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Gallup: Higher Marriage Rate Could Boost the Economy

Photo Credit: APMarried Americans spend more than their unmarried counterparts, suggesting that if the marriage rate increases, overall spending in the U.S. might also increase, benefiting the U.S. economy.

Those are the findings of a Gallup Daily tracking survey conducted Jan. 1-Sept. 30, 2013 among 135,537 adults contacted randomly by telephone in all fifty states and the District of Columbia.

To get an estimate of discretionary spending, Gallup asked Americans to report how much money they spent the prior day, excluding payments for normal household bills and major purchases such as homes or cars.

The survey found that married Americans report a daily spending average of $102, followed by $98 among those who are living in domestic partnerships, $74 by divorced Americans, $67 by those who are single and never married, and $62 by those who are widowed. Across all age groups, those who were married spend more than those of other marital statuses.

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How Obama is Deliberately Crippling U.S. Economy

Photo Credit: WND

Photo Credit: WND

Ever since Barack Obama was elected president in 2008, Americans have heard a lot about “progressivism,” Saul Alinsky’s “Rules for Radicals” and the “Cloward-Piven Strategy” of orchestrated chaos – basically, intentionally causing an existing system to break down in order to “rescue” it by instituting a new system. In other words, a “fundamental transformation.”

Conservatives believe this is Obama’s playbook, while liberals dismiss it as rightwing paranoia. But consider Obama’s economic policies with this paradigm in mind.

For any economy to function properly depends on the availability of capital and credit, raw materials, manufacturing capacity and production, and labor. To intentionally cripple an economy, one or more of these elements would have to be controlled or withheld.

American leaders have been overloading the economy with debt to pay for goodies promised to the populace since long before Obama, but the first big push for outright misallocation of capital (something strongly promoted by progressives) started with the Community Reinvestment Act of 1977, signed by Jimmy Carter. After all, the two principal economic engines driving the U.S. economy were automobiles and housing. The Act forced banks to misdirect their investment capital to areas and individuals that previously did not merit credit because of the high risks involved.

Thus, in place of 30-year mortgage loans that in the 1960s had fairly strict standards and required 20 percent down, we ended up with “liar loans” and 0 percent down, all with the support of Fannie Mae and the blessings of progressive officialdom. At the peak of the housing bubble in 2007, there were roughly 450 trillion dollars’ worth of derivatives and mortgage junk bonds floating in the world markets, while the combined total of GDP of all world economies was estimated at only 57 trillion dollars! Once the housing bubble burst, it almost took the developed capitalist countries down for the duration, and we are still suffering from the after-effects of this blowup.

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Gold Surge Bodes Ill for Economy

The recent increase in gold prices suggest investors are increasingly worried the Federal Reserve may soon back off its current policy of quantitative easing in which it has bought billions of dollars of U.S. treasury debt and mortgage backed securities over the past few years.

In an article published Monday, Tyler Durden of ZeroHedge.com noted investors last week covered an enormous number of options contracts going short on gold futures prices, 23,518 futures contracts in total, suggesting a short-squeeze on gold is starting to solidify.

Short positions on gold futures contracts involve bets an investor makes that the price of gold will drop in the future. If the price of gold does not drop as anticipated, the investor owning a short contract must take a loss by purchasing gold at current prices to close out the contract on the expiration date.

When gold prices increase, investors owning gold futures short contracts risk losing money on the bad bet that the price of gold would have declined between the date the contract was purchased and the expiration date of the contract.

Durden noted the covering of gold shorts occurred last week at the fastest pace seen in the past 13 years.

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A Blunt Pope Francis Targets Free Market Economics

Photo Credit: breitbartSince taking over as head of the Roman Catholic Church in March, Pope Francis has made several stark comments on world economic issues: He’s cited the pitfalls of capitalism, decried global income inequality and equated low-wage labor to a form of “slavery.”

He’s even described the financial corruption in the church he leads as a “spiritual sickness.”

Analysts say Pope Francis—leader of some 1.2 billion Catholics—is not necessarily calling for the demise of free market theory. Instead, he’s issuing a very strong warning to economic leaders over its future.

“Like many people he thinks capitalism won’t survive unless it decreases income disparity,” said George Haley, professor of marketing and international business at the University of New Haven.

“I think it’s fair to say he’s arguing for a more European version of capitalism going forward, especially after the Great Recession, so there’s more of a safety net for people when they need it,” Haley added.

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Startling Slide in Home Ownership, Now at 18-Year Low

Photo Credit: APStartling new housing data released this week could take the pep out of President Obama’s blitz of economic rallies, as they show homeownership dropping despite the push — by him and his predecessors — to prop up the market.

The new Census figures show homeownership dropped in the second quarter to an 18-year low of 65 percent. The rate, which hit a record 69.2 percent in 2004, has now fallen to its pre-housing bubble days nearly two decades ago.

The president, on the heels of the report, plans to head to Phoenix on Tuesday for a homeownership-themed stop on his multi-city tour — part of his recent pivot back to the economy.

But it’s unclear whether, given the government’s track record, new federal policies could or should be used to help Americans realize their picket-fence dreams.

Richard Barrington, of Money Rates, argues that homeownership is returning to more reasonable levels, and that the government should not push folks into buying homes they can’t afford.

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No Recovery For the Middle Class

This has been an uneven recovery, with the benefits accumulating to the rich and the corporate sector while regular folks have largely been left behind amid stagnant wages, rising living costs, mediocre job gains and persistent long-term unemployment.

And none of this is new. The recession merely exacerbated trends that started in the late 1970s: lost manufacturing prowess, an important source of good-paying jobs; a shift to generally lower-paid service jobs; freer global trade, which deepens these employment problems; and increased reliance on finance, credit and debt as families try to hold on to the American dream…

While Americans are working harder and are far more productive then they used to be, for a variety of reasons they are not sharing in the prosperity their work creates. This is a reversal of the situation enjoyed from the 1950s through the 1970s, when the middle class prospered amid strong demand for labor, widespread unionization and the ability to demand pay raises.

You can see this in the way median household income has badly lagged behind the per-capita share of economic output, as shown in the graphic above. Both measures are adjusted for inflation. While the available income statistics run only through 2009, it’s doubtful that they’ve improved much since…

One main problem is that since the recession ended, the economy has been creating low-quality, part-time, no-benefit positions…

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College and Career Ready Standards: A Catch Phrase Intended to Goad the Public Into Believing a Lie

Photo Credit: Life in the Last Frontier

Photo Credit: Life in the Last Frontier

The goal behind College and Career Ready standards is to prepare children to be global citizens in the new global economy. Global citizenship implies a global community, known as a One World Order. To have citizens of One World, what will be the governing structure? Will it be a Democracy? A Republic? Communist? Socialist? Will the new global economy consist of Capitalism and the Free Market or will it be controlled by the One World government in terms of socialism and/or communism?

The United States is still the freest nation in the world. No other country, before or since, has stepped forth with a similar Constitution or governing structure grounded in the beliefs that individuals are both unique and important. While it would almost be fantastic if the global community adopted the same foundations as our own nation, we all subconsciously know that will NOT happen. The United States was founded as a Christian nation: grounded in Biblical principles. These principles alone are contrary to the majority of other country’s religions.

So what will the One World Order look like? It won’t resemble anything that American’s hold dear. Most likely, we will be subjects of a form of socialism or communism. The individual will be sacrificed for the good of the collective whole. Children of the Common Core, the College and Career Ready “standards,” will be pigeon-holed into the lines of work that the “state” determines from very young ages through data collection. The “state” will dictate a child’s education to promote what the “state” has determined to be that child’s career path. STEM (Science Technology Engineering and Mathematics) careers will be reserved for those that the “state” determines are worthy to work in such fields: worthiness is determined through academic performance, ability to follow directions with no opposition, and ability to conform to current thoughts and ideas without questioning validity. The class system will be magnified.

The elite class that also has its hand in the governing structure will likely control the global economy. Forget about IRAs and 401-Ks because retirement is NOT an option in the global economy. With the eminent risks of doomsday events, there is no need for “retirement.” What will happen when you can no longer work to benefit the global society? Don’t worry – individuals are of no value; you can easily be replaced by the next college graduate.

I’m not merely creating a scary scenario in regards to the global community. Similar agendas are documented throughout history. The idea of the One World Order is nothing new, either. It is found in the writings of H.G. Wells. What most do not know is that his last book, Mind at the End of Its Tether (1945), he stated that the One World Order is optimistic humanism and it isn’t going to work!

John Dewey is considered the father of modern education; he was a Humanist and co-author of the Humanist Manifesto (1933). Dewey followed the teachings of German psychologist Wilhelm Wundt; both men viewed children as animals requiring guidance, control and molding. After he visited the Soviet Union, Dewey wrote six articles on the “wonders” of Soviet education. Dewey’s writings preclude and greatly influence College and Career Ready Standards. Both have the same objective.

“Our major concern that the school should provide a purified environment for the child
… this means stacking the cards in favor of the particular systems of value we possess. We must
move to make certain every Progressive School will use whatever power it may possess in
opposing and checking the forces of social conservatism.”

“Children who know how to think for themselves spoil the harmony of the collective
society which is coming, where everyone is interdependent.”

“You can’t make socialists out of individualists.”

School curricula have been altered to purport the ideas presented in the Humanist Manifesto. This continues today in the form of College and Career Ready Standards. Here is an abbreviated version of the Humanist Manifesto #1:

1. Man gradually emerged by chance from lower forms of life over millions of years.
2. Man creates god out of his own experiences.
3. Man is his own authority and is not accountable to any higher power.
4. There are no absolute rules to live by.
5. All men should be exposed to diverse ‘realistic’ viewpoints, including profanity, immorality, and
perversions as acceptable modes of self-expression.
6. All forms of sexual expression are acceptable.
7. Government ownership or control of the economy should replace private ownership of property
and the free market economy.
8. ‘Global Citizenship’ should replace national self-determination.
9. There is no hope of existence beyond the grave – no heaven or hell.

People and corporations such as Partnership for Assessing Readiness for College and Career (PARCC), Smarter Balanced Assessment Consortium (SBAC), Next Generation, Planned Parenthood, inBloom, Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, Weather Underground, Bill Ayers, Linda Darling Hammond, Tides Foundation, and UNESCO all have ties in one form or another to the proliferation of global citizens through education system control under the auspices of College and Career Ready standards.

Patriots, lovers of freedom, anyone who believes in and values America and our American way of life should be opposed to EVERY FACET of the College and Career Ready standards known as Common Core State Standards. It is high time that Americans come together to take back control of our educational system and re-instill the values that America has held dear for over 237 years. Our freedom and continuation as a great nation depend upon it.

Rush: Obama One of the Most Successful Presidents

Photo Credit: WND

Photo Credit: WND

With the U.S. still struggling to emerge from the economic malaise of recent years, the top-rated radio host who once said he hopes Barack Obama fails is now saying Obama “may be one of the most successful presidents that we’ve ever had.”

The remark from Rush Limbaugh was in response to complaints from others lamenting the state of the country, telling him, “Boy, this Obama. He’s really, really making a mess of things.”

“Wait a minute,” Limbaugh responded. “Obama isn’t ‘making a mess’ of anything. Obama may be one of the most successful presidents that we’ve ever had.”

“He’s getting everything he wants,” Limbaugh continued. “He’s transforming this country in ways that no one ever thought possible. He is succeeding at every turn, and he has a scandal pop up at just the right time every moment some big transformation’s taking place so that we’re all distracted. Everything the guy wants is happening one way or the other, sooner than later, later than sooner. Whatever. Nobody’s stopping Obama. Nobody’s stopping the Democrats. They’re getting everything they want.

“They’re getting everything they want with the Republican Party going along with most of it! Now, if your definition of a successful president or a failure as a president is somebody who is making a mess of things? Yeah, then he’s a miserable failure. But from his standpoint, Obama’s objectives, his goals? I’ll bet you Obama, in private, can’t believe how easy this has been. I’ll bet you when he and [Attorney General Eric] Holder and Valerie Jarrett and rest of them get together, they laugh and talk about how easy this has been.”

Read more from this story HERE.

China Taking Over the World … Economically

Photo Credit: Victo Ngai

The combination of a strong, rising China and economic stagnation in Europe and America is making the West increasingly uncomfortable. While China is not taking over the world militarily, it seems to be steadily taking it over commercially. In just the past week, Chinese companies and investors have sought to buy two iconic Western companies, Smithfield Foods, the American pork producer, and Club Med, the French resort company.

Europeans and Americans tend to fret over Beijing’s assertiveness in the South China Sea, its territorial disputes with Japan, and cyberattacks on Western firms, but all of this is much less important than a phenomenon that is less visible but more disturbing: the aggressive worldwide push of Chinese state capitalism.

By buying companies, exploiting natural resources, building infrastructure and giving loans all over the world, China is pursuing a soft but unstoppable form of economic domination. Beijing’s essentially unlimited financial resources allow the country to be a game-changing force in both the developed and developing world, one that threatens to obliterate the competitive edge of Western firms, kill jobs in Europe and America and blunt criticism of human rights abuses in China.

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Little Recovery from Americans’ Massive $16 Trillion Loss in Wealth

Photo Credit: Washington Post

American households have rebuilt less than half of the wealth lost during the recession, leaving them without the spending power to fuel a robust economic recovery, according to a new analysis from the Federal Reserve.

From the peak of the boom to the bottom of the bust, households watched a total of $16 trillion in wealth disappear amid sinking stock prices and the rubble of the real estate market. Since then, Americans have only been able to recapture 45 percent of that amount on average, after adjusting for inflation and population growth, according to the report from the St. Louis Fed released Thursday.

In addition, the report showed most of the improvement was due to gains in the stock market, which primarily benefit wealthy families. That means the recovery for other households has been even weaker.

“A conclusion that the financial damage of the crisis and recession largely has been repaired is not justified,” the report stated.

The study is part of a growing body of research on the role of household wealth — or lack thereof — in amplifying the impact of the recession and slowing the rate of recovery.

Read more from this story HERE.