin?URI=http://www.nytimes.com/2009/07/20/busi...

Mon, 07/20/2009 - 22:25 | 10758 Anonymous
Anonymous's picture

There is a distinct thread through MA's writings and thinking that is anything but 'conspiratorial' - he writes over and over about debt and the hyper use of leverage and its bitter results. These are the muses I find most cogent coming off his IBM Selectric.
I feel like his notion of a One World Currency is a vision more than a wink.
Screw the fact that his spelling might be off from time to time- no need to miss the points- The man in the corner might just be uttering truths worth listening to.

Tue, 07/21/2009 - 11:19 | 11049 Wilderman
Wilderman's picture

"We have too many politicians, and no statesmen"

The last words of Armstrong's latest are perhaps the most telling single statement I've lately seen. 

It's good to see an honest, non-political debunking of the conspiracy rant.  Occam's razor put to good use: it's all about the money.  Well worth the read.

Tue, 07/21/2009 - 13:07 | 11138 Yossarian
Yossarian's picture

While already largely agreeing with the author's premise I don't know what to make of Mr. Armstrong himself.  If he is allowed a typewriter in order to communicate with the outside world, presumably he is also allowed visitors- perhaps ZH can make their way to Mr. Armstrong's cell so we can see the real product and not just the typo-ridden, unibomber-esque missives.  

Tue, 07/21/2009 - 13:47 | 11184 chumbawamba
chumbawamba's picture

Armstrong is funny.  He spends half of his latest telling us there is no conspiracy, and then in the second half he proceeds to explain how the conspiracy works.

I am Chumbawamba.

Thu, 01/06/2011 - 11:46 | 852545 kenny56
kenny56's picture

I always read all your news but I have not known anything about this event. I have heard a little bit that famous actress Shawna Lenee was talking about Martin Armstrong in one interview. I hope that I will manage to find more information about this great man. Thanks a lot for the essential news one more time.

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