by Bill Sardi
Sleight of hand averts a cataclysmic day
So why hasn’t the day of financial Armageddon occurred in America?
There are many reasons why an economic doomsday has been delayed. For one, other countries prop up the US dollar knowing its demise will drag them into the financial abyss too.
Second, the US has the financial advantage of being the world’s reserve currency, so it is always in demand, though that status is being challenged now as China, Russia and India are beginning to trade directly in yuan, rubles and rupees respectively.
Third, the US Federal Reserve has been able to create false demand for buying up its debt by funneling money through American banks to overseas companies that then buy US Treasury Bills (IOUs), or the Fed conducts covert operations such as urging oil companies to raise their prices, which profits countries like Saudi Arabia, who then agree to buy US T-bills in exchange for the US providing military defense.
Fourth, the US Federal Reserve is conducting gold swaps with overseas banks to put a damper on alternative currencies, such as gold.
Fifth, not willing to face the political risks associated with massive tax increases or an official devaluation of its money, the US elects to steal money out of the back door of American’s wallets via inflation. This is what is called monetizing its debt – printing new money (paper or electronic) which then causes inflation as consumers spend it, resulting in increased demand for goods and services and eventually rising prices.
The US officially says inflation is ~3%. But when using 1980 or 1990 methods of determining the consumer price index, the real rate of inflation is 7-10%. Five more years of inflation and the $8.5 trillion that Americans have in interest-bearing banks accounts will only be worth, in purchasing power, about half that much.
Sixth, the US government "cooks its books." The federal government does not use generally accepted accounting principles (GAAP). For example, the government reports a 2010 budget deficit of –$1.294 trillion that was actually –$2.080 trillion (source: ShadowStats).
As John Williams of ShadowStats says, the federal government does this by excluding unfunded obligations for Security and Medicare. According to Williams, the 2010 federal deficit was likely near $5 trillion. Furthermore, Williams notes that the federal government still does tabulate the securities issued by Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae, the two quasi-government mortgage backstop organizations.
Williams says the US government kept "$12.4 trillion in the net present value of Medicare unfunded liabilities" off its 2010 accounting books. Recognize, as John Williams notes, "the federal government cannot cover such an annual shortfall by raising taxes, as there are not enough untaxed wages and salaries or corporate profits to do so."
The Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (actually a private insurance agent of US banks) currently estimates there are 800-plus US banks in dire condition, but actually, if you (a) put back the $1.3 trillion of toxic non-performing home mortgages the Federal Reserve shifted from banks to its accounting books, (b) demanded banks report all of their other non-performing loans, (c) required lenders to use true market value of home mortgages (mark-to-market accounting) and (d) did not allow banks to temporarily loan money onto their ledgers to make their quarterly financial reports look rosier than they really are, nearly all of the nation’s 7400 lending banks (excluding credit unions and commercial banks which did not offer ALT-A and sub-prime low-interest "teaser" home loans) would be insolvent.
Financial Armageddon: sorry you missed it
The financial sky is falling but if you don’t report it, it never happened. Like the famine that resulted in the deaths of 14-26 million Chinese in 1958-61, which represents the worst modern day human tragedy, natural or man-made, yet it escapes your awareness because TV evening network news simply didn’t report it. Most people, if asked what was the greatest human calamity in their lifetime would likely mention the 9-11 terrorist attack on New York. If you missed the great famine in China, you may have easily missed the day when the world economies collapsed.
John Mauldin, in his book ENDGAME, reports that the nation's private GDP ceased to grow 14 years ago (another factoid the news media doesn’t report, after all, news sources are sponsored by advertisers who want consumers to buy stuff). Government then stepped in and grew a false economy based upon contrived wars and debt. (You can listen to more of John Mauldin here.)
Chicken Little comes to mind
Bring up the topic of a day of financial Armageddon and you are likely to be ridiculed and likened to Chicken Little, a fable about a chicken that thought the end of the world was near. I’ve had so many friends tell me they don’t want to hear what I have to say about the economy. Yes, it is too unsettling. But it is something much deeper rooted than the troublesome numbers, it is their misplaced faith in the US government, inculcated in them from their grade-school days, that is being shaken. Mass denial makes it easier for government to pull the wool over everyone’s eyes.
What government is doing behind the scene
The US Treasury Department has printed new money that is being stored in a warehouse, possibly for the day when the US dollar is officially devalued (maybe at the conversion of rate of 6 or 7 new dollars for every 10 old dollars). Federal officials say these 100-dollar bills were misprinted, but why don’t they burn them instead of store them?
Governments usually conjure-up phony wars or terrorist attacks to cover for their financial sins. Patriotic Americans will respond to a foreign threat without hesitation, never recognizing a ruse is underway. Lay blame for a devalued dollar on the towel heads.
The next generation will repudiate all this debt
On a more positive note, Gary North says the current generation will repudiate all this debt. If we are all broke, how are they going to get everyone to make their mortgage payment, pay their taxes, etc.?
Recognize the goal of the elites is to transfer their losses onto the masses. But maybe not this time. We see lenders to Greece maybe facing a 90% write down in their loans. But don’t forget, lending banks also hold our saved money and 401k plans. Our banked money is likely to get swept away in a day of reckoning.
The smart investor will be holding property, artwork, precious metals, equities (I prefer stock in private companies, not the manipulated stocks in the markets) rather than banked money. Recognize 401k plans (which the government will likely confiscate under the guise of protection), or tax-free municipal bonds (which municipalities cannot possibly pay and meet underfunded pension obligations), are risky, not secure as advertised. Don’t forget, the stock markets can tank stock prices and make them appear very under-valued in a massive effort to dump risk onto naïve investors.
Keep a little cash on hand should ATM machines not be functioning because of natural calamities or a banking holiday. And if you can find one of those commercial banks that didn’t offer those ALT-A and subprime home mortgage loans, this would be more desirable than the name-brand bank where you currently store your money.
Noah and his family warned of a coming flood. He was likely ridiculed for building a boat in his front yard and driving everyone else’s property value down. Flood? What flood?
You can’t hide a flood but you can hide a financial implosion. The financial day of Armageddon occurred some time in the recent past and it is government’s job to keep the suicide rate down and to calm the masses and act like everything is normal. The goal is to keep the women shopping. The Super Bowl serves as an excellent distraction. It’s just a temporary recession, right? No, it’s the financial collapse of modern civilization and it is being papered over. If you blinked your eyes, you probably missed it. But then you probably sleep better than I do.
Read the whole article here:
http://lewrockwell.com/sardi/sardi201.html
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