To Jab, or not to Jab (part 1)

  

    When making big investment decisions, one of the most important factors is looking at who is on which side of the trade, also known as the structure - link here.  In many arenas, like the commodity markets - nothing else even matters. Bagholder, being the logical type, believes looking at structure when making life decisions - as opposed to just investment decisions - is a worthwhile pursuit. So, when considering

The bigger the Lie ....

  

   Much like the late, great George Carlin - Bagholder has only a few rules to live by. The first is "I don't believe anything Government tells me".... Some good examples include:

"Read my lips, no new taxes"  LIE

"I did not have sex with that woman"  LIE

"Saddam has Weapons of Mass Destruction"  LIE

                                               *************************

  Bagholder could easily name another dozen lies just off the top of his head - but you get the idea.  There was not a shred of truth in any of those statements.... Which brings us to the Latest Government LIE.  

"Covid Vaccines are safe & effective"

It's hard to believe Gman can pack 4 lies into a 6 word sentence, then again - they are world class Liars.

LIE #1

"Vaccines"

    When you get a Vaccine for something - you are immune.  The immunity is what makes it a Vaccine. For example, Bagholder has gotten a Polio Vaccine, as such - will never get polio. How is it then, there are 100's of thousands of Vaccinated people coming down with Covid?  Simple, It is Not a Vaccine - it is something else.  Much like calling my dog a cat does not make him a cat..... Calling this a Vaccine does not make it a Vaccine. 

LIE #2

 "SAFE"

  According to VAERS (the vaccine adverse reaction office of the CDC) as of 7/16/21 there have been 9125 deaths in the US reported attributable to the VACCINE, and over 110,000 Reactions so severe they required Hospitalization.  In fact, there have been more hospitalizations & Deaths in the USA  from these  "covid vaccines" than ALL other Vaccines in US history, combined!!  With numbers like these, Anybody making the case these Covid shots are Safe - is Lying.   Once again, calling my dog a cat, does not make him a cat....Nor does calling these covid shots "Safe" make them Safe.

Lie #3

   "Effective"

     If these Covid shots are effective, why are "vaccinated" people testing positive for Covid? Why would booster shots be neccesary for something which is effective?  According to the CEO of Pfizer the Pfizer Vaccine is 84% effective in preventing Covid - link here. For people incapable of critical thought, 84% sounds wonderful.  Truth is 84% is a disgrace. We are a country of roughly 360 million people with roughly 36 million cases - meaning 10% of us have been infected, and 90% of us have not been infected. In other words,  Doing Nothing to prevent covid has been 90% effective. Only Big Pharma & Gman could lower the 90% down to 84%, and call it Effective.   My dog is a cat. 

LIE #4

  Implications

  "Covid Vaccines are safe and Effective"  is a Declarative statement.  When made by someone in a position of authority, like for instance, the President of the United States - there are some implications. Chief among those, would be the vaccines have been thoroughly tested. Fact is, they have not been tested - at all. These are experimental Drugs. Make no mistake, If you have taken the Vaccine, you are part of an experiment. In US history, there has never been a mRna drug to pass phase 2 testing (on animals), let alone phase 3 testing (on humans in clinical trials).  To state these covid shots are safe & effective without testing is more than just disingenuous, it is an outright LIE.

  Bagholder is quite certain when history looks back years from now ..... the statement "Covid Vaccines are safe & effective"  will go down as the biggest Government Lie since Abraham Lincoln told the masses the "Income tax is a TEMPORARY measure to fund the war".

Covid - by the numbers

 First some indisputable facts both sides can agree on ...

1. The Virus is Real

2. The "vaccine" appears to help in combating the Virus should you get it, but is not without risk

3. Approximately 1.6% (1 in 60) of people who have tested positive with Covid have died (36mil US cases, 600k deaths - grossly exaggerated number, but lets use it)

4. There is risk present both in taking the Vaccine and NOT taking the Vaccine

5. According to the CDC  82% of the Deaths Have been in people over 65, and 95.2% of deaths have been people over 50

   The real Question here is what are the risks, exactly ..... Lets consider the math first ....

  In a country of 350 million people with 600k deaths, The overall chances of Death are 1 in 584. 

 There are roughly 54 million aged 65 and older in this country, Leaving 296 million under the age 65. 

  600k deaths x 82%  Yields 492,000 deaths from over 65, leaving 108,000 deaths from the under 65.  

  Meaning if you are over 65, actual chances of death (492k out of 54 mil) are about 1 in 112 

  For people under 65, the same math (296 mil/108,000 deaths) yields a result of 1 in 2740. 

  For people under 50, the same math (236mil/29230 deaths) yields a result of 1 in 8073.

    Now, couple those numbers with the March 19th study by the University of Chicago showing 82.2% of people testing positive for Covid are Vitamin D deficient, while 17.8% are not Vitamin D deficient.

 People whose vitamin D levels are good & over 65, the odds of getting Covid AND dying from it can now be adjusted as follows: 112/.178 = 1 in 629

 People whose vitamin D levels are good & under 65, the odds of getting Covid and dying from it can now be adjusted as follows: 2740/.178 = 1 in 15,397

 People whose vitamin D levels are good & under 50, the odds of getting Covid and dying from it can now be adjusted as follows: 8073/.178 = 1 in 45,353

Fun fact for those in the under 65 group:   You have a better chance of being struck by lightning (1 in 15,300 - google it) than dying from Covid.

  For the record, Bagholder finds it despicable the World has been turned upside down for a Virus killing one healthy person in every 15,397 people under 65. 

  Even more reprehensible, is a country which injects its young with an experimental vaccine highly likely to fail. 

*********************************************************************************

  And now lets consider some facts about the Vaccine .....

- No clinical trials

- No Double blind studies

- No phase 3 testing

-The mRna Vaccines are altering both the Structure (at the ACE 2 receptor) AND function (to start producing spike proteins) of every cell in your Body

- Another fun fact... Do you know what else alters the structure & function of your cells?  I'll save you the trouble of research - the answer is Cancer

 As if all that is not bad enough, there is this:

- According to VAERS (the vaccine adverse reaction office of the CDC) as of 7/16/21 there have been 9125 deaths in the US reported attributable to the VACCINE, and over 110,000 Reactions so severe they required Hospitalization.  Unlike the 600k Covid deaths where hospitals were incentivized with cash payments to report, there is no cash payment for the 9125 Vaccine deaths. So it is safe to assume the 9125 deaths the CDC admits to, is LOW - but lets use it. 

According to the Wall Street Journal, Just over 124 million Americans are now fully Vaccinated. If you divide 9125 by 124 million that gives you a Vaccine death rate of 1 in 13,589.

So in conclusion, The Virus is killing 1 in 45,353 people under age 50 who are not Vitamin D deficient - while the Vaccine is killing 1 in 13,589.  

 In Other words, without even considering the long term side effects .......

The VACCINE is 3.5x deadlier than the VIRUS. 

Bagholder will take his chances with the Virus.

Political Stench

  There are only a handful of places on earth that have its own, one of a kind, smell. One of those places for me, was Sportsmans park Racetrack in Cicero Illinois.  The scent in that place was an unmistakeable mix of moldy wood, stale smoke, and of course, horse manure.  It was built nearly a century ago as a Dog track. In fact, Al Capone used to fix races there by feeding grease laden hamburger to all the dogs in a race , except the one he was going to bet.  You have to admire his moxie.   Bagholder spent many a summer night playing the harness races there. Being an older facility, in a poor part of town they didn't have much for public restrooms. The few they did have, had very few stalls & they sure didn't clean them very often. If you needed one of those stalls, it was difficult to find one habitable. It usually ended up being a game of deciding which toilet stall was the least compromised. You open one stall & think, no fckn way - until you open the next one. 

  As of this writing, it seems the remaining choices for the next President are limited to Obama, Gingrich, Romney & Santorum.  The remaining field vying for the right to become our next president is very reminiscent of being at Sportsmans park & needing to take a dump.  The choices range from stalls with an overflowing sea of disease & pestilence, to just plain full of shit. Examining the final four……

Santorum.  The flavor of the month.  This guy reminds me of Thomas Carcetti, the fictional mayor of Baltimore in HBO's epic series, the Wire. Like Carcetti, he is in touch with his feminine side, leaving him about as uninspiring as a politician can be. Although, it appears, he has been blessed by the Evangelicals. Perhaps its because he is the only candidate of the four remaining who actually believes what he says, notwithstanding the fact some of his beliefs are extreme.  While the other three are just salesman with a pitch, Santorum's message is much more consistent; thus he comes off as more genuine. Having said that, I have seen much of what comes out of his mouth … in those stalls at the racetrack. 

Romney. We have said it before, but it bears repeating; there is no discernible difference between this guy & Obama, except Romney could have his hands on the wheel for eight years. This scares the daylights out of Bagholder. Sure, he would aim money at more traditionally conservative causes, but get spending under control - not a chance. Stop this nations imperialistic ways - no way. Shrink the size of Gman - not happening.  Cut taxes - guess again. While this guy speaks a like a Republican, his deeds would say otherwise. Combine his serial hypocrisy with  his neatly manicured image, and a strong argument could be made he is at best, an egomaniac - and at worst, a complete psychopath. 

Gingrich.  While he is the most dangerous of the four candidates, he also has the most upside. Of the four, he is clearly the most ethically challenged, which is telling, when you consider we are talking about four politicians. It does appear the US electorate has sized him up & then rejected him.  I find Irony in this country rejecting him for his baggage. We did elect Clinton, an obvious reprobate.  So why does Newt's personal baggage matter?  His message much scare a lot of people. At this point it time, it does not appear likely he can get the nomination.   Then again, there were some stalls I never thought I would use either...

Obama.   After 3 plus years of his command, a few things are obvious. He is no visionary.  He is no agent of change. He is the choice of the establishment. He is more interested in himself, than this country - evidenced by his multiple extensive vacations.  If re-elected, he would no longer need to keep up pretenses of caring about the direction this country is headed. Vacations would come even more frequently, and last longer. The country would be moving more from existing momentum, than from his guiding hand. It has to be viewed positively, that unlike the others, he is guaranteed gone in four years. In light of that fact, when compared to the other three stooges above - he just might be the shiniest Turd in the punchbowl. 

  While the electorate seems satisfied with playing  which stall is the least compromised, Bagholder knows there is no winning that game. We here at mytwocent$ will continue to endorse the only true agent of change, the most philosophically consistent candidate, the only candidate who would actually get us out of wars, and the only candidate who would actually cut spending. We refer to the 24 karat candidate - Ron Paul

  Nothing to fear from this 24k commode..... Vote Ron Paul

Game Changers

Where is the outrage? 

  In the past week  our Congress has passed legislation (and Obama signed) that permits the US Military to detain whomever they wish indefinitely including US citizens on US soil; provided they think you may have terrorist ties.  In one fell swoop, they have effectively eliminated HALF the Bill of Rights for US citizens. Bagholder can't be the only person who sees the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA)  as a game changer.  

4th amendment is now Gone - no more judges signature required to detain people, invade their homes & and seize them or their property. Of course, they are required to think you have terrorist ties - before they do any of this. 

5th amendment, Due process is now gone. In fact, how about NO process. They can deprive you of liberty and property as they wish. Of course, they are required to think you have terrorist ties - before they do any of this. 

6th & 7th amendments, your right to a speedy jury trial is now Gone. Nothing ambiguous about the word "indefinite", which is how long the new law allows them to detain you before you see the inside of a court room. Of course, they are required to think you have terrorist ties - before they do any of this. 

8th amendment, restrictions on cruel and unusual punishments are now gone. We can be whisked off to Guantanamo for Big Bob's cockmeat sandwiches whenever Gman decides we need it.  Of course, they are required to think you have terrorist ties - before they do any of this. 

   The puppeteers have grown weary of having the masses enjoy sanctuary within their homes. They no longer want to be compelled to provide us with our day in court. Thats all been replaced with the NDAA. While many of you are thinking Gman has no intention of abusing their new powers, Google Jose Padilla. Gman was a wee bit upset about the people pointing out his illegal treatment of Padilla - so they have simply legalized the treatment. 

   Ther NDAA is arguably the single most important piece of legislation passed (as they have gutted the bill of rights) in the history of this nation, and there is irony in that it merits 20 seconds on the ten O'clock news in between a story on an old couple who got mugged at their ATM - and doctors who scammed medicare for non existent procedures totaling  21 million dollars before finally getting caught. The decision by the local news to sandwich the reporting of NDAA between 2 other crimes on humanity, is very telling.   

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  The second Game changer we will discuss is MF Global. For those living in caves, MF Global was a futures trading firm. They had approximately 140,000 clients with futures accounts. The futures market is not like the stock market. When you buy a stock for $10 and it goes to $20, you make $10 and nobody loses. Futures are different in that every dollar made comes directly out of someone else's pocket. Thanks to lousy management investment decisions, MF Global was forced to claim bankruptcy.  

   In a normal corporate Bankruptcy, clients are made whole first - then creditors & bond holders - then stock holders.  What makes the MF Global story a game changer is they are effectively altering the order of who gets made whole first. The bank (JP Morgue) which was on the other side on MF Globals losing bets, has arbitrarily decided to seize the assets inside the accounts of MF Global Clients. In effect, they are cutting to the front of the line. 

   Jim Willie, aka the "golden jackass" theorizes the Morgue gobbled up MF Global to avoid having to deliver physical on their precious metal paper shorts - which was slated to begin the next day.  The timing IS impeccable. There are other incriminating facts as well which support his theory. Many of the clients with accounts at MF Global were among those who were in line at the comex window looking to take delivery of their Gold & Silver, when MF collapsed. JP was the bank who was going to have to deliver physical metal to those MF clients. Instead, those MF clients have been locked out of their accounts - many with existing open positions they can't access (in the futures world, that means unlimited potential losses). Even more disturbing, is JP registered deposits of physical metal into their vaults equivalent to the amount of metal missing from MF global client accounts. If I'm on a jury - thats enough to convict.

  One of the primary reasons the US is the global power it is today, is because of the rule of Law. We have rules in place designed to protect the masses from the predatory behavior of the JP's of the world. There are really only two possible scenarios from here. The powers that be will make those clients whole - or the system is broken. Either we have rule of Law here, or we don't.  If they can seize 140,000 futures accounts, why not 1/2 million mutual fund accounts, or a couple million brokerage accounts? 

This is a very dangerous fork in the road we stand at today. Bagholder is optimistic in that he believes those clients will eventually be made whole, those running MF Global will be Perp-walked, and JP will cough up the Silver (or default officially). Stay tuned.

Down the Stretch They Come .....

   They are turning for home in the race for the Republican nomination for President & the accompanying right to savage the big O in next years election.  As this is written, Cain has a slight lead in the polls over Romney. There is a gap to third where its Gingrich, and then Paul. With less than 4 months until the nomination is decided, it seems clear the next president will come from this group.

  Cain.   Very difficult to determine if this guy has a real shot, or is he just the flavor of the month like Perry & Bachman before him. What is clear at this point, people like him.  Maybe its the catchy 9-9-9 plan, after all, Americans love to be marketed. He speaks with conviction too, which goes a long way.  He is an exceptionally skilled businessman.  For example, he currently has a healthy slice of the electorate convinced we need a national sales tax. Can you imagine the skill (and chutzpah) involved in selling the American people on the idea of a national sales tax? Thats like selling sand to the Arabs. Bagholder cannot believe his eyes.
  Cain has done it by dangling two juicy looking cherries - 9% corporate tax & 9% personal income tax. For the record,  the economy would flourish under those conditions. The fly in the ointment however, is the national sales tax.  Right now Gman has two sources of income - the corporate tax and the income tax. A national sales tax gives them a third tap on our money. It would almost be tolerable, if the rates were required to stay at 9-9-9. In reality though, once the sales tax is passed, it is only a matter of time until they start changing the rates - for the worse. This is why Cain and his 9-9-9 will ultimately be found wanting.  Current odds 6-1

  Paul.   In words of one syllable: He would shrink the size and scope of Gman the most. That fact alone is enough reason to elect him.  Ron Paul is  a man before his time. People will look back a generation from now and see the wisdom in his words they can't see today. Thats the thing about genius, its rarely recognized immediately.  It takes time for the slow witted masses to catch on to the wisdom.
   In the meantime  Ron "the 13th floor" Paul gets no help from the media, no money from the establishment, and no respect from his peers. He is clearly the most distinguishable candidate on many fronts as reported here.
   While the media might attack the statements & Ideas of the other candidates, they rarely attack the other candidates personally, like they do with Paul. The "Name calling" treatment, it seems, is reserved solely for Paul.   I have heard him called almost every slanderous name there is like crazy - looney - nutty - insane, the list is endless. They don't dare address his ideas, they just attack him personally.  The reason for this is obvious. Paul, and his Ideas represent a direct threat to the establishment.
  The way the "haves" see it, Paul must be stopped.  So the media breaks off some disrespect for Paul by branding him a lunatic every chance they get. Sad, really. Current odds 99-1

   Gingrich.  The only reason this guy is still in the race is thanks to his skill as a debater.  In this regard he is way ahead of his competitors. Most of them (when they are not repeating sound bites) struggle to string together two nouns and a verb in a complete sentence, Obama included.  Newt, on the other hand, has full command of adjectives & adverbs which makes him extremely persuasive when he speaks. He eloquently states the conservative case with extreme vigor, and in a concise manner. For those who don't know him, he is very likable, at first gaze.
  The real problem with Newt is the dark personal history. It will turn a lot of people off.  He also has the added problem of being the only candidate who will not siphon large chunks of votes from traditionally democratic constituencies. I'm sure Cain could pull in more than the 7% of African American votes Mcain pulled.  I'm sure Paul could pull the anti-war/pro drug crowd from the D's. Romney seems to poll the best among women. But there is no group on the Democratic side from whom Newt will pull votes.
  When you factor in Newt's personal baggage, with the fact he will have to unite conservatives (cause he sure aint getting any liberal votes) like never before - suddenly the advantages of his articulate manner  & acerbic wit seem minimized. Current odds 5-2

  Romney. Seems like its his nomination to lose. One by One all the other candidates have had their day in the sunlight, which was followed by a sharp drop in the polls as the electorate sized them up (see Bachman & Perry) and said No Thanks. Romney has consistently polled at or near the top of the field. He has the most money and the strongest organization. This makes him  the obvious choice of the "haves".  Traditionally the GOP has always given the nomination in turn. Its Romney's turn now, just like it was Mcain's turn 4 years ago.
   While he is the odds on favorite to get the nomination, of all the candidates listed here he will struggle the most against Obama in the general election because there really is no discernible difference between him & Obama. They are both holier than thou, disingenuous policy hacks who will grow government spending to unprecedented levels because they both fundamentally believe more Gman is the solution to everything.  While Romney would deny that with words, his deeds would say differently.  He implemented socialized medicine, supported tarp & the bailouts, and increased taxes.  This hypocrisy will cost him dearly in the general election.   Current odds are 7-5

  Obama.  At some point, he has to own this economy. Any of the other four are more than capable of hanging the economic albatross around Obama's neck.  His road back to the white house looks increasingly tougher to navigate precisely because of the stagnant economy. History would suggest his chances are slim, at best. He does have the full support of his party and complete access to a sizable campaign war-chest. He also gets a bye into the finals - unlike the other four who will continue beating each other up. He also has many rich & powerful friends. The value of these should not be underestimated.
  In spite of all those things, we here at mytwocent$ are of the opinion Romney is the only one Obama could beat in the general election. Even that would require some divine intervention as the economy would have to be rebounding sharply by this time next year. That hardly seems plausible when you consider the Obama administrations  record of economic ineptitude over the last 3 years. The road for Obama to hoe gets even tougher when you consider a few groups (young, independents,  & hispanics) who went big for him 4 years ago are abandoning him in droves today. Current odds are 6-5

Other than Ron Paul....

When one gets in bed with government, one must expect the diseases it spreads.
Ron Paul 

Other than Ron Paul, there isn't one candidate in the field who would change the imperialistic ways of the USA. He is the only candidate who has correctly identified the root cause of 9/11 as being our military presence in too many places where it does not belong. It seems anymore, our nations natural state, is to be at war. We are in 3 now, that we know of - all with no end in sight. You don't see terrorists flying planes into Chinese buildings, or Australian buildings, or Canadian buildings. Its because those countries aren't imposing their way of life on others thru military force. Anyone who is intellectually honest would agree. The fact none of the other candidates in the race would dare admit our imperialistic ways are the root cause of 9/11, speaks volumes about how beholden the others are to the military-industrial complex which controls this country today. 

Other than Ron Paul, there isn't one candidate in the field who is a believer in the "Austrian school of economics". The other candidates as well as the people who run this country today are all Keynesians. They all see our economy thru the Keynes model, which means they do not possess the requisite intellectual understanding necessary to grow our economy.  They are simply not free market people. They are all about government control rather than allow the guiding hand of the free market to dictate progress. Its bad enough Government is this nations largest employer, but those government jobs pay on average 40% more than their private sector equivalent. Is it any wonder the economy blows?

Other than Ron Paul, there isn't one candidate in the field who correctly understands the root cause of our economic malaise is the absence of sound money.  The system we have now is completely corrupted. Allowing the FED the power to just create more money as needed, means more will always be needed, and thus more will be created. Its just human nature. Creating more $$ devalues the existing $$. This is why a Mcdonalds cup of coffee which cost 20 cents in the seventies cost $2.00 today. Its the very same reason Gold will continue to outperform every other asset class on the planet for at least the next decade. Ron Paul understands this, and has for years. Look at his portfolio, looks just like Bagholders.  

Other than Ron Paul, there isn't one candidate in the field who would end the drug war (with legalization & regulation). The other candidates all are believers in the current system of throwing billions of $$ at the problem in the form of police, prosecutors, judges, and of course, prisons. There is a large constituency of people who have a stake in growing the drug war.  They all (except Paul) feed at this trough, even though intellectually, morally and philosophically, ending the drug war is the right thing to do. Then again, unless you are Ron Paul, right never enters the equation. The others are all obligated to the powers which got them where they are today. That is why they all take the intellectually disingenuous position of growing the drug war. 

Other than Ron Paul, there isn't one candidate in the field who would significantly shrink the size & scope of Gman. He is intent on dismantling the powers of the federal government and transferring that power to states and individuals. He is a champion of states rights & individual liberty; while the others are all champions of more government. Oh sure, they will all cut in various areas - but on the whole - Paul is the only one who would dare shrink the size of Government like is commensurate with the problem. Government is a natural inhibitor to economic growth. You want widespread poverty, growing unemployment, falling wages, and rising prices - then grow government. Shrink government, and those things go away. Reagan understood it, Paul seems to be the only one in this years crop who gets it. 

Other than Ron Paul, there isn't one candidate in the field who would actually bring change to Washington. The other candidates are all slaves to the current system of expanding government. The idea that there is any significant difference between Democrat &  Republican is absurd. Sure, there is a difference where each side directs the government cash machine; but the bottom line is both sides (R & D) grow government in scope and size.. This is what distinguishes Ron Paul from all the others. Paul is intent on shrinking government on a scale not seen (or dreamt of) in our life.  The powers that be in this country do not want his election. This is why he gets almost no attention in the national media. The attention he does get usually has the MSM labeling him a lunatic. That fact there, is reason enough to learn about the guy. 

Come to think of it, other than Ron Paul, there isn't one candidate in the field worth endorsing. 

Quiz winner!!!

For the second Month in a row - Lord Vader has captured the Mytwocents Quiz with a perfect 12 of 12 score. Congratulations are due, he has grown his Silver position. Bagholder was of the opinion this was an easy quiz, as it turned out it was more difficult than I imagined.  Here are the correct answers along with a brief explanation:

1. Paul - Tea party = smaller government, no taxes, no wars, balanced budget. While Bachman supporters would like to claim the tea party mantle, fact is she has voted for UNbalanced budgets & Increased troops in Iraq - while Paul voted NO on all wars & has never voted for a tax increase or unbalanced budget in his 23 years. 

2. Bachman - She gets the most with the least. The fact she is even in the running with her paper thin resume speaks to her Savvy.

3. Perry. This guy is George Bush less 20 IQ points (and we know W. didn't have too many to spare)

4. Romney - Harvard MBA - need I say more. 

5. Palin  The most skilled is the one who can lie while connecting with people on a personal level, such that they don't care about the lie. Clinton had it, Reagan had it, and so does Palin. 

6. Paul. This one was a hand out - there is no other name in the conversation. You want to turn Washington upside down, this is the guy.

7. Obama - His record speaks for itself. I could see an argument for Perry here too. 

8. Perry - This one isn't close either - have you seen his college transcript?

9. Palin - She has the Broadest appeal (no pun intended). Even if Obama wins the election - he won't carry the most states. Of course, she has to get the nomination first. 

10. Bachman - The Romans used to feed christian fundamentalists to starved lions, because they thought it just. Some of her religious utterances, are downright scary - for those of us living in reality.  Bagholder, being a big picture guy, would overlook this religious frailty & vote for her in a second.

11. Romney - The only real business man in the group, besides the only thing missing is the diamond pinkie ring

12. Obama - Another no-brainer. Someone who has driven the economy off a cliff has to be less qualified to get behind the wheel again than any of the 5 who didn't.

Quiz time!! Win a Silver Eagle!!

With the Iowa straw poll thinning the Republican field a bit, It seems there are maybe 5 contenders for the 2012 crown. I guess 6, if you count Sarah. In the spirit of get to know your candidates, there are 12 questions - each must be answered with one of the following choices:

A. Bachmann

B. Palin

C. Paul

D. Perry

E. Romney

F. Obama

   The first person who posts in the comment section ALL 12 correct answers as judged by your host, Bagholder - will get a 1 ounce .999 fine US Silver Eagle Fedexed to your door. Have fun...

1. Who has a  platform most in-line with the tea party?

2. Who is the most savvy, politically?

3. If elected who would damage the country the most? 

4. Who is the most ethically challenged?

5. Who is the most skilled Liar?

6. Who would shrink government debt the most?

7. Who would grow government debt the most?

8. Intellectually, who has the dimmest bulb?

9. Who carries the most states in 2012?

10. As for religious beliefs, who is the most extreme?

11. Who would make the best used car salesman?

12. Who is the least qualified?

  Sorry, almost forgot...there are 12 questions with 6 possible answers....so to be fair & balanced we used each answer twice.......

Debt, a four letter word indeed

There are two kinds of people in the world my friend, those with a rope around their neck, and those who do the cutting. -tuco

 There are parallels to be drawn from Tuco's words of wisdom. The spiraling out of control national debt is the noose threatening to hang us all. While those in charge of the cutting, our elected leaders, seem oblivious to our plight.

After months of wrangling between Obama & both houses of congress,  there has been a deal struck to raise the debt limit. This means we, as a nation, can go on spending money we don't have - it just goes on the federal credit card. It is the 70th time we as a nation have had our "limit" increased. Seems kind of silly to call it a limit really.  Could you imagine reaching your mastercard limit, then asking for an increase, and getting it - 70 times? 

 The agreement reached, like all good compromises,  has nobody getting what they want (need), but everybody getting a little something. Democrats get the next debt limit showdown moved until after the next election. Tea party gets no new taxes, Republicans get - well - their way, the masses get assfucked, and Gold & Silver Bulls make Bank - with a capital B.

  The   United States is the mathematical equivalent (with 8 zeroes removed) of  the guy who makes 24 grand (2.4 trillion revenues) per year while spending 39 grand (3.9 trillion budget) - Oh and his net worth is negative 150 grand (15 trillion debt).  The situation is simply not sustainable. Yet here we are. As anyone who has managed household budget would tell you, the first step is to get the spending under what you make - then tackle the debt. 

  So, after months of wrangling how do our leaders, ostensibly our best and brightest, approach this problem? The village idiots, I mean congress  decides to spend 37 grand rather than 39 - and then celebrate as though they are conquering Roman war heros returning home for the Bacchanal.  Instead of cutting spending in half, like is commensurate with the problem - we get token cuts. The kind smarmy politicians can show their constituents as proof they are addressing the spending issue. Like my dear departed dad would say, It ain't worth being the village idiots, unless you can prove it. 

  Meanwhile back on Earth, the real issue (the debt) continues to grow, unabated. In fact, they have agreed not to address the issue again until after 2012 election.  Our  political leaders are not serious about addressing the spending deficit. Which means they are not serious about addressing the debt either. So, if getting spending under control is off the table; then inflating (printing) the currency and/or default is all that is left.  

  Make no mistake, until our political focus changes - gold will head higher. In as much as our leaders have decided to print more currency - seemingly until we run out of trees - Gold bulls are the only real winners from today's deal as we recognize the US dollar and the political charade with it for what they are;  a currency in collapse and an empire in decay. Like Tuco might say, there are 2 kinds of people in the world my friend, those who get it (and buy gold) & those who don't. Which one are you?

GOLD War - the psychological front lines....

   We here at MYTWOCENT$ have always had a fascination with the parsing of words. Normally, you can take peoples words at face value - but when dealing with politicians and/or bankers (species both known to bend a word or two) close scrutiny is advised as nuance is always part of the equation. It is a crying shame they only give Paul 5 minutes every few months to grill this guy. In an ongoing effort to retire debt, we here at mytwocent$  would gladly pitch in 10 grand for a 90 minute pay per view between these two. In any event,  what follows here is a blow by blow translation of the conversation from Thursday between perhaps the wisest elder statesman in congress and Benny the blasphemer on a subject near and dear to our heart - GOLD. 

Ron Paul: “When you wake up in the morning, do you care about the price of gold?”

  Like any good tactician, Paul only asks questions to which he knows the answer. Of course Ben cares about the price of gold - as gold is the proverbial canary in the coal mine. The higher it rips, the more Benny & the bankers are exposed for the frauds they are. Asked a point blank yes or no question, Benny does what any experienced politico would do. He evades. He knows Paul is looking for a yes, and he knows the truth is yes, but like most bankers his first instinct is to deny others, so he stops short of saying yes with:

  Ben Bernanke: “Well, I pay attention to the price of gold. But I think it reflects a lot of things. It reflects global uncertainties. I think the reason people hold gold is as protection against of what we call tail risks, really, really bad outcomes. And to the extent that the last few years have made people more worried about the potential of a major crisis then they have gold as a protection.”

 On a psychological level, Benny is working overtime. First he stops short of admitting he cares, then he openly tries to associate Gold (probably the surest thing on the planet) with uncertainty. He then proceeds to paint people who hold gold as extreme, sure he doesn't use the exact words, but look at his choice of nouns & adjectives - and what they imply. For example, "protection" implies defense (not offense),  so those looking to make a buck should look elsewhere.. "Tail" implies, no matter what comes - gold won't be needed until maybe the end of it - so we certainly don't need it today. "Risk" implies danger, bankers always like to associate gold with risk whenever possible - its no coincidence they appear in the same sentence here. "Really really bad outcomes" implies extreme and unforeseen.  "worried about the potential"  implies unlikely and extremely remote - hardly worth worrying about.  

Ron Paul: "Do you think gold is money?"

Ben Bernanke:  "No. It's a precious metal."

Of course gold is money and much more, Gold is the preeminent universal form of money. Always has been, always will be. So of course Benny does what bankers do, denies. He subtly coats the denial "no" with a known truth "its a precious metal". This has the effect of making his no seem more like a fact than an opinion - old debaters trick. What is really funny about this exchange is Paul knows Gold is money and then some, while Benny denies because he doesn't want to publicly acknowledge gold as a viable alternative to his BernankeBucks.  

Ron Paul: "Even if it's been money for 6,000 years? Somebody reversed that and eliminated that economic law?"

Ben Bernanke:  "Well, you know, it's an asset. Would you say treasury bills are money? I don't think they're money either, but they're a financial asset." 

   Benny just won't give it up. Instead he takes the opportunity to slander gold by associating it with t-bills.  First rate con job, Lumping Gold in with a losing proposition like T-bills - what fckin balls on this guy. He is trying to insinuate both T-bills & Gold are assets; when In fact, one is an asset (gold), while the other is a paper liability (promise to pay).

Ron Paul: "Why do central banks hold it if it's not money?"

Ben Bernanke:  "Well, it's a form of reserves."

   What a nice nuance by Benny,"Its a form of reserves". Thats all, just a backup plan - nothing more. Another obvious attempt at manipulating the appeal of gold downward by minimizing its importance. The longer bankers continue to bad mouth gold (thus helping to cap its price), the longer they will have to trade their Bernankebucks for something of value. While Gold is a form of reserves it is also much more. Gold is a bet against paper currency. Gold is a bet on the continued debauchery, corruption, and parasitic behavior of our elected leaders - a sure bet if there ever was one. Gold is the only chance you have of being a player after the inevitable collapse of the almighty dollar.  

Ron Paul: "Why don't they hold diamonds?"

Ben Bernanke:  "Well, it's tradition. Long-term tradition."

Ron Paul: "Some people still think it's money."

  "Tradition" …….. People do a lot of stupid, carefree, expensive things in the name of tradition.  Bankers on the other hand, do not behave out of tradition, ever. They are motivated by getting more. Always more. They hold gold (and are buying more) because they know they are on the right side of the trade. They bad mouth Gold because bankers are more shrewd (and greedy) than most, and want the trade to themselves. Do not be fooled by their words - look at their deeds. Central banks are buying - are you?   

 ****************************

  As of this writing, Gold is plumbing new highs at $1600 the ounce. While the herd (the masses) all think thats high, those of us ahead of the pack are long and still getting longer. The obscene rates at which Benny is printing up new dollars guarantees $1600 will look like a steal in a few years.  It was only 3 years ago gold was trading in the $800's. Everyone thought it was high then too. Just like today.  Even though $800 seemed high then, it seems cheap today. And so while $1600 may seem high today, history shows our perspective may be completely different in a few years time. 

Dr. Jack - truly a man ahead of his time .....

 The passing of Dr. Jack Kevorkian is sure to fill more than a few seconds of the nightly news. While many knew him as Dr.Death - his MSM pseudonym - nothing could be further from the truth. Many would have you believe he was a crusader for physician assisted suicides. While there is some truth to that, his life and what he stould for are far more important than euthanasia. He was on the front lines of a much bigger war; namely personal freedom vs government control. The real issue at stake is whether we as individuals have the right to do what we want with our lives - or do those choices belong to gman? Sad Truth is with gman making the decisions, we are NOT free people.

  Dr. Jack really was not given a fair shake. Gman (arbitrarily) decided the people of this country were not capable of making life choices - so they opted to step in and make those choices for them. I could understand the prosecutions if there were existing laws on the books that he violated - but there were none. That is why it took multiple trials to stop him. Gman was trying to fit a square peg into a round hole. Gman, being the bloated oversized beached whale it is, eventually forced that peg. It mattered little that Dr. Jack was right or that his so called victims weren't victims as they all died by their own hand. What did matter was the obtuse vanity of the people who run this country. Gman simply could not have an individual thumbing their nose at them - that was his real crime. To me he is no different than the Tienamen square Soldier standing in front of the tanks - same reason - different circumstance - and most importantly different result.

  While most in the MSM will lament his passing as a loss for those who believe in assisted suicides, he was really much more a living-breathing statement on the limits of government. It is a sad day for those (like me) who champion individual rights. Those on the other side of that coin, who want more obtrusive government - will paint him in a negative light with slanderous names like "Dr. Death", because thats all they have. With them, It's always about the messenger, never about the message. This is evidenced by the rules of his parole where in this free country he was not allowed to speak publically about the assisted suicide issue after his release. What a farce. His message was one of freedom, personal choice, and limiting the reach of Gman. For that, he should be remembered as a crusader. Godspeed Jack.

Handicapping the GOP Field....

Pawlenty - If I didn't see an R after his name every time he is on TV - I would swear he was a democrat. He has a government solution to everything & yet he is going to balance the budget. Sure. Arguably the least qualified of the candidates. No match for Obama - because most of the people who Pawlenty (and his government solutions) appeals to - will vote Democratic.  8-1

Romney - Morning line favorite. The obvious choice of the establishment. As republicans go, he says all the right things. Good credentials. Problem I have with him is every time I look at him I see the prototypical politician. Quick, name 5 adjectives that best describe your average career politician. My list  would read duplicitous, smarmy, verbose, condescending, and dubious. This guy has them all - in Spades. He may well get the nomination, but little chance against Obama.   8-5

Cain - Dynamic speaker - hands down the best Orator of this group. Pragmatic & Charismatic. There is nothing about this guy that says politician. His Candor is refreshing. Like Paul, he is genuine. As such,  Another outsider with little chance to get the nomination - yet would probably carry 40 states against Obama. 6-1

Gingrich - I would pay a lot of dollars to watch him debate Obama - what a fish & goose soiree that would be. He makes no pretense at politeness or bipartisanship - to me this makes him believable & persuasive. Genius IQ - though seemingly without the scruples to manage it. Probably too polarizing to beat Obama - which is why if he gets any traction early - the MSM may help him get the nomination.    4-1

Huntsman - Why anyone even takes this guy seriously is beyond me. I really think he gets run in the media because they would love to see him get the nomination. He would have little chance against his former boss, the Big O. 30-1

Bachman - No doubt in my mind, she has the biggest pair of testicles in the field. Principled and seemingly uncorrupted thus far by Washington.  Inexperienced  - but to the tea party this is a plus. Unlike Palin though, she does not connect with ordinary people.  Another outsider with little chance of getting the nomination - but would do well in the general election. She has gotten as far as she has, because her enemies under-estimate her - that only gets you so far. 4-1

Paul - The only candidate from either party whose platform (if implemented) would actually improve the country.  The most philosophically consistent and thus the most genuine candidate. He is also the wisest of the field - by miles. . He would beat Obama easily in a General election - but has no chance to get the nomination - because he is intent  on dismantling the system. In essence, he skewers too many sacred cows. 99-1

Palin - This is the candidate the liberal establishment fears the most as she would easily beat Obama in the general election. While the press would have you believe her "negatives" are too high for her to be electable - don't be fooled. They are high because she can win - and the other side knows it - hence the fear. She is much more savvy than people give her credit for. She connects with ordinary people in a manner most politicians would cut off their own finger to be able to do. Lets not forget, Most males would vote for her just for 4 years worth of visions of breaking their genitalia off in - well you get the idea.  That appeal - makes her electable - period. 5-2

My personal choice would be Paul. But I am a realist - So I would be happy with  Cain, Palin, or Bachman. Gingrich would be the most entertaining by far. The rest are also rans. 

Empires Come, Empires Go

 

  When they crash, they crash hard. There can be little doubt - USA qualifies as an empire. The real question is - has it peaked - or are its best days ahead? The signs - if you care to look at them are everywhere. In fact, if you were Roman - you might say the "barbarians are at the gate".  Lets check the signs…..  

 Government promised bread and circus for the masses - check. As empire grows - so does the size & scope of Gman. We are at a point now where those working in the private sector  are outnumbered by those receiving a check from Gman. This is simply not sustainable as you cannot expect this problem to get better when the majority can just vote themselves a check.  In order to fund their profligate ways as well as excersise dominion over its people, Empires in decay have always turned to

 High taxes - check.

      Sales tax, property tax, estate tax, fica tax, excise tax, import tax, state tax, city tax, income tax, cap gains tax, unemployment tax, medicare tax, corporate tax, county tax, yada yada yada....Truth of the matter is all the taxes in the world would not provide enough money to meet Empire's needs. Our leaders know this. They use the tax code as a means to control behavior of the masses - not raise revenue.  If they wanted to raise more revenue, they would just:

Devalue the unit of currency - check.

   In the old days of Empire, the rulers would just clip metal off the edges of existing coins, melt the clippings down & mint more coins. No need to go thru that hassle any more, now we just print more paper. This has the effect of "devaluing" every existing unit of currency. This is why a cup of coffee that cost a nickel in 1930, cost two dollars today. Our finances are so bad in this country, our leaders are forced to print extra units of currency at an ever accelerating rate. This behavior will eventually lead to a collapse in the value of the dollar which will begin with a:

Rising Gold price - check.

This is the proverbial canary in the coal mine. A rising gold price indicates more and more people have become worried about the purchasing power of the dollar, so they have begun putting that money into Gold - as Gold has always (unlike ALL paper currencies) retained its purchasing power. In essence, Gold competes with the Gmans beloved dollar as a store of value. We all know how much the Gman - or any monopoly  really - hates competition.  Which brings us back to the canary. If Gman CANNOT stop the rising gold price, and you know they are trying, then the exit from dollars - and the imminent collapse of their value, has begun. Empire will not go down without a fight though, that is why Empire always has an:  

 Oversized military - check.  

    Most of the spoils of empire are obtained by, or maintained with the threat of military force.  Of course its no coincidence good ole USA has the worlds largest military, by an order of magnitude.  Do you really think  countries around the world would willingly give us their goods and labor in exchange for our printed paper if we didn't have the military we do?  Yeah, sure..... History, if you care to learn from it,  shows the way to defeat a bigger military is by spreading them out  with

Costly Peripheral wars - check.

    Maintaing a military large enough to keep your subjects in line and further Empire's imperialist ways is very pricey.  Consider the USA has more bases in more countries than they have states in the union. As for wars you have Afghanistan, Iraq, Libya - and those are just the ones they tell us about.  You are kidding yourself if you think if you think those are the only three. Our leaders are con artists who are experts at telling voters what they want to hear, which usually has nothing to do with the actual truth. In short we have a:

Corrupt political system - check

    The two party system is just for show. Truth is R or D makes no difference.  Both sides want more Government no matter the issue. Both sides spend more than we take in. Both sides are in bed with the suits on wall street. Both sides exhibit imperialist ways. Both sides are far more interested in re-election than the needs of the country. They are all (as MC would say) part of the same hypocrisy.  The system itself is broken. Instead of being lead by our best & brightest people - we are lead by our best and brightest con artists. It's not just the politicians either, our entire nation is in complete:

Moral decay - check.

   Have you listened to your kids music lately?  Have you seen the divorce rate?  Or the teen pregnancy rate?  Or the school dropout rate? Or the prison population? These are all just symptoms of a far bigger problem. The end of empire is near. Those within the Empire are doing everything possible (including unscrupulous behavior) to retain the last remnants of such. Can't blame them really - its just human nature - oh, and the end of empire.