As the U.S. media trumpets the arrival of a great “economic recovery”, the vast majority of the American people are completely unaware that the entire U.S. financial system is caught in a hopeless death spiral. The cold, hard reality is that any temporary “green shoots” that we are seeing in the economy are there not because our politicians have figured out a way to deal with the financial problems of the United States. No, the “green shoots” are there because our politicians have flooded our economy with a whole bunch more debt. Debt will stimulate an economy for a little while, but the truth is that any new debt just makes our long-term economic problems even worse. But now we are caught in a never ending cycle of debt, and there is no hope that we will ever be able to pay if off. Most Americans do not understand economics, but if they did, they would realize that the American Dream is literally being destroyed right in front of their eyes. Not only have we squandered the vast amounts of wealth that our forefathers left us, we have also piled up the biggest mountain of debt in the history of the world. We have created an economic nightmare from which there is no escape. Our children and our grandchildren will be trapped in it for their entire lives. What we have done to future generations of Americans is absolutely criminal. (Read More...)
U.S. Economy
Is The Gulf Of Mexico Oil Spill Going To Kill The American Dream For Millions Of Americans?
As BP works feverishly to contain the massive oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico, many are now coming to the realization that this will be the most economically painful environmental disaster in U.S. history. The oil spill in the Gulf is already larger than the entire state of Florida, and it creeps closer to the Gulf Coast with each passing hour. According to official estimates, approximately 5,000 barrels a day are leaking into the Gulf, but outside groups working with satellite-imagery claim that the leak is at least five times that amount. In fact, John Amos, a geologist who heads an environmental group called SkyTruth estimates that the leak is actually 26,500 barrels a day. As oil continues to pour into the Gulf at a frightening pace, large numbers of Americans who depend on the Gulf of Mexico for their economic survival are wondering what is going to happen next. Is the Gulf of Mexico oil spill going to kill the American Dream for millions of Americans? (Read More...)
The Coming Economic Collapse Of Japan – And Why You Should Be Extremely Concerned About It
Most Americans pay very little attention to what is going on in the economies of other nations. But they should. The reality is that in today’s global economy, what is happening on the other side of the world can have a dramatic impact on the U.S. economy. In particular, the ongoing implosion of Japan’s economy should greatly concern us all. Japan is the 3rd biggest economy in the world and is one of America’s most important trading partners. If Japan experiences a total economic collapse it will create a tsunami of financial panic around the globe. In fact, it is likely that a default by the government of Japan would plunge the world into such an economic nightmare that the American Dream would quickly vanish for millions of American families. So just how close is Japan to a financial collapse? Well, Fitch Ratings says that Japan’s gross public debt has reached 201 percent of GDP and is likely to continue to pile up into very dangerous territory for the foreseeable future. It is estimated that this gigantic mountain of debt amounts to 7.5 million yen for every person living in Japan. Needless to say this is extremely troubling. Japan has the highest level of public debt to GDP of any of the industrialized nations. Japan is literally drowing in red ink. Meanwhile, even with all of the massive government spending that has caused all of this debt, Japan’s economy still continues to implode at a frightening pace. Japan’s discouraging battle with deflation dragged into its 13th straight month in March as prices continued to decline and the unemployment rate rose sharply. In fact, the number of unemployed in Japan totalled 3.5 million in March. This represented a 4.5 percent rise from the same period a year ago. (Read More...)
American Deadbeats
Is the current economic crisis creating a generation of American deadbeats? Once upon a time in America, we were taught that no matter how much financial trouble we get in we pay our debts – no matter what. But now that has fundamentally changed. Today, record numbers of Americans are filing for bankruptcy and a new term had to be invented (“strategic defaults”) to describe the large number of people who are making “business decisions” to walk away from underwater mortgages. Meanwhile, many of these same individuals who are walking away from their debts are spending big money on cruises, vacations and new cars – as if they were still entitled to all of the good things that come with living the American Dream. Below you will read some incredibly disgusting examples of this. It is as if a whole generation of Americans has decided that “financial responsibility” is a problem that they don’t care to be bothered with. But what is it going to do to the U.S. financial system if we can no longer count on people to honor their debts? (Read More...)