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There Is No Recovery: Sucking Spoilt Milk From A Bloated Dead Sow
Submitted by Raul Ilargi Meijer via The Automatic Earth blog,
With US GDP growth ‘officially’ back where it belongs, in the Arctic zone close to freezing on the surface but much worse in real life, for reasons both Albert Edwards and Ambrose Evans-Pritchard (not exactly a pair of Siamese twins) remarked this week; that is, excluding the “biggest inventory build in history, the economy contracted sharply”, it’s time for everyone to at long last change the angle from which they view the world, if not the color of their glasses.
But ‘everyone’ will resist, refuse and refute that change, leaving precious few people with an accurate picture of the – economic – world. Still, for you it’s beneficial to acknowledge that very little of what you read holds much, if any, truth or value. This is true when it comes to politics, geopolitics and economics. That is, the US is not a democracy, it is not the supreme leader of the world, and the American economy is not in recovery.
Declining business investment, a record inventory build and extreme borrowing to hold share prices above water through buybacks, it all together paints a picture of a very unhealthy if not outright dying economy, and certainly not one in which anything at all is recovering. But how are you supposed to know?
The entire financial media should change its angle of view, away from the recovery meme (or myth), but the media won’t because the absurd one-dimensional focus on that perpetuated myth is the only thing that makes the present mess somewhat bearable, palatable and, more importantly, marketable, to the general public.
This has the added simultaneous benefit of keeping that same general public from understanding how sinister the myth really is; it can only be upheld by greatly increasing the debt levels which burden their shoulders, in hidden ways. If the media can no longer keep the consequences of the debt increases hidden, the game is up.
And there are undoubtedly many people who find it more important right now to profit from the whole scale distortion by central banks of what were once the financial markets, than they find it to know the truth and understand the system they owe their gains to. But that may no be all that smart; they risk losing their gains again overnight. You can’t rely on what you don’t understand. So here are a notes:
1 – There are no markets anymore (and therefore no investors either).
There are ways to make money, but that’s not the same thing. Markets must of necessity reflect – the performance of – underlying economies, and to even pretend today’s markets do that is preposterous. Financial markets these days exclusively reflect central banks’ pumping money into their respective bankrupt banking systems, a practice poetically known as QE. Markets need to be functional in order to be called markets and if they don’t we should find another term to label them with.
Or, in other words, present day western economies – and their former markets – are being artificially propped up by either making already poor people poorer today, making them poorer tomorrow, or both. It’s the only way left to make things look passable. And those who still desire in these non-markets to call themselves ‘investors’ are merely little piglets sucking spoilt milk oozing from the teats of their mother sow’s long-dead bloated corpse.
2 – You have no idea what anything is truly worth.
Central bank stimulus across the globe has fully demolished price discovery. And whether you like it or not, financial markets can not and do not function without it. Lots of people try to make us believe that central bank announcements have momentarily taken the place of price discovery, but that is nonsense. And if you don’t know what any asset is really worth, how can you be sure you want to own it other than for myopic short-term reasons?
3- There is no recovery now, and there’s not one around the corner.
The weight of our debt, just to name one thing, has kept us from turning that corner for 7-8 years now, and the weight is getting more forbidding, not less. Publishing falling unemployment numbers while out-of-labor-force data rise (to a record 93 million working age Americans today) is an insult to everyone’s intelligence, not a sign of economic health. Whatever is seen as recovery or expansion is a testament to the power of illusion and propaganda, not the power of the economy. If you choose to look at the world from a point of view that focuses only on recovery, you’re not going to understand what is happening, because there is no recovery anywhere in sight.
4- You can’t trust anything your government and media say.
The entire apparatus is geared towards selling you a doctored image of the world you live in, instead of presenting you with reality. Not because as Jack Nicholson said “You can’t handle the truth”, but because you knowing the truth is not in the interest of those who run governments, nations and supranational organizations. You’re caught in a trap somewhere between Goebbels and Orwell, and it takes a lot of energy to escape it, energy you will be inclined and tempted to instead use to improve your position inside the trap. Just like everyone else does. We are social animals, we are disposed to do as those around us do.
As I said above, you can’t trust anything you hear or read about politics, geopolitics and economics:
• The US is not a democracy. You can’t have a democracy and SuperPacs at the same moment. For the hundredth time: if you allow money into your political system, it will end up buying the entire system. And if you allow endless amounts of money to enter it, that process is greatly accelerated.
• The US is not the supreme leader of the world. Today’s world doesn’t allow for a supreme leader. Neither does it need one. Countries like Russia and China will not tolerate American supremacy to dictate what they do. Not economically, and not militarily. This is very hard to stomach for parts of American society, but they’re going to have to get used to it. Going to war over these issues is pointless. Unfortunately, it increasingly looks like the entire globe will have to find that out the hard way. The very hard way.
• The American economy is not in recovery. I already mentioned the creative jobs numbers accounting. Also, without Fed intervention, asset prices (bonds, stocks, real estate..) would be much lower. This would have been a lot healthier for everyone, except for banks and their shareholders. But once QE is unleashed, there is no smooth exit possible. It will need to continue until it self-implodes.
At present, Japan is leading the way to economic self-immolation, but the US and Europe must inevitably follow. The only thing that helps is what the banks most resist: restructuring, cutting the leverage from the debt. But all we get is fantasy stories about how the crisis was left behind. Stories that of course all 42 million or so Americans on foodstamps and tens of millions of otherwise underpaid can confirm. Why am I even trying to show that, and why, there is no recovery?
We need to start thinking from the perspective of what we can and must do if and when that elusive and illusionary recovery is not going to happen. Decisions made from that point of view will substantially differ from those taken in order to ‘produce’ the recovery, which is the only perspective that exists in politics, media and indeed the minds of 99% of the population today.
We need to think about how we’re going to lay a foundation, as solid as we can, under our societies now, with the means we still possess to achieve that, knowing there will be times when those means will be increasingly less available. We’re not doing that, because we focus only on a world that does manage to attain a recovery. We truly think the world is one-dimensional.
Which is why, among other things, we strive to make individuals richer, and fail to see that this makes communities and societies poorer. Everything seems fine as long as we deny the bigger picture, and because we like things to look fine, we stick to that one dimension of our world that is ourself. And ignore each other.
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Haven't had milk like that since Lehman
Why does Cramer keep trying to milk that bull?
the devil makes work for idle hands?
But it's just SO AWESOME getting milk from a dead sow!!
Spoon boy: Do not try and bend the spoon. That's impossible. Instead... only try to realize the truth.
Neo: What truth?
Spoon boy: There is no spoon.
Neo: There is no spoon?
Spoon boy: Then you'll see, that it is not the spoon that bends, it is only yourself.
Haven't had milk like that since US actually had real income. Black Monday was first heart attack, Lehman was death event.
Now I understand why stupid zombie shit like The Walking Dead is so popular.
Shogun-- You're dead on, as far as I'm concerned.
A lot of people do get it, on some level at least, so while I come across idiots that disgust me and put me into a black-mood with regards to our species, I don't allow that to color my thoughts entirely.
I've been photographing a "fright-farm" here in PA for a few years now. The family who owns the farm has been working the land in this region for over 200-years. They diversified into hosting events, running a campground, etc., just to survive while other family-farms were being sold-off. I;ve known them for years and they really are kind and rock-solid people.
At the "fright-farm" I've notices a kinship, a shared sense of noviltey, and passive rebellion-- I've seen people who don't have squat pony-up the $10.00 to take a hayride, laugh, and enjoy time together. The atmosphere is PG-17 and kinda cheesy, but it kinda reminds me of some sort of hippie love-fest.
Zombies are a popular theme at the farm and around this area (Dawn of The Dead-- Monroeville Mall) but it's something more than scary costumes and makeup... ...something else is going on...
I'm making over $7k a month working part time. I kept hearing other people tell me how much money they can make online so I decided to look into it. Well, it was all true and has totally changed my life. This is what I do... http://goo.gl/e4mV9C
The Revolution will not be telivised.....
But black people rioting certainly will get televized!
Itz...
"The Revolution will not be telivised..... "
You couldn't be more wrong.
1. TPTB cannot shut everything down without causing themselves complications.
The cellular and internet services are required for maintaining their own communications and organization. It will also serve no good purpose to inhibit of the function of utilites infrastructure, or nominal economic functions of production and distribution, or general public order.
2. The commercial cellular and internet systems are not the only viable communications paths. Even if cellular and internet services were curbed or impeded there are millions of handsets that do not require either having abilities to off-load/up-load via wifi and small media...
The cameras and video capabilites have value in documenting and disseminating information of varying sorts in myriad ways..
There is also a lot of variance in architecture in the field/wild now.
Livestreaming, remote and local hard-disk and tape recording, camcorders/hand-cams/gopro, closed circuit, closed networks, legacy SD-TV, broadcast TV, satallite feeds. Back channel land-line accesses to internet and cellular. Short wave/Ham Radio/FM. Vinyl pressing, tape reproduction. Scanners, copiers, fax, etc...
Lots of tech, plently of gear at large to maintain and disseminate...
Lots of hacks available if you think. Lots of ways and lots of places/infrastructure to hack into,
You and I are each gonna see exactly as much as either of Us care to watch.
Sorry, even the milk is an illusion. We just started pulling honey from our local hives, not even 40% of the nectar flows from last year. Sorry, Nature is what she is.
Mmmmmmmmmmm... Dead sow milk...
There's never been a decline.....for the psychopathic business elites
Newsweek – What Sanctions Russia’s Economy Growing Again
Western Business Likes Russian Oligarchs So Much……It Let Them Buy The Company
jdtexs-Thanks for the Newsweek reference; good article.
This should be required reading by the next POTUS.
It's all about politics. A liberal will insist that Obama is a great tax and deficit cutter and a job creator. Nothing you can say and no statistic you cite will move them.
The upshot is that the 'next' system, to avoid a repeat, has to sanctify the individual and their rights to a ridiculous degree. It has to be much harder for the state to abuse us and for the majority to enslave us. That will at least put it off for longer. A good place to start would be tapering off all confiscation and redistribution, to be illegal in time. If it's legal you get what we have, in time.
Enough about michael moore already.
Kennedy was right. Shut down the CIA and take back the monetary system. Move in with swat teams, navey seals, FBI, DHS and arrest the FED and central bankers. Arrest them.
True. Interesting article on GHW Bush and CIA days
http://whowhatwhy.org/2013/09/16/part-1-mr-george-bush-of-the-central-in...
Move in with swat teams, navey seals, FBI, DHS and arrest the FED and central bankers. Arrest them.
Unfortunately the FBI and DHS are part of the problem, not the solution . . .
Here’s a great article about WWI, our history, false flags, banksters and how we got to where we are today. Many here will know some or most of this but may still learn some things. It’s also great to share with those less enlightened;
http://jamesperloff.com/2014/05/21/false-flag-at-sea/
Wonderful article, very well written, well reasoned, concise.
I think the word recovery has been redefined.
It excludes many.
It's a smaller club.
I think the word recovery has been redefined.
It excludes many.
It's a smaller club.
This is off-topic but your comment made me think similar things for the word "terrorist" . . .
It includes many (inappropriately).
It's a (much) larger club.
IMHO most of the time the word terrorist is used by the MSM, .gov and/or TPTB it is totally outside of the true definition of the word:
Terrorist - A person, group, or organization that uses violent action, or the threat of violent action, to further political goals.
That definition pretty much applies to everyone in govt and finance for the past 30 years.
lol
Why worry, when the British Monarchy continues to reproduce?
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-3044227/Royal-baby-girl-revealed...
If you say it over and over again, the truth no longer matters.
And this is what those fucking communists in white house do - you're a complete fucking asshole barry. Cockroach MSM is complicit.
Good job fucking your partner george soros - $8B tax bill - good old georgie didn't deliver on Petrobras, did he barry - you stupid fuck.
Looking @ the $usdx. Some peeps think it's going to leg~up. I agree.
The selloff is going to be nasty though. Going back 30-40 years on monthly charts, things look bad for the $usdx
Yes it's weighted, but the fact remains, it's cross traded in base currencies. ;-)
Let's explore an example. GBP/ JPY moves 1.5 pips on usd/jpy @ .1.5351 (current interbank) ( these are the "terms of tradeisms") that central banksters keep bloviating about.
IMHO, the present construct is dangerously unbalanced and unstable.
Preservation of dollar utility as a preferred global exchange mechanism will require debt deflation/defaults and reorganization of the government, financial and monetary authorities, etc..
Am I reading the headline right? Getting spoiled milk from a DEAD PIG?? Yuck!
“History records that the money changers have used every form of abuse, intrigue, deceit, and violent means possible to maintain their control over governments by controlling money and its issuance.” -James Madison
simple people knew this 200 years ago and more,
what is wrong with us?
There is no recovery, only a fraudulent profit margin by the bailout takers.
Every part of society has become perverted, this is how civilization and civility crumbles.
As a system struggles to keep extracting wealth (blood) from a stone, violence will increase (police brutality) and poverty will push people over the edge, whatever level of bullshit people were once willing to take from the status quo 1 party two bullshit artists political puppets is slowly fading into nothingness, until only rage remains.
You can only steal so much from people, as I think Caliente says "when people lose everything, and they have nothing left to lose, they lose it", the system is so perverted that it has brought the majority of the population down to within 5~9% of their breaking point at which point they snap and just turn violent to try and recover some grasp of the civility and honor society once had back.
When someone goes into a bee hive and takes a little honey , the bees might get a little annoyed, but more or less they will let the taker have some, but when you have what we have today, which is namely an elect few completely pillaging all wealth (honey) and raising the costs on the public to retain whatever wealth they still have at the same time , you will inevitably anger the hive and they will sting in mass.
These are the riots that are going to happen, its a mathematical certainty at this point... we are way past the point of no return, we are at a point that when shit starts happening, the rules simply go away... look at the latest riots, the police were powerless and in the end they had to atleast try and bullshit bluff that the cops are going to be charged. . . and the city decided to do nothing.
There was a complete break down of law in the country this week, the riots show this, the govt is teaching the masses that the only way to progress and make change that matters is through violence, because the political system is a complete sham.
The govt + banks are quite literally telling the public, that unless you turn violent we will keep stealing from you until you starve to death.
The only hope this country has is some kind of genius taking office as president so that we can write executive orders to undo 50 years of SHIT Shackles that have been placed around the necks of average americans through 100,000 page tax codes and laws that do nothing but make it harder for people who work to have anything and easier for asshole criminals to steal from those people.
The IRS is garbage, it has no reason to exist.
The treasury has no treasure so wtf is it doing?
The Federal Reserve has no reserves, and it does nothing, we could quite literally replace it with a laptop and fire every single person in that organization.
The FBI doesnt even solve crime
The CIA created half the terrorists that we are "fighting" today
The DEA is doing the exact opposite of what it was intended to do
The President signs off on criminal bailouts and pushes more bullshit while playing golf.
What part of the system is sane? cause I cant even find one.
How about some discussion of strategies to escape the mess?
Buy some gold, hoard some cash, buy renimbi, buy swiss bonds, buy an oil well... other ideas?
Well lets see through process of elimination:
-Voting : Does almost nothing
-Working and Saving : Does almost nothing
-Working and borrowing : You get to eat for a while until the Gin come and try and collect your blood and your first born
-Not working, borrowing and not paying your debts: Somehow you win and get rewarded with welfare, ebt, and a bunch of other benefits
-Gambling: You know society is going to fuck you, so why not gamble.
-Violence: Something good or bad comes out of it everytime (50/50) chance of a good outcome or a bad outcome
-Protesting: Does nothing unless stuff catches fire
-Playing by the rules: Wont get you anywhere except where you already are, if you are lucky.
-Playing against the rules: Works everytime, but eventually when you actually scratch out a living the man will come and steal it, unless o/c you own the man and hes helping you out with bailouts
-The "if you cant beat um, join um" strategy: May work short term, but long term it endsup with suicide utopia land where everyone lives in the matrix and has autism but its ok they are just smart enough to be useful workers, and just dumb enough not to realize how fucked they are.
So really you have two choices from the way I see it (unless you chose aimlessly gambling and hoping for luck to save you so you can escape lol)
Punching shit and kicking shit down, or, joining the dark side and helping them burn the world down until its a cyborg utopia not even worth living in because it has been drained of all buety in order to boost profits.
Im really at an impasse on this one.
http://www.cracked.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2009/05/cyborg.jpg
Same here about the impasse.
I keep going back to humans and their unique ability to harbor malice. I believe that the majority of humans are good but a small percentage of them are truly evil, and evil always seems to win.
That could be called whining and playing the vicitm card, but if everybody is enslaved or dead except the evil ones it doesn't matter what it's called.
Humans adapt, we sorta live by the 100th monkey rule.
Once people see the hundreth monkey being evil, they will all switch to being evil.
At which point it is no longer "worth it" to be "civil or good" and you endup with a complete break-down and everything burns.
Steal from the banks, Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac. What do they have laying around?
Move to Philippines
Time for a cattle revolt....
and they know it.
The answer is more QE, more government lies and propaganda, more police brutality and expansion of the police state, more foreign wars, either directly, by drones or by our surrogates-Al Quada and ISIS. That should give us another 6 months or so.
After that? Who the hell knows-but I'm sure Hillary or Jeb Bush will figure out something.
The sooner you realize you've been duped all along the better. My closest friends refuse to admit they have been fooled all these years.
I have much better results 'waking up' total strangers.
amen!